I Don’t Care What a Morning Coat Is: The Royal Wedding Dress Code for Men
Congratulations, you’re invited to the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Unfortunately, you’re American and not the great-grandson of a railroad tycoon, so the Uniform, Morning Coat or Lounge Suit dress code doesn’t mean much to you. Fear not; the Internet and I have you covered. Let’s break this down together.
Uniform
This one shows your manly manliness at its most manly and is vastly preferred out of the three because it demonstrates your obligation to protect the Queen in the event of a Eurovision-style security breech. That said, this look is only for the manly man soldiers out there; women officers are cordially invited to balance a pile of garden snakes on their head with the rest of the gentlewomen.
Morning Coat
Ugggghhhhhhh morning coats make me think that the real reason most men don’t do men’s fashion well is because it’s exhausting. Because I literally can’t convince my eyes to read this list, I’ve copied and pasted what Debrett’s, a company that writes rules for fancy people, says is required for morning dress:
– A black or grey matt morning coat, single-breasted with peaked lapels, curved front edges sloping back into tails.
– Trousers are grey or grey and black-striped.
– A white or light-coloured shirt with a white turned-down collar, double-cuffs and cufflinks.
– Waistcoats are usually buff, grey or duck-egg blue and double or single-breasted. Double-breasted waistcoats may have a lapel, either shawl or peak, and are worn fully buttoned. Singlebreasted waistcoats either have a step collar or no collar, and the lowest button is always left undone. Fancy waistcoats, such as those worn by members of the Eton Society, are sometimes worn, especially at weddings. Avoid anything backless.
– Ties are preferred to cravats. A smart woven silk tie is acceptable. A tie pin will add an extra flourish of dandyism.
– Highly polished (not patent) black lace-up/smart slip-on shoes.
– A grey or black top hat is worn with morning dress for racing but at most other events it is carried rather than worn and may be dispensed with.
– A handkerchief may be worn in the left breast pocket with an understated buttonhole.
Ugggghhhhhhh.
Lounge Suit
I was really hoping that a “lounge suit” was going to be a burgundy velvet smoking robe, but it turns out it’s just a fancy way to say “whatever suit you wore to the office today, so long as it’s clean.” You can wear a two-piece or a three-piece suit to the royal wedding, and now, thanks once again to Debrett’s, you will know the difference between those two things:
A three-piece suit consists of a single-breasted jacket, a single- or double-breasted waistcoat and trousers. When wearing a singlebreasted waistcoat, the bottom button is always left undone. A two-piece suit consists of single-breasted or double-breasted jacket with trousers (no waistcoat). Belts should not be worn with a waistcoat or double-breasted suit.
A shirt with a turndown (not button-down) collar should be worn with a tie and the top button of the shirt must be done up. The most versatile tie knots are the four-in-hand and the half-Windsor; large Windsor knots should generally be avoided.
I hope you understood most of that, because I sure didn’t.
Give Your Wedding Wardrobe the Royal Treatment
Understanding the dress code is an obvious must at any spring wedding, much less a royal one. Learn the rules, pay attention to detail and stay sharp for a look that could give even an Old Etonian a run for his money.
What?
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