This weekend’s venture into the wonderful world of wedding suit hire brought one thing in particular to my attention: the names by which styles of suit are known. Most people know morning and evening tails, the dinner and lounge suit and even the Nehru, but there are other names too. These, in general, evoke the real and imagined environments in which men wear suits, which Ned and I classified into two general groups: the mid-century movie gangster and the reputable characters in a western.
Among the former you may find the Palermo, the Chicago, the Soprano and the Orlando (of many colours), and among the latter the Maverick, the Tombstone and the Matrix (which looks more cowboy than future dystopia). These are all different lengths, cuts and styles, and lend different airs of dressing up. They reflect, suggested Ned, the way in which when a man thinks of a suit for a special occasion, he doesn’t aspire to look like a Wall Street broker.
Ned’s choice of attire for himself and his groomsmen shares its name with the 19th-century title given to the 17th-century painting in the image above. The groom’s costume, however, lacks the ruff and embroidery of his predecessor, although I hope that, come the day, they might share the same expression of satisfied confidence, laughter threatening at any moment. Few would begrudge a groom a hint of smug.
