Wing collar or fold down

[masterfred]

I hate to disagree with our host, but I always found that when Astaire wore the wing collar with his dinner jackets, it lost no elegance (particularly when paired with a SB coat and waistcoat). He also wore the turndown with the same ensemble, but I find I don't think it looked quite as smart.

[Sator]

I too must personally confess to really liking the look of stand-up collars with a lounge coat (dinner jackets being merely a type of dress lounge coat):





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[alden]

Windsor’s toning down of the DJ with a turn down collar makes sense if you consider day and night dress options: in the daytime, the lounge suit and morning coat; at night the DJ and white tie. When the DJ is worn with a wing collar it moves in the direction of white tie. It moves too close. The DJ worn with the turn down is markedly different from white tie. Vive la difference! The contrary states, black and white, define one another.

It a matter of personal preference, but it seems to me that the DJ worn with the turn down collar is effortless, simple and very elegant.

[Sator]

Yes it is a matter of personal choice.

However, the only little thing I might point out is that the Duke of Windsor wore his dinner clothes as informal dress. That is why he would have felt comfortable wearing turn down collars in such a setting. The question becomes what one ought to do when one gets a "black tie" invitation to a formal event ie an invitation to wear informal dinner clothes to a formal event. In his days that would have been quite unthinkable.

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[Algernon]

That is true. White tie is practically approaching extinction, and invitations often read 'white tie preferred' nowadays. I've personally only experienced it at few college events at Oxford. (No doubt some members have been more fortunate.) Consequently, wing collars and waistcoats attract me more than turn-down collard and cummerbunds.

I had never really considered their effect on the ensemble's balance before: wing collars have always seemed to fit quite well with the low-cut black tie waistcoat. Without that I'd agree they look out of proportion, especially the taller variety.