Evening Suits for Men

Evening Suits for Men. By the turn of the 20th century, full evening dress consisted of a black tailcoat made of heavy fabric weighing 16-18 oz per yard. Its lapels were medium width and the white shirt worn beneath it had a heavily starched, stiff front, fastened with pearl or black studs and either a winged collar or a type called a “poke”, consisting of a high band with a slight curve at the front. After World War I, the dinner jacket became more popular, especially in the US, and informal variations sprang up, like the soft, turn-down collar shirt and later the double-breasted jacket; relaxing social norms in Jazz Age America meant white tie was replaced by black tie as the default evening wear for young men, especially at nightclubs. According to The Delineator, the years after World War I saw white tie “almost abandoned”. But it did still have a place: the American etiquette writer Emily Post stated in 1922 that “A gentleman must always be in full dress, tail coat, white waistcoat, white tie and white gloves” when at the opera, yet she called the tuxedo “essential” for any gentleman, writing that “It is worn every evening and nearly everywhere, whereas the tail coat is necessary only at balls, formal dinners, and in a box at the opera.” Reference: Wikipedia