Andrews & Pygott: The Morning Dress Guide

There were two big society weddings last week (nothing to do with Cameron), and it goes without saying that yours truly was invited to, and attended, both of them (chiz chiz). Anyhow, though we wouldn’t usually stoop to such tittle tattle, I want to show you what the two grooms wore.

The first is a classic outfit with a couple of rare and unusual extras – namely a waistcoat slip and an edged morning coat. To be honest it looks very good for a modern morning dress outfit, although you can tell the coat is a little big round the waist even though it’s undone!

Ben Elliot (35) & Mary-Clare Winwood (24) - 11 year age gap? I give it 6 months

Number 2 is a bit more wild. Indeed, I feel slightly ashamed that I like it! However, don’t forget that checked trousers have a long tradition when it comes to morning dress and that the eye must always be the final court of appeal whatever is worn…

Jake French & Rose Laing: Checked trousers. CHECK. Double breasted waistcoat. CHECK. Anorxic girlfriend. CHECK

You will be happy to know that two small items of Montague Burton ephemera have recently entered our possession!

One is an invoice for a suit (we think), and the other is a delivery note for the item. The invoice is dated 13.10.51 and the delivery note 24.11.51 therefore indicating a lead time of about 6 weeks. Anyway, enjoy:

Ladies and gentlemen – this is without a doubt up there with the best suits we have ever seen. In fact it probably is the best suit we have ever seen. It is also in a fantastic size – 41R 37W 30IL and is in absolutely pristine condition. Shame neither of us is that fantastic size… Continue reading →

…has died recently aged 93. Son of Sir Montague and some time director of Montague Burton Limited. Obituary here.

Two vintage morning dress outfits have recently arrived on our hands. Each featuring at least one particularly interesting detail which we’d like to share with you.  The first is a grey three-piece suit, bespoke tailored in 1971. It is rare enough to come across a decent grey suit with all three pieces intact; Continue reading →

For a while now we have been passively collecting Montague Burton sales brochures from the golden age of the company. They are rare and difficult to come by so we only actually possess four. However, the National Archives possess a further eight and have published them online, along with a lot of other Burton material, on their Moving Here website which is dedicated to migration stories (Burton was a Jew from the part of Russia that is now Lithuania). They are published in a very awkward manner, however, so we have spent quite a lot of time putting the pages for each brochure into one PDF for ease of reading and have republished here (without permission) to make it easier for people to read them. Continue reading →

We don’t tend to make a habit of plumbing the depths of evening dress conventions, but we have been requested to write a full commentary on the gents’ dress code for the Cambridge University Gilbert & Sullivan Golden Jubilee Ball and, slaves of duty that we are, have obliged. Continue reading →

For the connoisseurs among you, here is a beautiful 3 piece grey morning suit in immaculate condition cut from one of the nicest fabrics I’ve had the pleasure of stroking… It fits me, but I think we are going to sell it as no man needs three morning suits… or does he? Continue reading →

Here are some other nice things about to make an appearance on ebay…

1. 1950s Montague Burton 2 Piece Evening Suit 42R

This is one of the very rare items that comes along that is in perfect as new condition… and it’s Burton. Continue reading →

Here’s a sneak preview of a few items that will be on ebay very soon… Continue reading →