Formal Wear Primer

[Midnight Blue]

Waistcoat lapel facings

I'm having a hard time finding specific references to lapels on vintage black-tie waistcoats and I'm hoping you guys can help me out! It seems that silk waistcoats usually took self-faced lapels / revers but I can't find any info about facings on the lapels of wool waistcoats. Were they generally faced with the same kind of silk as used on the accompanying jacket lapels or were they usually self-faced or were both options common? Also, I'm curious as to whether buttons on vintage waistcoats tended to be covered in the same material as the lapels. (I would really appreciate it if you could site your sources - including references to actual vintage garments - so that I can potentially use this information on my web site.)

 

[Qirrel]

None of the wool waistcoats I have seen had silk lapels. Only ones I have seen with silk lapels had the body made from plain or patterned silk. I'm on my phone right now but I can name a few sources for you when I get home.

Edit:

Had a look through my books, and all they say is that silk facing/trim "gives a rather stylish effect to the garment".

 

[dnjan]

Thanks for the bottom button advice. It definitely matches with what to me is common sense.

First wearing of my new waistcoat will be in about 2 weeks (25th wedding anniversary dinner).
Off-white, three-button, with a vertical buttonhole below the top regular buttonhole for my watch chain.
I'll try to have someone take our picture.

Here is the photo of us out for our 25th Anniversary.
Waistcoat is cream-coloured - to me it is just enough off white to stand-out from the shirt. (in case the colour-difference doesn't come out in the picture)

 

[thunderw21]

I just picked up this early 1950s tailcoat and trousers in Midnight Blue. Really good condition except for a minor flaw in the trousers. I'll be selling it since it's too big for me (40-42 jacket, 34-36 trousers).


It's a lot darker than these photos show, almost black.

1949 union tag

 

[bradbunnin]

Midnight blue tails

I'm very much interested in the midnight blue tails. Do you have a price in mind? Please let me know.

 

[Orgetorix]

Thunder, are the facings blue or black?

 

[thunderw21]

I'm very much interested in the midnight blue tails. Do you have a price in mind? Please let me know.

Shoot me an email at thunderw21@hotmail.com.

Thunder, are the facings blue or black?

I don't have it in front of me right now but I believe them to be black.

 

[Chasseur]

Speaking of midnight blue tails I just picked these up awhile back. They needed a little work at the tailor, but when I get them back I'll post better pictures (that are not in the dingy bathroom mirror...). They fit very well, lovely belly to the lapels, long tails, and nice waist suppression. They are so dark I didn't notice they were midnight blue instead of black until I was with my tailor.

 

[Corky]

Per my comment about a black suit replacing the tuxedo...

Per my comment about a black suit replacing the tuxedo, I offer an image from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps":

Shia LaBoeuf is seen sans cummerbund, Josh Brolin looks like a candidate to play the next 007 and Michael Douglas looks cooler and more savvy than either of them in a simple black suit in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

 

[Tailor Tom]

My little bit....

Per my comment about a black suit replacing the tuxedo, I offer an image from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps":

Shia LaBoeuf is seen sans cummerbund, Josh Brolin looks like a candidate to play the next 007 and Michael Douglas looks cooler and more savvy than either of them in a simple black suit in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

Shia LaBoeuf is also beltless, as you can just see a hint of suspender strap showing...this ads to the "clean" look of his suit.

 

[Yeps]

Shia LaBoeuf is seen sans cummerbund, Josh Brolin looks like a candidate to play the next 007 and Michael Douglas looks cooler and more savvy than either of them in a simple black suit in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

I don't think Michael Douglas looks good here at all, especially with the tie way down over his trousers. The best is Mr. Brolin in the middle. Very classy.

 

[Midnight Blue]

Per my comment about a black suit replacing the tuxedo, I offer an image from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps":

Shia LaBoeuf is seen sans cummerbund, Josh Brolin looks like a candidate to play the next 007 and Michael Douglas looks cooler and more savvy than either of them in a simple black suit in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

Douglas looks like a waiter taking the order of the other two men.
LaBeouf looks like a prom date but only because of his exposed waistband and suspender straps. He should either get a cummerbund or keep his jacket closed.
Brolin looks like a true gentleman. Is that midnight blue or do my eyes deceive me?

Would have been great if one of them would have added smart white pocket square!

 

[Feraud]

Brolin's outfit looks to be a midnight blue color. He wears it very well.
The other two come off like flunkies.

 

[jamespowers]

Douglas looks like a waiter taking the order of the other two men.
LaBeouf looks like a prom date but only because of his exposed waistband and suspender straps. He should either get a cummerbund or keep his jacket closed.
Brolin looks like a true gentleman. Is that midnight blue or do my eyes deceive me?

Would have been great if one of them would have added smart white pocket square!

He does indeed look like a waiter in that outfit. Fortunately, the black suit instead of the tuxedo is only popular in Hollywood.
Good call on LaBeouf as well. :eusa_clap

 

[jamespowers]

Brolin's outfit looks to be a midnight blue color. He wears it very well.
The other two come off like flunkies.

Or just plain skunky.

 

[Richard Warren]

Perhaps Stone is a clueless hack. This is probably just attempted character development through wardrobe.

 

[jamespowers]

Now that I look closer at the picture, are the two wearing bowties actually wearing studs on their shirts? Shia looks like he is wearing a regular white shirt instead of an actual tuxedo shirt. :eusa_doh:

 

[bradbunnin]

This picture gives new meaning (sadly, one altogether too common these days) to the concept of "semi-formal": Wear whatever you like, because it really doesn't matter.

 

[dhermann1]

White kid gloves

Moving over to the white tie and tails side of this thread, I'd like to find out about one of the more esoteric aspects of full white tie mufti, the white kid gloves. According to everything I've read, a gentleman must wear gloves that match his overcoat, when he is outdoors, but when he is wearing white tie indoors, he must wear white kid gloves.
I just bought a nice new pair of white kid gloves, and am hoping they're correct. Anyone have any pics of correct kid gloves?
Oh, and how about canes? I've seen some comments that say it should be an ebony or black cane, but I've also seen plain crook wooden canes in many movies. I suspect the latter were completely standard back in the day.

 

[jamespowers]

Moving over to the white tie and tails side of this thread, I'd like to find out about one of the more esoteric aspects of full white tie mufti, the white kid gloves. According to everything I've read, a gentleman must wear gloves that match his overcoat, when he is outdoors, but when he is wearing white tie indoors, he must wear white kid gloves.
I just bought a nice new pair of white kid gloves, and am hoping they're correct. Anyone have any pics of correct kid gloves?
Oh, and how about canes? I've seen some comments that say it should be an ebony or black cane, but I've also seen plain crook wooden canes in many movies. I suspect the latter were completely standard back in the day.

My vintage white kid gloves have mother of pearl button closures at the back if that helps any. [huh]
I would think an ebony cane would work nicely. Plain wood would stick out and clash with the black of the outfit to me. Then again, those movies were black and white. They didn't care because it wouldn't show up on the screen anyway.