Womenswear is constantly changing. It’s hard to keep up between all the skirts and dresses and rompers and jumpsuits and pants and shirts! On the other hand, menswear, especially men’s formal wear, has largely stayed the same for the past 125 years. The suit is here to stay.
GQ published this article that outlines “The History of the Suit by the Decade”. Apparently, in the 1800s men wore coats with tails, silk stockings, knee breeches, and powdered wigs. Not the finest hour for men’s formal wear. Luckily for us, George Bryan Brummel, better known as “Beau,” entered the scene. He wiggled his way into the upper class of London and befriended the Prince (soon to be King George IV). His social position allowed him to do away with the costumey trends from before and usher in a new wave of suiting. Beau flaunted long trousers, boots, natural hair. So of course, everyone copied him. Beau shaped men’s formal wear and his legacy has continued for 125 years.
Today, we have two standards of men’s formal wear: black tie and white tie. Black tie is appropriate if you’re attending a social function or evening event. Black tie consists of a dark colored tuxedo, a white shirt, and a black tie or bowtie. One step above black tie is white tie (believe it or not there’s an even fancier level). White tie is appropriate if you’re attending a formal wedding, a state dinner, or a ceremonial event (most of us mere mortals will never come into contact with white tie). White tie consists of a white low-cut waistcoat, white stiff wing collar and a white bow tie with a black dress coat, matching trousers and a white cotton shirt with a stiff front. Whereas black tie is a tiny bit flexible with new trends and fashion, white tie is stagnant and unaffected by changing styles.
At the end of January our CEO, Brian Lipstein, is attending the 163rd Annual Concert & Ball to support The Academy of Music (he serves on the Executive Committee there). Brian is excited as he gets to dress up in white tie. He’s going to be super in his element!
When you schedule an appointment at Henry A. Davidsen, you get a client experience like no other. Our team of image consultants are trained to learn all about you: your body shape, your tastes, your lifestyle, etc. You can get a cheap suit anywhere and wear it once before it starts to fray and the buttons start to pop off, but Henry A. Davidsen is a company that’s all about the long game.
Getting a custom suit from Henry A. Davidsen is a big monetary investment. However, what you get is a custom suit that will last you the rest of your life. And if men’s formal wear has stayed the same for the past 125 years, you definitely will not be going out of style!
