Six Kinds Of Invitation

The Private Dinner
Candlelight, a table of eight and nowhere to hide: the private dinner rewards precision, not exuberance. Gentlemen should reach for a velvet dinner jacket, open collar shirt and a silk pocket square. Ladies, our lounge trousers in black paired with our silk velvet Kemi jacket  (seen above) give you all the occasion with rather more freedom, and leaves you more than elegant enough if the dinner takes a turn for a late-night tipple on the way home.

The Black Tie Ball
The one invitation that means exactly what it says. "Black tie" is not "black tie adjacent", and the ballroom is not the place to test that theory. Gentlemen: a proper dinner suit, silk-faced lapels, bow tie tied by your own hand. Ladies: floor-length silk velvet - the Eton Coat over a Serena Circle dress or lounge trousers is an excellent approach, otherwise take your cue from the boys and wear one of our Lounge or Library jackets with black Cigarette or Lounge pants. In this room you cannot be overdressed so lean into that premise.

Drinks at Somebody's House
You will stand for four hours, hold a champagne flute indefinitely and be brushed past by a Labrador. Dress accordingly. Gentlemen: a claret or bottle green single-breasted smoking jacket or dinner jacket hits all the right notes, and depending on your familiarity with the host, you could dress it down with your choice of shirt and trousers. Ladies: cigarette trousers with a silk blouse and Westminster coat, or push the glamour boat out and wear our Black Buckingham Long Swing Coat over a dress.

The Country Weekend
The country weekend is a packing problem disguised as leisure. As a rule, the day belongs to the elements, the evening to the fire. Gentlemen: our corduroy Cooper suit enriches daywear with texture and tactility, while it has to be a smoking jacket for dinner. Ladies: a long-line coat over denim and knitwear by day, velvet by night. Pack in layers and trust nothing the forecast says.

New Year's Eve
The one night of the year when excess is not merely forgiven but quietly expected. For the gents, a sapphire or claret velvet smoking jacket or velvet dinner jacket, worn without apology. Ladies: full silk velvet or brocade, and earrings that catch the light. Whatever you choose, ensure it can walk you home at two in the morning without assistance, the true test of New Year dressing.

However the invitation is worded, the rule holds: dress for the party you have been invited to, not the one you wish you were at. The difference, as ever, is in the details.