Tropical White Tie

[Rittmeister]

Does anyone know if there were alternatives to traditional white tie in tropical areas during the Golden Era? Were tails in any other colors, or combinations such as white tie, black pants and white mess jacket, ever worn? Or was the only option just light weight black tails?

 

[Fletch]

IIRC, the white mess jacket - worn strictly with black tie and cummerbund back in the day - went out of style nearly as fast as it came in (in 1933), probably due to its adoption by dance orchestras. After that, it was ruined. It soon sank to the social level of waiters, then busboys. By 1936 it was a major faux pas. All of which - in addition to its imperishable military pedigree - makes me think it might be due for a revival.

However, there's no social precedent for it with white tie. I believe white tie is white tie is white tie - and the circumstances for it are as inflexible as the outfit itself. You don't wear it unless asked to, and if you were asked to wear it in summer, it would not change. In the era when white tie really meant something, of course, it would not have been required in tropic zones at all.

 

[Rittmeister]

Thanks Fletch. Those were my thoughts. But, what about white tails? Cab Calloway wore them, and they were also worn in films. These appear to have only been worn by entertainers. Does anyone have any evidence of non-entertainers wearing them?

As for other colors, the only acceptable tailcoat color other than black or midnight blue that I am aware of is red for hunt balls and other affairs associated with hunting. Were any others acceptable?

 

[Fletch]

It would surprise me if anybody but entertainers wore white tails - or, indeed, if any but black (or as you say, red) were deemed acceptable outside of show business in the 30s.

 

[cookie]

Formal en el Tropico

The recent series of Poirot has an episode last week that was situated in Syria c 1930s but probably Morocco.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230605/

It is festooned with varieties of black tie outfits but all seem to be the 1930s style tuxes/dinner suits..

A previous series had an episode situated in Egypt which incorporated a lot of cream dinner jackets including the Palm Beach style worn by the Americans inthe episode. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0676164/