Black lounge suit

The black lounge suit (

dress coat i e. white tie, so the stroller is considered the semi-formal daytime equivalent of the semi-formal evening attire dinner jacket, i.e. black tie (also called tuxedo). Unlike other dress codes, there is no clear equivalent for women, though typical morning dress and cocktail dress

have both been identified as alternatives.

Wearing a black lounge suit the traditional way with formal trousers largely fell out of use following the counterculture of the 1960s, although its practice has still been observed occasionally ever since.

For semi-formal

groom may dress in a dark-grey suit jacket with a dove-grey or buff waistcoat and optionally a wedding tie. For a semi-formal funeral

day attire, the mourner may wear a matching black jacket and waistcoat presumably with a black necktie.

Name

In

lounge suits

, so the term was unambiguous. It has also been referred to as a Marlborough suit in the U.K.

In American English the style is referred to as a stroller suit, club coat or sack coat.^[2]

Around

Western Germany

.

It is also known as a director's suit from the term inside director (especially in Japan), or citydress.

History

While early prototypes of black lounge suits did occur in the late 19th century, the current form was settled around 1900.^[3]

Stresemann famously wore the suit during the negotiations of the Locarno Treaties in 1925, and in Germany it became synonymous with him.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

.

In the United Kingdom this mode of dress is now unusual, though the dress code sometimes does occur in

formal trousers

are in some circles referred to as "barrister trousers".

The stroller's apparent decline in use, as opposed to the staying power of its evening counterpart the dinner jacket, could be attributed to several factors: daytime formality in general, and specifically the standard of changing clothes for various occasions, fell out of general use in post-

servants, a concept which had also fallen out of favour. By the late 20th century, fictional characters in media depicted wearing strollers were often portrayed as self-important or inflexible snobs

, often in opposition to more sympathetic characters dressed casually.

Traditionally, in Continental Europe and the British Commonwealth of Nations, morning dress is worn to formal day events, and white tie for formal evening events. However, when both dress codes declined in use in the United States, this also affected the use of the stroller.

Yet, notably, at his

U.S. President Ronald Reagan wore a black stroller. When his planned attire was announced it generated some controversy among D.C. lawmakers who thought they were being told to acquire such suits as well.^[4]

In media

Gentlemen's

crime drama Babylon Berlin (2017-), set during the Weimar Republic, German Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann

wears a Stresemann suit accordingly.

Gallery

Caricature of
Vanity Fair
(20 November 1880)
Woodsfield, Ohio, United States, in stroller and bowler hat
(1915)

Gustav Stresemann (sitting on the right, with Augustinas Voldemaras), Berlin (1928)
A stroller in an exhibition of the Textilfabrik Cromford, Ratingen, Germany
Further detail
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy Reagan waving from the limousine during the inaugural parade in Washington, D.C.
(1981)

President Kennedy wears a black lounge to a diplomatic reception at the White House in 1961
President Carter, Vice President Mondale and President elect Reagan in stroller suits before Reagan's Inauguration in January 1981.
Eleven years old
Prince Albert Victor
in black lounge suit.

References

^ Book of Etiquette (1931), Lady Troubridge
^ "Where Have All the Haberdashers Gone?". Chicago Tribune.
^ Duka, John (2 January 1981). "Inauguration Day '81: A Sartorial Controversy". The New York Times.
^ Duka, John (2 January 1981). "Inauguration Day '81: A Sartorial Controversy". The New York Times.

External links

Media related to Stresemann at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Book of Etiquette (1931), Lady Troubridge

[2] "Where Have All the Haberdashers Gone?". Chicago Tribune.

[3] Duka, John (2 January 1981). "Inauguration Day '81: A Sartorial Controversy". The New York Times.

[4] Duka, John (2 January 1981). "Inauguration Day '81: A Sartorial Controversy". The New York Times.

[2]

[3]

[4]

Western dress codes and corresponding attires
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Formal (full dress) White tie Morning dress Full dress uniform Frock coat Evening gown Ball gown
Semi-formal (half dress) Black tie Black lounge suit Mess dress uniform Evening gown Cocktail dress
Informal (undress, "dress clothes") Suit Service dress uniform Cocktail dress Pantsuit
Casual (anything not above) Business casual Casual Friday Combat uniform Smart casual Workwear Streetwear Sportswear known as Sportswear (fashion) and Athleisure Undress
Supplementary alternatives Ceremonial dress law courts royal courts diplomatic academic, etc. Religious clothing cassock, habit, etc. Folk costume Distinctions Orders medals, etc.
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