Vintage Weddings: Shawl Lapels and Velvet Bow Ties

A vintage wedding suits a shawl-lapel tuxedo, high-rise trousers, a velvet bow tie and a white pocket square, in black or ivory. The difficulty is knowing where to stop. A few details borrowed from the 1930s to the 1950s are enough to create the mood, and pushing further turns the groom into someone in costume. This piece helps you take enough to have soul and stop before it becomes theatre.

The shawl lapel, root of the vintage line

The shawl lapel is one unbroken curve with no notch between lapel and collar, faced in satin or velvet. It is tied to the dinner jackets that became common from the first half of the twentieth century in Britain and America. The soft curve flatters faces with sharper features and reads gentler than a peak. For more on the style, see our note on the black shawl-lapel tuxedo.

Two models to picture it: the black tuxedo with classic velvet lapels and the ivory tuxedo with shawl collar. Both use a shawl lapel, one in dark and quiet black, the other in a lighter register.

High-rise trousers and the old-fashioned line

Vintage trousers sit high, at or just above the navel, with forward pleats and a fuller thigh that tapers to the hem. A high rise does two things: it lengthens the leg, and it spares the jacket from covering the gap between waistcoat and trousers. You may use braces (suspenders) buttoned inside the waistband in place of a belt, which is true to the period and helps the trousers hang cleanly. If you do, keep a waistcoat or jacket on so the braces do not show during the party.

Keep the hem modest, just touching the shoe with a slight break, or a straight leg without a cuff. If you are slim, avoid very wide legs, which look baggy. Our notes on tuxedo trouser hems and high or low trouser rise explain this cut in detail.

A velvet bow and white pocket square

The velvet bow tie is the single detail that most evokes vintage atmosphere: a moderate width, in black, midnight or burgundy, with a softness that glows in warm light. It sits especially well with the black single-button tuxedo paired with a velvet bow. A white pocket square in cotton or linen, folded flat or in a soft three-point fold, belongs here. Cufflinks in pale gold or antique silver also fit. If the knot is unfamiliar, read bow tie materials: satin, grosgrain and velvet.

Do not pile on: a pocket watch, a chain, a fedora, a cane and gloves all at once make a costume. Choose one or two, ideally pieces that really exist in the family.

Ivory or black

Ivory is the colour of the summer dinner jacket in warm climates, worn at the seaside and at outdoor parties from the mid-twentieth century. For a garden or resort wedding, an ivory dinner jacket with black trousers, a white shirt and a black bow is exactly in spirit. The ivory tuxedo with silk cummerbund and shawl lapel is one example. Black is the safer choice, suited to indoor ballrooms and monochrome photographs.

With white, remember a few things: light cloth shows creases and stains, the trousers and shoes must be spotless, and someone should look after the jacket between photo sessions. Read the white tuxedo and dinner jacket before you decide.

Keeping it from becoming a costume

A simple test: if people ask "what are you dressed as" instead of complimenting you, you have gone too far. Some principles for restraint:

• Take a single decade as your guide and do not mix eras.
• Keep the body of the suit clean and modern in cut, and let the vintage character live in the accessories.
• Use real cloth, properly made; cheap imitations of an old look read like stage rentals.
• Match the setting: flowers, lighting and music in the same language make the outfit fall into place.

It also helps to study the Old Hollywood tuxedo look as selective inspiration rather than copying a whole outfit.

Book a fitting at Mon Amie

Bring reference photos and tell us the style of the reception; your consultant will help separate the details worth borrowing from the ones to leave. Browse groom looks on our wedding tuxedo page and book a fitting at a showroom to hold real shawl-lapel cloth in your hands.