Ideal Dress for Les Grande Tables du Monde

[~ Monsieur Xu ~]

BTW: that is quite an umbrella!

Just for you, hectorm!

[hectorm]

Thank you, Mr. Xu. With that umbrella you can truly make the sun come out even on a snowy day!
I guess that a black one wouldn't go that well with your cords and brown shoes, eh?.
I hadn't thought that a paper parasol (it's waxed paper, isn't it?) could have done the work in Schwarzwald but I wouldn't have dared myself anyway.
Cheers

[Luca]

I think we all agree that, typically, one might wear a 'dark' suit, with all the usual accoutrements.
I must be lucky; in nearly twenty years of frequent restaurant dining in London I've never had a coat misplaced. One place once did give my Fox brolly to another client (there must be some curse!) but it was recovered.
On the subject of black tie; just before the Holidays, I was going to the Savoy for a rather elegant affair, so I wore a ‘relaxed’ black tie to the restaurant (the balcony place at One Aldwych) consisting on tux trousers, piqué shirt, black tie (rigorously nota clip-on, natch) and a dark blue velvet jacket. I recall that on two separate occasions, women came forward to compliment me (the English Rose doesn’t mind).
I can sympathize with the posters who would feel uneasy about being the only black tie wearer. I don’t mind sticking out, sartorially. I agree that if there is more than one man in the party, ‘black tie’ should e communicated beforehand.
My question now is whether I should go ahead and order a topper from Lock & co. Hmmm; can one wear a topper with a stroller suit?

[Testudo_Aubreii]

I would not desire to pop out to dinner in full fig either in London or any city on Earth. What I suggested was rather a pared down, simple and elegantly louche black tie ensemble, and moreover at the casual end of the semiformal dress spectrum (DB 4x1 shawl collared with turndown collared shirt). Wearing white tie out to dinner willy nilly would have been considered overdressing even around the time of the Second World War, let alone today.

This sounds fine to me. If it's just you and a significant other, I can't see what the problem would be wearing a DB shawl DJ at a restaurant that still attempts to be elegant. Obviously, if you have companion couples at your table, that's another matter.

One option I've been considering: a 4x1 DB shawl without facings or piping on the lapels and without a stripe on the trouser leg. Made up in dark navy in a fabric with a bit of sheen, it will look good and not over the top in elegant restaurants in the evening. Then, when a black tie occasion offers, just pop on the black grosgrain bow and you're set to go. Warm-weather dinner jackets take no facings: why not do the same for cold-weather evening wear in these informal times?

Dark coats are preferred in the evening when the evening is dark. When there's still sunlight in the evening (say, at 6:45 pm), light colored coats are just as preferable, unless the specifics of the occasion dictate otherwise.

As for Brummel and conspicuousness, it helps to remember exactly what the quote says, and the context:
"If John Bull turns around to look at you, you are not well dressed; but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable."

So basically that's a warning against wearing clothes that are overly stiff and tight out of a desire to project the ideal body image, and a warning against clothes that are too fashion-forward. The advice was probably aimed at one of his dandy allies in his sartorial war against lace, gold braid, satin, silk coats, bright-colored velvets, etc: all as worn by the conservative elites of his time. Basically, Brummel was arguing that sartorial excellence was gained through cut and fit that suggested the masculine bodily ideal, and he was arguing against the notion that such excellence was gained through ostentatious fabrics and colors. The quote was probably warning one of his disciples not to be too zealous in seeking out the ultimate in masculine silhouette.

[BirdofSydney]

I ask the lady what she'll be wearing, and dress up or down to match! But, were it left entirely up to me, I see no harm in a DJ: those present may simply assume you are coming from a function or, more likely, not trouble their minds about it but merely admire.

[Noble Savage]

So if you will forgive my aforesaid stream of consciousness, my contemplations may be broken down into two basic questions...

1) Given carte blanche, what would the elegant gentleman wear to a restaurant of esteem, including footwear? Would he be de trop in black tie?

The savage way is to go forth in black tie, anywhere and everywhere, and if one is with a female suitably dressed for black tie, all the best. If she is not, then one pulls the tie off. This takes confidence in oneself, and your companion. If one possesses it, that's that.

If one is going to a social event where others have been invited to on the other hand, one must consider the dress code and think about what others will be wearing and one's relationship to them, and as a courtesy tame one's savage ways.

[alden]

Mid gray for lunch, dark gray for Din Din....DB or SB up to you

V7Yq8L1ZTZWfPK4OemZUUw_thumb_26fb by The London Lounge, on Flickr

IMG_1446 by The London Lounge, on Flickr