Men's Regency Tailcoats and Riding Coats (1800s - 1830s)

Men still wear tailcoats today, though primarily for highly formal occasions such as state dinners, royal ceremonies, white tie events, and certain prestigious orchestral performances. While no longer everyday attire, tailcoats remain the pinnacle of formal menswear in traditional settings and for certain professional roles requiring the highest level of formality.

Men largely stopped wearing tailcoats as regular formal wear during the 1920s and 1930s when the tuxedo (dinner jacket) became widely accepted as appropriate evening wear. While tailcoats remained the standard for the most formal "white tie" events, their everyday usage declined significantly after World War I as society generally embraced less formal dress codes.

The point of a tailcoat is to serve as the most formal evening attire possible, signifying the highest level of ceremony and respect for an occasion. Originally designed to accommodate horseback riding with tails draping over the saddle, tailcoats evolved into specialized ceremonial garments that visually distinguish the most prestigious social events from ordinary formal occasions.

You would wear a tailcoat for "white tie" events, which represent the highest level of formal dress, including state dinners, royal ceremonies, prestigious balls, opera premieres, and certain society weddings. Modern usage is generally limited to diplomatic corps, orchestral conductors, and participants in the most traditional ceremonial occasions.

Cummerbunds are never worn with tailcoats/white tie attire, which instead calls for a white piqué waistcoat to cover the waistband of the formal trousers.

Less formal than black tie are semi-formal attire (dark suit with appropriate accessories), business formal (standard suit and tie), business casual (sport coat or blazer with dress trousers), and casual wear. The formality scale descends from white tie (tailcoat), to black tie (tuxedo), with various levels of decreasing formality below these.

Coats have a slit in the back (called a vent) to allow for movement and comfort when sitting or riding. In tailcoats, the distinct double vents evolved from practical horseback riding considerations, allowing the tails to drape on either side of the horse while providing the rider with greater freedom of movement.

You should not wear a tailcoat to a black tie event, as a tailcoat is considered "white tie" attire and would be inappropriately overdressed. Black tie events specifically call for a tuxedo (dinner jacket), and wearing a tailcoat would violate the dress code and potentially appear presumptuous or uninformed about formal wear conventions.

A groom can wear a tailcoat for a very formal daytime wedding (morning dress with gray tailcoat) or an extremely formal evening wedding (white tie with black tailcoat). This choice should align with the overall formality of the wedding and is most appropriate for traditional ceremonies in settings where such formal attire would be contextually appropriate.

Tailcoats are still worn for specific occasions requiring white tie attire, by certain professionals like orchestral conductors, and at events with royal or diplomatic protocols. While rare in everyday life, tailcoats remain relevant in contexts like royal courts, prestigious academic ceremonies, and the most formal international diplomatic functions.

You should never wear a cummerbund with a tailcoat, as this would violate formal dress codes. White tie attire (tailcoat) strictly requires a white piqué waistcoat, while cummerbunds are reserved exclusively for black tie (tuxedo) attire when not wearing a proper evening waistcoat.

You should always wear suspenders (braces) with tails, specifically white formal braces that button to the inside of the trousers. These suspenders should never be visible during wear, as they are considered underwear and should be completely covered by the proper white piqué waistcoat worn with tailcoat attire.

Inappropriate attire for black tie includes business suits, colored tuxedos (except midnight blue), wing collar shirts with turndown collar jackets, long neckties, colored shirts, casual shoes, sport watches, and visible socks other than black silk or fine wool. Black tie has specific conventions that should be respected to maintain the formality of the event.

Wear a tail coat only for white tie events, which include royal ceremonies, state dinners, prestigious balls like the Vienna Opera Ball, certain society weddings, and formal diplomatic functions. White tie remains the most formal dress code and is generally specified explicitly on invitations to such exceptionally formal occasions.

Tail coats are worn by attendees of white tie events, diplomats at certain formal functions, orchestral conductors, members of certain gentlemen's clubs with strict dress codes, and participants in traditional ceremonies like royal court presentations. Additionally, certain service staff in extremely formal establishments may wear specialized service tailcoats.

A groom can certainly wear a morning suit (morning coat with matching trousers) for a formal daytime wedding, particularly those held before 6 PM in traditional venues. This traditional choice is most appropriate for formal church weddings and offers a distinguished alternative to contemporary formal wear options.

To determine your tailcoat size, start with a precise chest measurement. To measure the chest accurately, wrap a measuring tape around the fullest part of the chest, just under the armpits, keeping the tape level and relaxed.

Common mistakes in chest measurement include taking the measurement while wearing thick clothing, positioning the tape measure too high or too low on the chest, pulling the tape too tight, not keeping it parallel to the floor, and measuring while inhaling deeply. For accurate chest measurements, stand naturally with arms relaxed at your sides, position the tape measure across the fullest part of your chest and shoulder blades, and breathe normally while keeping the tape snug but not tight.

A tailcoat (worn for white tie evening events) features a sharply cut waist with long tails extending behind and is always black, while a cutaway coat (also called a morning coat) slopes gradually from the front button to form shorter tails and is worn for formal daytime events, often in gray or black. Tailcoats are paired with white waistcoats for evening wear, while cutaways are traditionally worn with gray waistcoats for daytime formality.