Holland & Sherry, suppliers of the finest Yorkshire and Scottish cloth to prestigious tailors and luxury brands, shows us - How to wear morning dress:
For events taking place before 5 p.m. - weddings, funerals, state functions and Royal Ascot for example - Morning Dress can be worn.
The name originates from the nineteenth century practise of riding a horse in the morning wearing a cutaway front single-breasted coat. Hence the American term cutaway, meaning a morning coat. A common mistake is to call morning dress a tuxedo. It is incorrect to wear Morning Dress to any formal or informal evening event.
Morning Dress consists of:-
Morning Coat; black or grey worsted.
Waistcoat: black or light grey worsted, either single or double breasted.
Trousers: grey striped worsted, single pleat, no turn-up. Supported by braces.
Shirt: white cotton or linen, double cuff.
Tie or cravat: any colour of silk.
Shoes: black plain toecap Oxford (not patent leather).
Top Hat (optional): black silk or grey.
Glove (optional): suede, chamois or kid leather.
From its conception, over 170 years ago, Holland & Sherry has continued to supply prestigious tailors and luxury brands with the finest cloth. In 1836 Stephen George Holland & Frederick Sherry began the business as woollen merchants at 10 Old Bond Street, London, specialising in both woollen and silk cloths. 1886 saw Holland & Sherry move premises to Golden Square, at the time the epicentre of the woollen merchanting trade.
By 1900 the firm was exporting to many countries and around that time a sales office was established in New York. In the early part of the twentieth century, the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America were the dominant markets for the company. Amongst other distribution arrangements, there was a Holland & Sherry warehouse in St. Petersburg, Russia, a successful market prior to the revolution.
By 1982 the business moved to Savile Row, which remains as our registered head office. In 1968 Holland & Sherry bought Scottish cloth merchant, Lowe Donald, based at Peebles, in the Scottish Borders and decided to locate their distribution to the purpose built warehouse there. Of all the cloth merchants of Golden Square which were established in the late 1800's, only Holland & Sherry remains. Over the decades they have purchased nearly twenty other wool companies.
We are constantly engaged in research for ever finer and more luxurious fibres and fabric qualities; sourcing the finest natural fibres, ranging from super 200's with cashmere to pure worsted Vicuña. Our cloths are woven in the time honoured way by generations of craftsmen to assured quality and good taste.