What to Wear at Ascot, Wimbledon & Henley with Oliver Brown

The English summer season of sport offers wonderful excuses (if any are needed) for a gentleman to dress up and show the world his dapper credentials. I recently heard from gentleman's and country outfitters, Oliver Brown, with a few suggestions of what to wear at Ascot (20 - 24 June 2017), Henley (28 June - 1 July) and Wimbledon (3 - 16 July 2017). 

Vintage silk top hat from Oliver Brown

So good were these suggestions that I'm going to pass them on to you unedited as I'd be happy to wear any of these outfits (although the pink suit may fit better after a glass of champagne). These styles would equally suit other summer events like weddings, garden parties, Chelsea Flower Show (now finished of course for this year) Glyndebourne, The investec Derby (now gone too for this year), Glorious Goodwood and Cowes Week and so I suggest a trip to Oliver Brown's Chelsea store might be a good one-stop-shop. Check dress codes with organisers if you are unsure what to wear at any event.

Ascot and Investec Derby, weddings

Henley and other smart casual events where you want to show panache

Wimbledon and other smart casual

(This feature is unsponsored.)

The smoking jacket: ideal for a celebration

I'd like to wish you all a Very Happy New Year. Whether you saw in the New Year lounging in front of the television or dressed up to celebrate over a good meal, I'm sure you did it in great style.

I enjoyed wearing this smoking jacket. Not strictly part of the black tie dress code, a smoking jacket is a fun alternative to the black or dark blue evening suit; perhaps slightly less conventional and therefore more for a party or less formal dinner. It has become increasingly popular in the last few years as men look for a wider range of choice in formal and evening wear. 

Bottle green velvet smoking jacket with frogging from Oliver Brown (right) 

From Victorian times, a velvet or silk coat would be worn by a chap to keep the smell of tobacco off his clothes. The smoking jacket generally has a shawl collar, turned-up cuffs, and frogging (ornamental braiding, often seen on military uniforms). It developed from the seventeenth century oriental dressing gown, which shared some of the same features but was generally longer.  

I've been wanting to try one for a while and am grateful to Oliver Brown for lending me one for the New Year's celebration. The bottle green jacket (illustrated above) is tailored from especially soft velvet, made from cotton milled in Yorkshire and has a canvassed construction, hand-crafted frogging at the buttons and cuffs, cord bordering the shawl collar and is finished with velvet-covered buttons. Available in regular and long fittings and other styles and colours, it's a beautiful coat. See Oliver Brown Evening Wear.

Morning wear for weddings, Ascot etc: Dress Codes 2 by Sarah Gilfillan, suit by Oliver Brown

I was recently at my nephew's wedding at which gentlemen were invited to wear morning dress or lounge suits. Being close family, I wanted to wear the more formal morning suit. I thought I'd ask our personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab, more about morning wear. The advice she gives here applies not just to weddings, but to Ascot and any event at which morning wear is the dress code.

I'd like to thank Oliver Brown for providing a morning suit. Their formalwear hire and sales service is second to none and the clothes are very high quality; many tailored in the UK. See Oliver Brown.

Off to the wedding, morning dress Oliver Brown, porcelain buttonhole from Boutonnière London

Sarah Gilfillan writes:

What I write here is a combination of my thoughts and discussions I've had with David of Grey Fox. The views we express are ours and reflect the occasionally flexible nature of dress codes. Rules are there to be broken, but do so with care!

[GF: If you need help from Sarah on this or any personal styling problem, contact her through her website or try her styling service for Grey Fox Blog readers here.]

The suit

Morning dress is a formal dress code worn in the day, mostly at weddings, seasonal events such as Ascot Races or at events linked to Royalty or government. It comes in two main variants. The first comprises a black tail coat with striped (or sometimes checked) trousers and a waistcoat (wool or linen and varying in colour; generally grey, black, buff, cream or pale yellow or blue. Sometimes silk waistcoats are worn at weddings; that's a matter of taste.) This is strictly not a morning suit, as nothing matches!

The second variant is less formal. The whole suit (including waistcoat) comes in matching grey. This is known as the morning suit, as opposed to morning dress. Strictly the grey morning suit has a matching waistcoat, but, given its less formal nature, we don't see why you shouldn't try a subtle pastel or paler grey if you want; ignore the purists for once.

The Royal Family wearing all variations of morning dress

Get advice on coat/jacket length. The tails should reach the back of the knee, but other factors can come into play, so check the final look in a mirror to ensure the proportions look right. Google 'morning dress' and study the images, what lengths look right, what look wrong? If in doubt, study Prince Charles; nobody wears morning dress better. This is partly because he's so relaxed in it. The fact that he has an excellent tailor helps too. Incidentally, the coat is generally worn unbuttoned.

The trousers are usually cut quite high in the waist and you may need some braces (suspenders in US) to keep them up comfortably without altering their shape.

Usually either form of morning dress is acceptable at a wedding, but the close family may all agree to wear one or other variation to achieve some uniformity of appearance. My experience is that this expectation doesn't generally extend to guests, but check if you're unsure.

Loake Rothschild oxfords, British Belt Co Baker blue braces, TM Lewin shirt

Shirt

A white shirt is traditional, although a coloured shirt is a little more adventurous (for example, see Prince Charles's above). If you select a coloured shirt, we highly recommend what the Americans call a Winchester shirt; that is one with a white collar (and sometimes white cuffs as well). This harks back to the days when a removable white collar would be worn on the shirt. In our view, the flash of white at the collar looks much more suited to the formal nature of the suit than does a coloured collar. 

The coloured shirt is best in a soft blue, pink or yellow; take care with brighter colours. Stripes and even checks can be worn; but we advise discretion. Pastels and soft hues are best. Grey Fox's choice was for the wedding between a pale blue end on end or a light thin blue candy stripe. Make sure your shirt complements, rather than matches, your waistcoat.

A turn-down collar is the usual and best choice. We aren't keen on wing collars as they give a period costume appearance to your outfit, but do make your own decision about that. Double cuffs (French cuffs) go with the formal nature of the dress.

Morning dress of yore. The maverick Prince of Wales wears a bow tie and rakish hat; rules are made to be broken

Tie/cravat

A silk tie is the best choice here. Cravats and wing collars can be worn, but run the risk of looking a bit over-dressed in our view. Choose a tie in a discreet colour and pattern that complements shirt and waistcoat. 

Top hat

For very formal events a top hat may have to be worn. For weddings and other events it is generally put to one side or dispensed with altogether.

Shoes

Black oxfords are the formal shoe of choice. Plain derbies are acceptable. The usual wisdom is that brogues (with punched hole designs) are strictly a bit country and therefore not formal enough. Patent leather is really for evening, not day, wear. Please wear good shoes that aren't too estate agent pointy; bad footwear will ruin the look. They should be in good condition and shiny clean. Wear socks to match the trousers.

Accessories

Cufflinks, a pocket square that complements rather than matches the tie and a tie pin can be worn. As ever, go for minimalist design and soft pastels in any accessory, rather than anything too overpowering. Grey Fox wore a beautiful porcelain buttonhole from Boutonnière London, image below.

General thoughts

If some of our advice sounds a little cautious, remember; if you're at a wedding the photos will be being studied for decades to come. Morning suits have the advantage of looking timeless. If you depart too far from the classic, with extravagant cravats, trendy shoes or bright shirts, those images will lack that timeless classic look.

At other events, part of the fun is being in a uniform enjoying the occasion. Departing too far from the dress code can leave you feeling self-conscious. That's fine if you're an extrovert, feel you want to make some obscure political point or are so sophisticated that you can pull it off with bravado. You can express individuality within the constraints of the dress code in choice of colour, cut (if you're lucky enough to buy bespoke or made to measure) and accessories. Relax and enjoy the event. Try to feel comfortable in your morning dress or you'll look very stiff and awkward.

I know that many readers here are from outside the UK. In general the rules over morning dress are more uniform worldwide than the black tie dress code, but I suggest you do your own research on local variation.

For video advice on suitable wear for Ascot, see Oliver Brown's video here.

How to buy a suit that fits: featuring a Marks & Spencer suit

We buy suits to show ourselves off to our best advantage in our work, social or casual lives. Unless the suit we buy fits, we have wasted our money. Unfortunately many are bought without consideration of proper fit, so, in collaboration with Marks & Spencer, I've put together a guide to buying a well-fitting suit.

A suit that fits well looks and feels good - suit Autograph at M&S £199

To achieve the perfect fit you will need to buy a bespoke or made to measure suit. However, by following these guidelines you can buy a well-fitting off-the-peg product. 

The one I wear here costs £199 from Marks & Spencer's Autograph range. Made from soft and beautifully textured pure wool cloth, it's a bit of a bargain. I wouldn't claim the fit to be perfect, it's marginally large across the shoulders and the sleeves are a touch long and full, but the suit is off the peg unaltered and could be mistaken for a more expensive product. 

Buying the well fitting suit:

1. Know your chest, waist and leg length. The advantage of buying in store is that there will (generally) be staff who can advise and measure you. Select your suit on the basis of these measurements. When trying on the suit, stand in a relaxed and natural way.

2. Try on the jacket. It should fit comfortably and snugly across the shoulders; check the arm and body lengths (see below). The shoulder seam should be at the point where your shoulder drops to the upper arm, if the seam hangs beyond the shoulder tip, the shoulders are too large and the jacket will look out of proportion, even appearing to swamp the wearer.

Button the jacket using the middle button of three, or top button of two; never use the bottom button. It should button easily, without being too tight, or so loose that the front flaps around.

The jacket should fit snugly across shoulders and chest, the top of the sleeve at the fall of the shoulder

This jacket length is traditional, but is more elegant than the cropped modern style.
It's nicely waisted in shape. The arm length here is acceptable, if very slightly long (see below)

Ideally sleeve length allows a small amount of shirt cuff to show

3. Try on the trousers which should fit neatly around waist and backside. Too tight is unsightly and uncomfortable, too loose and there is an excess of cloth flapping around. For a traditionally cut suit, the trousers would break (fold slightly) above the shoe. A more modern, slimmer cut, trouser would have minimal break, reaching the very top of the shoe and no further.  The trousers I wear here take a middle course, cut slightly shorter than traditional, but without being as short as an extremely modern style.  

A good leg length. Too long and the whole suit will look ill-fitting

4. You will be very lucky if an off-the-peg suit fits you perfectly. If the suit supplier cannot alter it for you, most high streets have alterations tailors who will adjust leg and sleeve length and waist sizes. Other alterations can be done, to chest, shoulders etc, but are generally more major, expensive and less worthwhile. It's best to try another suit if too many significant alterations are needed. 

5. Wearing the suit. Stay relaxed. Imagine you're wearing jeans and jumper. If you think 'formal' you will look stiff and unnatural. The more you wear a suit, the more you will relax into it and you will look better as a result.

If you're not confident selecting ties and shirts, use a plain white or pale blue shirt, a knitted silk or polka dot tie in a contrasting colour and a pocket square that complements the tie, without matching it. As you get more adventurous, try other combinations. In general the best look will always involve minimal pattern and colour. 

To browse the Marks & Spencer range of suits click here. The ties, shirts, shoes and pocket squares shown are also from M&S.

Relax in your suit, going tieless is fine for smart casual

This feature was prepared in collaboration with Marks & Spencer.