Young persons Making An Effort

[couch]

During our recent stay in England my lady and I accepted an invitation to dine in the senior common room with the Sub-Warden of Merton College (Prof. McCabe is a Spenserian, and my lady had contributed an essay on the Shepheardes Calender to a book he’s editing). It was a lovely mild evening, with the College gardens at their peak, and one of the first outings for my LL Coop tweed jacket (of which pictures eventually).

As it happened, the night of our dinner coincided with the Oxford summer balls that celebrate the end of the term. Four of the colleges, on a rotating basis, host “Commem Balls” (commemorating their founders’ bequests) that can run all night from dinner through breakfast; dress is ‘formal and diplomatic.’ Searching online for background to help explain these events to some friends, I ran across the photographic slideshow linked below of the Christ Church commem ball from last year. I thought some members might enjoy it (and no doubt it will evoke memories for some).

Most of the rig is hired; much is not worn so well, and some of the shots portray familiar undergraduate silliness. Nevertheless, quite a number of the photos are either hauntingly beautiful or quite affecting, and it’s nice to see young persons Making An Effort.

As we walked the Merton gardens chatting with Prof. McCabe after dinner, we observed two or three little clumps of students in tails and gowns sipping Champagne in the twilight before heading off to the balls. One of those serene moments when, despite war, oppression, and pollution, civilization seems supremely worthwhile.

Enjoy (the sequence is lengthy; stay with it):

http://www.christchurchball.co.uk/page2/page2.html

[Jovan the Un1337]

Not bad.

However, I'm of the opinion that if you don't need a watch for formal occasions, you shouldn't need a mobile phone either. At least leave it in the car. I of course refer to the young lady a few pictures in. What is she talking about that is so much more important, anyways?

I speak as someone in his twenties who left theirs in the car for his high school prom.

[couch]

^ I heartily agree. But given that she (if we're thinking of the same picture) is wearing a gentleman's tailcoat in broad daylight and leaning against a pavilion pole, I suspect it's the morning after a long night and some kind of logistics were at issue.

[Jovan the Un1337]

Huh? I'm talking about the fourth image from the beginning.

[Bishop of Briggs]

I take the blonde in the long red dress!

[bepmep]

A noble effort, but just about every young man looks awkwardly ill-fit. I can pick out about a half dozen mistakes in each white tie ensemble and half of them seem to be wearing black Reeboks. Not a single one with a boiled front and those are probably pre-fab ties. The ensembles aren't flattering and the boys would probably look more attractive in tidy sports coats based upon their gangly, pubescent frames. Compared to what events like this probably looked like 80 years ago, it makes me realize that even England can't do classy well anymore. Slobs, one and all. Shameful, despicable urchins. Zero out four stars, based purely upon potential of greatness. It is sad that no one would even have the wherewithal to be able to guide these aimless wretches in an even remotely proper sartorial direction. I didn't know that tails could look so awful. They wear them as if they are a pair of low rider baggy jeans and a giant polo shirt. Sickening... Sickening. I just swallowed vomit. I can't believe that the world has come to this. And that "amazing"-looking band of homeless people performing "music" is probably performing "Who Let the Dogs Out?" in honor of the hound-faced ragamuffin tramps in tow. Would it KILL the youth of today to put their fucking cell phones away for two fucking seconds? GOD forbid you forsake your Facebook status updates for an hour or so. Sickening.

[couch]

Huh? I'm talking about the fourth image from the beginning.

Sorry, missed that one. I was thinking of image 59 (click on the controller icon with four dots to see them all in a grid). Looks like #4 was taken outside the college on the way in. Perhaps someone was late . . . .

[Costi]

We live in an age when full evening dress is a great unknown to most adults, let alone young people. White tie is the most elegant attire a man can wear, but not every man can wear it well. For young men today it is even more difficult to look good in a tailcoat, considering that sources of education on the matter are few and far between and most good examples are defunct. Most of them are probably wearing rented clothes and for the first time, too. For them it’s costume, and that inevitably shows.
I understood the post to be about making an effort at a young age, not about consecrated style icons. Elegance is a rare flower – have a hundred teenagers wear white tie a few times a year and you will hopefully end up with a couple who get it right by the end of college time.
It is good to keep high standards in dress, but between looking like a bargee and swearing like one I certainly prefer the former!

[couch]

@bepmep: I warned you that most of the young men wore hired rigs and did not wear them well. There were some exceptions. Lighten up. At least it's one of a diminishing number of occasions where the thing can be aspired to.

Moving along, I wanted to call attention to the young man on the left in image 12:



He's wearing the club dress of the Bullingdon Club (minus the sky blue tie), which has been in the news this year with uncharacteristic frequency. Apart from the long waistcoat, which may be deliberate, it's well tailored and worn with evident ease and familiarity. Leaving aside the behavior of members, I've always thought the look (Oxford blue dress coat with cream revers cut to the buttonhole, mustard vest, velvet collar) was quite smart. I believe these are tailored by Ede & Ravenscroft. A propos earlier threads about midnight blue dinner suits, it's interesting to note the different effects produced by the dark blue coat and the black dress coats immediately behind it in the daylight. The older gent in what I take to be hunt dress (or is this another club?) is considerably less well put together. The young man at far right could come straight out of a regency painting.

In the Granada Brideshead series, the scene in which Sebastian throws up in Charles's window shows him (contrary to Waugh's book) in Buller gear (with the club tie) along with his fellows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9lAtt3lws

Apparently not much has changed.

[bepmep]

I just think it is funny/cute/endearing how we as a group will scrutinize and criticize and debate the shape of a pocket on the Duke's jacket, but let so many horrific faux pas pass with something like this. Maybe I am just jealous that I never have and never will have an opportunity to wear my tails, let alone my dinner jacket, at this or any other age. I live in Detroit for God's sake.

[Costi]

I think our considerations are relative to various frames of reference: expectations and indulgence are inversely proportional.

[sartorius]

We live in an age when full evening dress is a great unknown to most adults, let alone young people. White tie is the most elegant attire a man can wear, but not every man can wear it well. For young men today it is even more difficult to look good in a tailcoat, considering that sources of education on the matter are few and far between and most good examples are defunct. Most of them are probably wearing rented clothes and for the first time, too. For them it’s costume, and that inevitably shows.
I understood the post to be about making an effort at a young age, not about consecrated style icons. Elegance is a rare flower – have a hundred teenagers wear white tie a few times a year and you will hopefully end up with a couple who get it right by the end of college time.
It is good to keep high standards in dress, but between looking like a bargee and swearing like one I certainly prefer the former!

Quite so. How many of us would aspire to elegance if we had not been introduced to it during our formative years? And better that these traditions live on in all their cheap rented glory, than die out altogether. Thank you to Couch for sharing his memories. Oxford on a balmy summer evening is hard to beat.

[Jovan the Un1337]

I just think it is funny/cute/endearing how we as a group will scrutinize and criticize and debate the shape of a pocket on the Duke's jacket, but let so many horrific faux pas pass with something like this. Maybe I am just jealous that I never have and never will have an opportunity to wear my tails, let alone my dinner jacket, at this or any other age. I live in Detroit for God's sake.

There are some internet clothing forums where all of what you said would be written and TAKEN seriously by other people with about a dozen "+1" in reply.

There are mistakes, but like the OP I'm glad they're at least shying away from all the long ties, white suits, bubble-gum coloured waistcoats, etc. seen at my prom years ago and being a little more classic.

[NCW]

Have a little thought too for their situation. Remember that most of them have never had a job, with little opportunity to do better than Moss. Blame them. The scenes are just the familiar ones of young students doing the best they can. Before you become too angry with Moss too, remember the difficulty for them of keeping several thousand tailcoats to be used on only one or two nights of the year. They cannot realistically stock a large enough range to fit everyone well. They do the best they can too.

We are all aware here that good tailoring is extremely expensive, nothing more so than formalwear. Before, only those with private incomes to afford bespoke were able go up, but now that the middle and lower classes can have a university education, it is impossible for standards not to drop, unless you want to fund them better tailcoats using taxpayers' money. I suggest bepmep get used to the taste of his vomit if he plans ever to meet one of these young men, who are after all the most intelligent of their age in the world.