madras
(vintage) |
 |
a fine
plain-woven shirting and dress fabric usually of cotton with
varied designs (as plaid) in bright colors or in white; used
for fashion-forward black tie in the 1960s |
|
marcella |
 |
a type of piqué weave historically considered
distinct from piqué but now usually considered synonymous; in
the UK
also a black-tie shirt with
bosom, turndown collar and/or
cuffs in white piqué with body and sleeves in white
voile or broadcloth |
maroon
(vintage) |
 |
a popular color for waist coverings (especially
cummerbunds), bow ties and accessories from the 1930s to the
1950s, particularly in summer |
mess jacket
(vintage) |
 |
a white military dress jacket cut just above the waist that
was adapted for civilian semi-formal wear in the early 1930s |
|
midnight blue |
 |
a deep blackish-blue used in
evening wear as a richer alternative to black |
|
mohair |
 |
a fabric or yarn made wholly or in part of the long silky
hair of the Angora goat; sometimes blended with worsted wool
producing a cloth with less sheen but more softness and
drape |
moiré
(vintage) |
 |
silk, velvet or other fabric having a wavy watered
appearance; an independent usually shimmering pattern seen
when two geometrically regular patterns are superimposed;
mostly in faille or taffeta weaves; used in fashion-forward
black-tie fashions in the 1960s; pronounced mwa-RAY |
|
morning coat |
 |
a tailcoat that is single-breasted and has fronts that curve
away gently; the most formal coat for daytime wear; known as
a "cutaway" in America |
|
mother-of-pearl |
 |
the hard, pearly, iridescent substance forming the inner
layer of a mollusk shell; often used to decorate formal
studs and cufflinks |
|
notched lapel |
 |
a style of lapel where the top line of the lapel slants down
in line with the collar seam; less formal than the peak
lapel or shawl collar, it became popular on dinner jackets
in the 1960s despite its association with the common
business suit |
|
onyx |
 |
a translucent variety of quartz in parallel layers of
different colors; often used in black color black-tie studs
and cufflinks |
opera hat
(vintage) |
 |
an evening top hat designed to be collapsible for easy
storage; worn with white tie; also known as a "Gibbus"
after its inventor |
|
oxford |
 |
in regards to footwear,
a low shoe laced or tied over the instep; one of two styles
of acceptable formal shoes; compare with pump;
see
Classic Footwear
page for different British and American use of the term
(note: typically capitalized in British English) |
|
patent leather |
 |
a leather with a hard, smooth, glossy finish on the surface; used for
formal shoes |
|
peaked lapel |
 |
a style of lapel where the top line of the lapel slants
upward from the collar seam; the most formal type of lapel;
compare with notched lapel and shawl collar |
piqué
|
 |
a tightly woven fabric with various raised patterns
often found on formal shirts and full-dress waistcoats and
bow ties; the finer the bead, the
finer and more elegant the shirt; pronounced pee-KAY (see also
marcella) |
|
placket |
 |
also "plaquet"; a separate strip of fabric sewn onto a shirt
front to secure the buttonholes and provide structure and
finish |
|
pleat |
 |
(originally
"plait")
a fold in cloth made by doubling material over
on itself; used to decorate the bosom of black-tie shirts |
|
pocket square |
 |
a silk or linen handkerchief folded decoratively and placed
in the breast pocket of a coat |
poke collar
(vintage) |
 |
a standing detachable collar with a very slight
curve of the corners in front; popular with
formal shirts in the Victorian and Edwardian eras |
|
point collar |
 |
a shirt collar with a narrow spread between its points; less
dressy than a spread collar, it began appearing on formal
shirts in the 1990s; also known as a "straight-point collar" |
|
pump |
 |
a low-cut, slip-on shoe that grips the
foot chiefly at the toe and heel; formal evening pumps
usually have an ornamental grosgrain bow in front and are
made of patent leather or calfskin; also known as
"opera pump" and "court pump" |
|
rever |
 |
the reverse side of a lapel (or collar) exposed
when a lapel is folded back |
ribbed silk
|
see "grosgrain" or "faille" |
ruffle
(vintage) |
 |
a strip of fabric gathered or pleated on one edge; popular
on
the bosom and sometimes cuffs of
black-tie shirts in the late
1960s and
'70s, often with embroidered
edges in a contrasting color
|
sack suit
(vintage) |
American term for early style of business suit; similar to
British lounge suit |
|
satin |
 |
a fabric (as of silk) with lustrous face and dull back; used
an an alternative to grosgrain in formal facings |
|
self-faced |
 |
a facing made of the same fabric as the primary garment;
standard for light colored dinner jackets |
self-tie
bow tie |
 |
a bow tie that requires tying by the wearer; contrast with
"pre-tied" or "clip-on" |
|
semi-formal |
see
Dress Codes
|
sennit hat
|
see "straw boater"
|
shantung
(vintage) |
 |
a fabric in plain weave
having a slightly irregular surface; popular in fashion forward
black tie clothing in the late '50s and
'60s |
|
shawl collar |
 |
also "shawl lapel"; a turned-over collar of a garment that
combines with lapels forming an unbroken curving line;
compare with peaked lapel and notched lapel |
silk hat
|
see "top hat"
|
|
single-breasted |
 |
having a center closing with one row of buttons and no lap;
found in coats, overcoats and waistcoats; compare with
double-breasted |
|
single cuff |
 |
soft or starched shirt cuff of one thickness; found on
stiff-front shirts it is fastened with cuff links;
also known barrel cuff (esp. in US); compare with French
cuff |
|
sized bow tie |
 |
a single-piece self-tie bow tie sized for a
specific neck measurement |
|
skirt |
 |
on a jacket or coat, the portion of the garment below the
waistline |
slit pocket
|
see "besom pocket" |
|
smoking jacket |
 |
a garment designed for
wear while smoking tobacco; traditionally made
of velvet or sometimes silk, with a shawl collar,
decorated
cuffs and toggle fastenings; can be substituted for a
dinner jacket
in less formal settings |
|
sock garter |
 |
a band worn to hold up a stocking or sock; ensures that
mid-calf formal socks will not bunch or slide |
|
spread collar |
 |
a shirt collar with points spread apart enough to
accommodate a large tie knot and end underneath the jacket
collar; considered a dressier style than the pointed
collar |
|
stiff-front shirt |
 |
a.k.a. "boiled shirt"; a collarless formal shirt with a
bosom
and cuffs formerly so rigid that the garment had to be
boiled to remove the heavy starching in contras to
"semi-stiff" or "soft" shirts that use moderate or no starch;
worn with a stiff detachable collar |
|
stud |
 |
a solid button with a shank or eye on the back inserted
through an eyelet in a formal shirt, formal
waistcoat or detachable collar as a
fastener or ornament (shown here is a vintage waistcoat
stud) |
straw boater
(vintage) |
 |
also known as a "Sennit straw hat"; popular summer headwear
for black tie in the 1930s |
swiss pleat
|
see "tucks" |
|
tailcoat |
a formal indoor coat defined by a long skirt that is
cut away in front at the waist and divided by a long center
vent in the back; typically a morning coat for
formal day wear or an evening tailcoat |
|
tartan |
 |
a plaid textile design of Scottish origin consisting of
stripes of varying width and color usually patterned to
designate a distinctive clan; the green and navy blue "Black
Watch" pattern (pictured) has been the favored plaid for
informal dinner jackets since the '50s |
thistle
bow tie
|
see "butterfly bow tie" |
|
top hat |
 |
tall, stiff-crowned hat with rolled-edge brim;
worn in black silk with white tie, also worn in gray felt with black band
with morning dress; also known as "silk hat" and "topper"; see also opera hat |
|
tucks |
 |
pleats that are sewn in place
along the folded edge;
"pin
tucks" are very
narrow tucks; also known as swiss pleats; sometimes used to decorate
black-tie shirt bosoms |
|
turndown collar |
 |
a standard shirt collar folded back on itself with cutaway
front ends to allow for a tie knot; also known as a "fold
collar"; depending on the spacing between the collar points
it can be designated either a spread collar or a
pointed collar |
|
tuxedo |
see
Comparative Terminology
|
|
vamp |
 |
the front part of the upper portion of a shoe that covers
the toes and part of the foot; a slip-on (pictured) and an
oxford have long vamps while a pump has a a
very short one |
|
velvet |
 |
a clothing and upholstery fabric (as of silk, rayon, or
wool) characterized by a short soft dense warp pile; used as
an alternative to worsted wool in
dinner jackets and as an alternative formal
facing
especially in the '60s and '70s |
|
vent |
 |
an opening in the lower part of a garment seam (as of a
jacket or skirt);
dinner jackets are most formal when they are not
vented but two "side vents" (shown) are a practical and
acceptable alternative; a (rear) "center vent" is not
appropriate for formal wear |
|
vicuna |
 |
an extremely high
quality wool from the fine lustrous undercoat
of the
vicuña, a South American relative of the
llama and alpaca
|
|
voile |
 |
a fine, lightweight fabric; because of its
sheerness voile dress shirts are made with double-layer bosoms and
worn primarily for warm weather; pronounced "voil" |
|
waist covering |
see "waistcoat" and "cummerbund"
|
|
waist suppression |
 |
the addition of shape at the waistline of a garment; usually
very moderate in dinner jackets (unlike the
fashion-forward version shown here) |
|
waistcoat |
 |
also known as "vest" in North America; a sleeveless garment
for the upper body usually worn over a shirt; evening
waistcoats are traditionally low cut and lapelled as shown;
can be "backless" or have a "full back" |
|
welt pocket |
 |
an inset pocket with the lower lip finished by an upstanding
welt (extra strip of fabric or stitching that is sewn or otherwise fastened to a
pocket to strengthen or adorn it); typically used for breast
pockets on suit jackets |
white tie
|
the most formal type of civilian dress code
consisting of
specifically defined attire
(note: written as "white-tie" when used as an adjective)
|
|
wing collar |
 |
a standup shirt collar with the front tips folded over to
form tabs called "wings"; not to be confused with "wing
tips" which is a shoe toe decoration; traditionally
detachable but usually attached today |
|
worsted |
 |
a firm, napless (free of fibrous texture) fabric made with a
smooth, compact yarn from long wool fibers; can be
"finished" (treating the surface of the fabric to improve
its appearance) or "unfinished" |
