Look ‘smoking hot’ in the Dinner jacket, after all it did evolve from the smoking jacket. In 1860, tailors Henry Poole & Co made a short black smoking jacket for the trend setting Prince of Wales (later to be Edward VII)  to wear to semi-formal gatherings away from London as a comfortable alternative to the stuffy formal wear of the tail coat. James Potter a rich New Yorker took the look back to the states with him where it proved so popular at the exclusive country club, the Tuxedo Park Club; it became their informal dining uniform.  And you’ve guessed it – the jacket became known as a tuxedo. In fact the name tuxedo came years before the name dinner jacket. In Britain it was still known as a smoking or lounge jacket. To make the jacket smoking hot, let’s not forget the trousers. The dinner jacket requires a pair of dinner jacket/tuxedo trousers of the same colour and cloth with a silk satin or ribbed silk (like grosgrain) stripe down the side. 

All prices are correct at time of publishing

What style jacket and trousers to choose?

Lapel Style – Shawl, Peak or Notch

The original style was a shawl collar on a one buttoned single breasted jacket (derived from the smoking jacket). The shawl collar is softer and would suit the rounder guy and also guys with softer facial features. Favourbrook’s Black Hampton Wool Shawl Lapel Dinner Jacket features black grosgrain silk shawl lapels for the classic look. The jacket also features a welted breast pocket and slanted flapped side pockets and four button working cuffs. Inside, the jacket is lined in Favourbrook’s midnight paisley with three internal pockets.£790.00. Wear with their matching Black Hampton Wool Flat Front Dress Trouser complete with a grosgrain silk stripe. Features brace buttons because wearing a belt is a no no for a black tie event, it’s either a pair of braces or a cummerbund. £290.00 

Then came along a more formal look of peaked lapels (from the tailcoat). The more ostentatious peak lapels sweep wider than the shawl so will widen the chest area for the slimmer build making your shoulders look broader. The upward sweep of the lapel will make shorter guys appear taller. The sharpness of the peaked lapel also suits sharper facial features. Favourbrook’s Black Hampton Wool Dinner Jacket single-breasted dinner jacket has matching grosgrain silk peak lapels and buttons (all buttons on a dinner jacket should be covered in fabric). The jacket features a welted breast pocket and slanted flapped side pockets and four button working cuffs. Inside, the jacket is lined in Favourbrook midnight paisley with three internal pockets. £730.00. Wear with their matching Black Hampton Wool Flat Front Dress Trouser with a grosgrain silk stripe £290.00 
And later came the notched lapels from lounge suits. The notch lapel is now the most popular style although considered less formal by traditionalists. Favourbrook’s Black Hampton Tommy Dinner Jacket features silk grosgrain notch lapels. It has a  single-button fastening and two slanted flap pockets. Inside it comes lined in Favourbrook’s paisley lining. Crafted from 100% superfine wool. £790.00. Wear with their matching Black Hampton Tommy Wide-Leg Dress Trouser The wide-leg silhouette gives a contemporary look, and comes with single pleats £320.00

Lapel Fabric – Satin or Matt

Dinner jacket lapels are either of satin or matt silk (real or synthetic).

Satin lapels give a contrasting glossy smooth look. When choosing a satin lapel, the stripe on the trousers must be in matching satin. Tuxedo with peak lapel by Brunello Cucinelli is crafted in lightweight virgin wool and silk twill tuxedo with peak lapel jacket and pleated trousers. The compact, matte effect of the 85% virgin wool and 15% silk twill contrasts with the classic shiny look of the silk and cotton satin lapels. The jacket is of the two button rather than the popular one button closure. The buttons are not covered in silk but are made of shiny black mother of pearl. Cuffs have four mother of pearl buttons and functional buttonholes  £5000.00

Matt lapels give more texture as the fabric is ribbed silk. Here the rest of the facings do not have to exactly match. The lapel can be grosgrain whilst the trouser stripe can be another textured silk such as a silk braid. Gieves and Hawkes  Shelford Wool Mohair Barathea Peak Lapel Dinner Suit can be purchased as a 3 piece suit in black or separate. Fabric is 70% wool 30% mohair from the Dugdale Bros mill in England. The dinner jacket features peak lapel in grosgrain and an Austrian button closure (where the jacket is fastened by two connected buttons through two button holes instead of the standard button and hole closure.)  £950.00. The flat-front trousers have side adjusters for a perfect fit and a subtle grosgrain stripe to match the jacket’s lapels. £395.00  The trousers will be delivered unfinished, allowing for custom alterations to your size. If you require a waistcoat, this matching waistcoat is a four-button design and has a horseshoe front allowing the front of your dress shirt to be on view. £295.00. This suit is also available with a shawl lapel Shelford Wool Mohair Barathea Shawl Lapel Dinner Suit

Double-Breasted or Single-Breasted

The first double breasted dinner jacket was ordered from Savile Row by song and dance man Jack Buchanan and was popularised by the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor) in the 1930s. This style is best for the slim to skinny guys as it adds bulk. However it does make the body appear shorter, so it is a good choice for the very tall guy. The buttoning on a double-breasted tuxedo is higher with less of the shirt visible. This jacket should always remain buttoned up therefore there is no need to wear the cummerbund or waistcoat. Oliver Brown’s Beaufort Dinner Jacket features structured shoulders, sweeping peak lapels of silk grosgrain and a six-button fastening. Crafted from a plain barathea weave (a broken twill weft rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed) in 100% merino wool. This heavyweight (420gsm) cloth is sourced from Alfred Brown, a mill which has been producing fine worsted cloth in Leeds since 1915. £445.00. Wear with their Flat Front Dinner Trousers in matching plain barathea weave, featuring one row of traditional ribbed braiding. Here is an example where the lapel is grosgrain whilst the trouser stripe is another textured silk such as a silk braid – acceptable for matt facings but not for shiny satin facings. £245.00

The more slimming option is the one buttoned single breasted style. There are two buttoned single breasted tuxedos, however the one button is more traditional and popular. Traditionally tuxedo buttons are covered with silk or satin to match the lapels  Oliver Brown’s Carlyle Dinner Jacket in Black Barathea features structured shoulders, sweeping peak lapels crafted from silk grosgrain, and a one-button fastening. The twill weave cloth of this jacket is sourced from Alfred Brown, a mill which has been producing fine worsted cloth in Leeds since 1915. It is a heavyweight (420gsm) cloth woven from 100% Merino Wool. £445.00. A double -breasted always has peak lapels,but the single-breasted can come with shawl, peak or notch lapels. Oliver Brown’s Whittaker Dinner Jacket in Black Barathea features a shawl collar £445.00. Wear either jacket with their Flat Front Dinner Trousers in matching plain barathea weave, featuring one row of traditional ribbed braiding. £245.00 

Note: With a satin jacket lapel, the stripe down the trousers also have to be satin. But with a matt silk, the trouser stripe does not have to match exactly, therefore the ribbed braiding is acceptable. Traditionally, dinner jackets are vent-less at the back, creating the illusion of height and a slimmer silhouette, especially great for the shorter guys and the heavier guys.  Side vents are acceptable and are good for the taller and skinnier guys. A central vent is definitely a no no.

What colour?

Always black or midnight blue.  Both are the only acceptable formal colours, so please do not be tempted to wear any other colour. The midnight blue has more depth and is said to look more black than black in artificial light. Black can take on a greenish hue.  The wearing of midnight blue was popularised by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor) in the 1920’s. However it is not as popular today and is hard to find unless you have one custom made, which can be expensive. If you purchase just one DJ then go for black, people will notice the midnight blue more and realise you only have one formal suit. With the black you can get away with owning just one. Oliver Brown’s Shawl Lapel Wool/Mohair Dinner Suit in midnight blue £695.00 Cut from their Eaton block, but unlike the traditional Eaton suit, it features a clean shawl lapel, structured shoulders and a double vent at the back. The trousers sit naturally at the waist and fall to a straight-cut leg. The shawl lapel and trouser stripe are both of grosgrain. This Dinner suit is cut from a blend of 73% wool and 27% mohair fabric woven by Vitale Barberis in Italy. Note the Double Breasted Waistcoat in Black Watch tartan is not part of the suit but can be purchased separately. A tartan waistcoat is acceptable to a less formal black tie events especially if you are Scottish or the event is in Scotland. If you are not Scottish, make sure the tartan is not linked to a clan. Black Watch is a universal tartan and has no clan. Favourbrook’s Hampton dinner jacket and dress trousers are available in midnight blue. Midnight Hampton Wool Dinner Jacket – Favourbrook and Midnight Hampton Wool Flat Front Dress Trousers are crafted in midnight blue, midweight Yorkshire barathea wool. The dinner jacket has black grosgrain silk peak lapels and inside is lined in Favourbrook’s midnight paisley with three internal pockets. £700.00 The trousers have a fitted, slim silhouette, finished with traditional grosgrain silk stripes on the outer leg, a zip fly, and brace buttons. £290.00

Hire or to buy?

It’s nice to own a dinner jacket, you don’t have to run around looking for a suit to hire, you’re ready for any short notice formals and you know no one else has worn it.  But if your body shape changes and you gain a few pounds over the years then squeezing in to a tight fitting DJ is not the best look, besides being very uncomfortable. With hiring you know it’s going to fit you every time and if you don’t go to many black tie events, it’ll work out cheaper.  Also you can choose different styles and designers each time. If you are planning on going to several black ties then in the long run buying is the cheaper option. Oliver Brown stocks a full range of sizes, lengths and styles via their website: Evening Wear Hire – Hire Site

Gieves and Hawkes images provided by pr agency Purple PR

Brunello Cucinelli and Favourbrook images provided by pr agency LM Communications

Oliver Brown images provided by Oliver Brown

Images from Canva.com

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