We offer a wide selection of men's morning suits, tailcoats and morning suit vests in an impressive range of traditional colors and styles. These sophisticated, high-quality, tailored suits have been designed to be suitable for a day at the races, formal weddings and other special formal occasions. Shop our range of morning suits below and make sure you are suitably dressed for your next special occasion.
Men's Morning Suits
A morning suit, which is sometimes called morning dress, is the British traditional and timeless attire for formal daytime events such weddings, some memorial services, and official functions, especially in the presence of the monarch. Morning suits are also famously required in the Royal Enclosure at the famous Royal Ascot, and many men also choose to wear them to other horse racing events as well.
A step up from lounge suits and used for special occasions, morning suits consist of pants, a vest and a distinctive jacket. The morning suit jacket, sometimes called morning coats or tailcoats, has classic tails and a sloping front. Traditionally, the jacket is single-breasted with peak lapels.
When it comes to pants, the wearer often has a choice. Some versions of morning suits have gray striped pants, and these are often the quintessential version of the suit. However, it's completely acceptable to wear either plain gray pants, or in the same color as the jacket.
When it comes to your choice of morning suit vests, there's also an element of freedom. For a truly vintage look, you should choose a neutral color such as gray, ivory/off white, or duck egg blue. However, for private events like formal weddings, it's not uncommon for the groom, best man, ushers etc. to choose their own preferred color. Morning suit vests can either be single-breasted or double-breasted. Single-breasted versions either have a peaked lapel, or no lapel, while double-breasted morning suit vests will have a peaked lapel or a shawl collar.
Generally, morning suits are worn with plain white or light blue shirts and highly polished black oxford shoes, cap toes or Venetian loafers. Other suit accessories such as neckties, hats, cufflinks, pocket watches and more, complete the unforgettable signature look.
Morning Suit Cut & Fabric
Being a traditional suit with a classic look and feel, the tailoring of a morning suit is generally conservative. Although the fit is close to the body, it's not often styled like a modern slim fit suit. The fit around the front of the vest and jacket is similar to any other suit, and the lapels should sit flat to the chest. A good guide for determining jacket size is that when it's done up, you should be able to pull it around 1-2 inches away from the chest. The shoulders and the waist should be snug but not tight, and the tails should hang around the back of the knee.
Morning suits can be woven from a range of different fabrics including polyester, cotton and pure wool. Which you choose will vary depending on when you plan to wear the suit. However, wool is often considered an ideal long-term choice as it is hard wearing, great in all temperatures, and offers classic style.
Morning Suits FAQs
Why are they called morning suits?
Morning suits get their name because wearers would traditionally be horse riding in the mornings and would need a frock coat with tails and a cutaway at the front. What we now call morning suits were derived from those coats. As formal wear, they're the daytime equivalent of white-tie suits that would be worn in the evening.
What shoes should you wear with morning suits?
As we've already discussed, the correct shoe styles to wear with a morning suit are highly polished black oxford shoes, cap toes or Venetian loafers. Patent leather shoes are not considered acceptable.
Can you wear a morning suit to a funeral?
Yes, you certainly can. Morning suits were once considered standard wear for a funeral and even though times have changed, they're still acceptable to wear to pay your respects. Although you could wear gray pants, we recommend they're darker in tone. Better still, choose black pants and shoes.
