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Somewhere I read a sarcastic note that formal wear just codified the evening wear of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the afternoon wear of the British empire.

I'm wandering off topic, but when has that ever deterred a TubeNet thread? My opinion is that almost all concert dress in the US ought to be reconsidered, except maybe for the most conservative and formal groups, like big-name orchestras, where that is part of the brand.

It's a post-colonial world.

There is one additional popular attire you missed Joe - "Broadway Black" - all black, jacket not necessary. I have been in multiple groups (and this code is not exclusive to pit ensembles) that have required this "modernist"/"clean"/"shaby" *(depending on POV) look.

I recently had to pass on the dress code for a gig to the others who were contracted. I merely said "pit black" to which I got numerous questions as to what I meant, "all black", "with tie", etc. I was amused because I was under the impression that "pit black" was a commonly used term for the normal pit orchestra/ensemble dress. Where have I been?

Ben wrote:There is one additional popular attire you missed Joe - "Broadway Black" - all black, jacket not necessary. I have been in multiple groups (and this code is not exclusive to pit ensembles) that have required this "modernist"/"clean"/"shaby" *(depending on POV) look.

More and more orchestras are dropping the white shirt and white/black tie and going to "Broadway Black" for concerts. I think it started in Europe, but I know there are a few here in the US now. The feeling is that it makes the orchestra seem more accessible to the audience.

I was at a Seattle Symphony POPS concert last Friday and they were wearing black shirts, black coats and no tie.

The livery thing sounds about right. A tuxedo can be worn by a horse-mounted gentleman, while tails are better suited to the inside of a carriage.

For most, tuxedo jackets (with a square bottom) should be called dinner jackets. In traditional British wear, morning coats (tails, but not cutaway, and gray) were worn during daylight, dinner coats were informal attire, semi-formal attire was black tie (cutaway jacket), and formal was white tie (same jacket, white tie.

The white jacket is for the tropics.

Our band wears a standard American tux, which includes a dinner jacket, for concerts after 6 PM.

Rick "who'd be happy with broadway black" Denney

Ben wrote:There is one additional popular attire you missed Joe - "Broadway Black" - all black, jacket not necessary. I have been in multiple groups (and this code is not exclusive to pit ensembles) that have required this "modernist"/"clean"/"shaby" *(depending on POV) look.

This is dress I find increasingly used in the UK also.

Of course British brass bands all have their own individual band uniform - some quite ornate with origins back in the 19th century.

In orchestra I find tails and white bow tie are worn by professional ensembles and dinner jackets with black bow ties in community/amateur orchestras.

The WSJ had a great article on the origins of the tuxedo this year. If you are looking for a good historical overview, Alan Flusser's Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion has a decent one. But the WSJ article was far more in-depth.