Dinner suits are a popular choice of men's formal wear. Whether you're attending a wedding, a graduation or a black-tie dinner, you can't go wrong with a dinner suit. Like all suits, they offer a stylish and uniform appearance. Dinner suits, however, are distinguished from their counterparts in several ways. For a better understanding of dinner suits, including how to choose one, keep reading.
An Introduction to Dinner Suits
A dinner suit is a formal outfit consisting of trousers and a matching jacket. They can be worn either with or without a waistcoat, which is a vest. In the United States. If it includes a waistcoat, it's considered a three-piece dinner suit. Without a waistcoat, it's considered two-piece dinner suit.
When inspecting a dinner suit, you may notice that it features satin. Most dinner suits have satin on them. You can find satin on the lapels of the suit jacket, and you can find satin on the sides of the trousers. This is a key feature that distinguishes dinner suits from traditional suits. Most traditional suits are made of a single material, such as cotton or linen. Dinner suits are still made of a base material, but they contain a small amount of satin as well.
In addition to featuring satin, most dinner suits are black. Black has become synonymous with formal wear. After all, that's why formal events are known as "black-tie events." Dinner suits embrace this black color to offer a modern, formal appearance. You can purchase dinner suits in other colors, but black is the most popular color in which they are made.
Dinner Suits vs Tuxedos
What's the difference between dinner suits and tuxedos exactly? Ultimately, the two terms are used interchangeably when referring to formal outfits consisting of trousers and a matching jacket with satin facing.
In the United Kingdom, the term "dinner suit" is typically used. In the United States, the term "tuxedo" is more common. Regardless, dinner suits and tuxedos are essentially the same. They are both suit outfits consisting of trousers with a matching jacket, both of which have satin facing.
All About Satin
Dinner suits are designed with satin. As previously mentioned, there's satin on the jacket itself as well as the trousers. The presence of this satin helps to create a more formal appearance while also making the respective garments more comfortable to wear.
Satin, however, isn't a specific material. Satin actually refers to the weave in which a material is made. It's classified as one of the three primary weaves used for textiles, with the other two being plain weave and twill. Jargon aside, satin has a smooth and glossy surface on the front, and it has a dull and non-glossy surface on the back.
Should You Wear a Dinner Suit?
With their modern and formal appearance, you can't go wrong with a dinner suit. Dinner suits are one of the most popular types of formal outfits. They've been around for over a century. Since then, more and more men have been wearing them.
Not all occasions, though, require a dinner suit. For some occasions, a traditional suit will suffice. Traditional suits are still formal; they are just considered less formal than dinner suits.
Wearing a dinner suit will give you peace of mind knowing that you are projecting a formal style. Dinner suits, of course, are defined by their formal style. You can wear them for any formal occasion.
Keep in mind that you wear a dinner suit jacket with a traditional suit. There's no rule stating that you must wear a dinner suit jacket with the same matching trousers with which it was sold. For a slightly dressier appearance, you can wear a dinner suit jacket with traditional suit trousers. Even if they are made of different materials or feature different colors, they'll blend together to create a uniform outfit.
Tips on Choosing a Dinner Suit
Choosing the right dinner suit is important. You won't get much use out of a dinner suit if it's the wrong type. When shopping for a dinner, check to see what material it's made of. All dinner suits are made of a base material. Some of them are made of cotton, whereas others are made of linen or wool.
Cotton dinner suits are known for their soft texture and easy-to-maintain characteristics. Linen dinner suits, on the other hand, are known for being lightweight and cool. As you may have guessed, wool dinner suits are a better choice for the winter months. They are thicker and heavier than both cotton and linen dinner suits, so they tend to offer a higher level of protection against the cold weather.
There are also dinner suits made of terry rayon. Terry rayon is a synthetic material consisting of polyester and rayon. It's made of many individual strands of polyester and rayon that are woven together. Terry rayon is still soft, but it offers a stronger and more durable construction than other types of dinner suit materials.
In addition to the material, you should consider the color when choosing a dinner suit. Dinner suits aren't limited to black. While black is, in fact, the most common color in which they are made, dinner suits are available in dozens of other colors as well. Maybe you want a white dinner suit, or perhaps you want a navy dinner suit. The color possibilities are endless regarding dinner suits.
Perhaps the most important tip for choosing a dinner suit is to get the right size. Both the jacket and the trousers need to fit your body. If either of these garments is the wrong size, they prove uncomfortable to wear. At the very least, they'll probably look awkward and unflattering. To avoid these headaches, consider choosing a custom-sized dinner suit. Custom-sized dinner suits consist of trousers and a jacket that are designed using your body measurements.
