Wei Koh's morning suit
Made by Dario Carnera
The most formal and correct morning coat is a single-breasted peaked-lapel jacket with a link closure that cuts away in the front and falls to the knees. Indeed, it was explained to me by the amazing Dario Carnera, head cutter at the mythical Huntsman tailors of Savile Row, that you gauge the quality of a bespoke morning coat by how perfectly it tucks to the back of the knees. It is accompanied by a grey, buff or black double-breasted shawl- or peak-collar waistcoat, and both the jacket and waistcoat can be piped and should feature dress slips, a layer of white fabric that just underlies the top edge of the waistcoat to give the illusion of a second layer beneath it.
A 10-and-a-half-ounce feather weave cloth was chosen for the black morning suit jacket, to be worn with cashmere-striped trousers.
For the black morning suit jacket and waistcoat, Carnera selected a 10-and-a-half-ounce feather weave, which is a very small herringbone considering it would be worn during summer. “This is the most classic cloth used for morning coats,” Carnera said. He added a grey double-breasted waistcoat to this ensemble, which he said he would prefer if I decided to wear the black jacket to Ascot. He explained: “This vest is from 10-and-a-half-ounce dove-grey hopsack wool — also a classic for morning dress.” Both waistcoats would be fitted with the prescribed dress slips. The first example of his steady guidance appeared as I started to lean towards the more boldly striped pattern for the ‘cashmere’ trousers, which he subtly explained might be “a bit much” — in other words, would make me look as though I’d escaped from a circus tent. He added: “The term cashmere refers to the stripe and not the cloth, which is 100 per cent wool.” For the grey morning suit he selected a 10-and-a-half-ounce pick-and-pick weave wool otherwise known as sharkskin, which is the preferred option if you want a morning suit in all one colour.