Morning coat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A morning coat or cutaway is a man's coat worn as the principal item in morning dress. The name derives from morning nineteenth century horseback riding exercise for gentlemen. It was regarded as a casual form of half dress. Gradually it became acceptable as an alternative to the frock coat for formal day wear or full dress. Since the 19th century it is normally only seen at weddings, formal funerals and, in England, race meetings such as Royal Ascot and the Derby. Also, the United States Solicitor General typically wears it when arguing before the United States Supreme Court, and male members of the cabinet of Japan wear it in their first public appearance following the formation of the cabinet.
A morning coat is a single-breasted coat, the front parts usually meeting at one button in the middle, and curving away into a pair of tails behind. The reason for the cutaway front of the skirt is to allow the wearer to ride a horse more readily. The cutaway front is curved for a morning coat and horizontal for the tail coat. The lapels are usually peaked, not notched, and there are two buttons in the back of the waist. The coat can be grey or black as part of morning dress, and is usually worn with striped trousers. For weddings only the fathers of the bride and groom are traditionally allowed to wear a grey morning coat, though this rule is less strictly enforced today.
The term 'morning suit' is sometimes mistakenly used in the assumption that all formal dress constitutes a 'suit', but the term 'suit' is derived from the French word 'suivre' or 'to follow' because the coat, waistcoat and trousers of the lounge suit that emerged late in the nineteenth century all matched each other.
