Demystifying Dress Codes: The Winter Formal Edit

This is where winter gets interesting. A classic black barathea dinner suit is always correct, but the season's low light and long evenings call for a velvet dinner jacket or smoking jacket for slightly less formal occasions. Our Grosvenor smoking jacket comes in burgundy, navy, olive and racing green - deep, wintry tones that catch light in a way flat black cannot - while a shawl or peak lapel version in navy velvet or chocolate brown makes a case for retiring the standard tuxedo altogether. Keep the marcella shirt, black grosgrain bow tie and patent Oxfords as your fixed points; let the jacket do the seasonal talking.

Morning Dress

Rarer in winter, but not unheard of for a December wedding or a City occasion, and this is where cloth weight matters more than in any other code. A lightweight Ascot-season coat has no place here - instead reach for a heavier construction such as the Hampton Barathea in jet black, or a cashmere morning coat for the softest, warmest drape available. Pair with cashmere-stripe trousers, a white shirt and gabardine waistcoat, and don't be afraid of a darker, richer tie than you'd choose in summer.

Smart & Business Casual

The most forgiving of the winter codes, and the one where texture does the most work. Swap linen and lightweight cotton for wool and corduroy sports jackets, worn over a flannel shirt or a fine-gauge jumper, with heavier wool trousers and suede Chelsea boots or brogues in place of anything summer-weight. A Prince of Wales check or windowpane jacket earns its keep here — substantial enough to work as outerwear on its own on a mild day, sharp enough to hold its own under a topcoat on a cold one.

Whatever the code, winter formal dressing rewards weight and richness over anything cut for warmer months, so before the next invitation lands, it's worth checking your wardrobe is dressed for the temperature as much as the occasion.