What’s a morning suit?

MorningSuitQ: I noticed a reference to something called a ‘morning suit’ in Urban Mermaid. Are you sure it’s not a ‘mourning suit’, you know, something a guy would wear when sitting shiva? Just what the heck is a ‘morning suit’?

A: According to Wikipaedia, morning dress is the daytime formal dress code, consisting chiefly for men of a morning coat, waistcoat, and striped trousers. Peter MacPherson[1] chose dove gray morning suits so that he and his groom squad would look elegant yet fade a bit into the background. Although Penelope would have been more than happy for him to wear a white tux, Peter was not about to let anything outshine his bride on her special day[2].

While some would argue that there is nothing wrong with wearing a tux before 6:00 PM, such practices are just one more example of the decline of American civilization. In the 2015 movie, Bridge of Spies, the character played by Tom Hanks wears a morning suit whilst arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Such attire was de rigueur once upon a time but is now confined to the United States Solicitor General and deputies as well as the Marshal and Clerk of the court during all sessions of the court.

For more information on morning dress, see:

  1.  The Wikipaedia article on Morning Dress
  2. The Black Tie Guide’s Informational overview of Morning Wear

 

[1] Peter is a product of the American Scottish community which has a penchant for trying to do things as they would be done in the U.K. where morning dress is much more common.

[2] Penelope will insist that it is their special day.

Urban Mermaid Side-bar logo
You can buy your own copy via this website
Paperback
Urban Mermaid
Kindle Edition
Urban Mermaid
Howard Parsons' author logo
The Author Is Reading