A new British take on men’s occasionwear

In 1865, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII asked his friend, Savile Row tailor Henry Poole, to create a short coat suitable for informal dinners at Sandringham. Rising to the occasion, Poole modified the traditional tailcoat by removing the tails and created the first dinner jacket, in celestial blue — a design that Americans would eventually dub “the tuxedo”.

A century and a half later, Britain remains the spiritual home of traditional formalwear, where the world’s finest tuxes and dinner jackets — renowned for their impeccable structure and elegance — are crafted by tailoring houses including Huntsman, Edward Sexton, Favourbrook and Gieves & Hawkes.

Beyond the hallowed halls of Savile Row and Jermyn Street, however, a new wave of British or British-based designers are reimagining occasionwear. From Simone Rocha’s gothic tailoring and Charles Jeffrey’s punkish dress blazers to Derrick’s sports-inspired minimalism and S S Daley’s subversive takes on classic British school uniforms, they’re shaping a fresh aesthetic for a contemporary consumer by taking the traditions established by their forebears and injecting them with a new sense of romance, creativity and play.

“Our menswear customers always look for special pieces for the festive season, but recently we have seen a rise in curiosity for more playful items that allow them to express their individuality,” says Bosse Myhr, director of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear at Selfridges. Among the standout labels he cites are Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, whose knit-patch shirts and unexpected appliqués on blazers “can elevate a look”, and Simone Rocha, whose play on proportion and silhouette allows customers “to experience wardrobe essentials in a new way”.

Irish, British-based designer Rocha, celebrated for her opulent, pearl-laden women’s clothes, quietly expanded into menswear in the spring of 2023. Although the designer’s fur-trimmed bombers and tailored kilts are undeniable highlights of her autumn/winter 2024 collection, it’s her eveningwear pieces that feel most resonant. Featuring richly embellished jackets and sleek suits furnished with oversized chandelier brooches, her darkly romantic clothes have been worn by actors Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne and playwright Jeremy O Harris.

“There’s a sense of regality that takes over when you put on a Simone Rocha piece,” explains Harris. “Whenever I wear the pearl-encrusted Crocs from her recent collaboration, people look at me with this kind of awe. I think there’s something in that. Awe is a feeling that only kings and queens usually instil. Her clothes make you feel like royalty.” 

Rocha, describing her men’s line as a blend of “masculinity and sensitivity”, reflects on her nuanced approach. “My AW24 menswear collection draws from historical garments, reimagining them through new materials and silhouettes. For example, we reinterpreted chenille bouclé into an almost armour-like boxy jacket, and integrated brocade shoulders into Venetian wool tailoring.”

Rocha’s more-is-more approach reflects a long-held tradition: from the ruby-encrusted doublets of Henry VIII to the jewel-toned topcoats of Beau Brummell, making a flamboyant statement at a party is familiar territory for British men. Yet, according to Savile Row-trained designer Luke Derrick, some still require a nudge back towards elegance. “We’re living in the long shadow of Covid and a year spent in our pyjamas,” he says. “It’s like everyone’s desperate not to be that any more, but they don’t quite know how.”

In response, Derrick’s AW24 collection, titled Nightwalking, featured minimalist black tuxedos and relaxed suits tailored from tracksuit fabrics, inspired by his daily walks through east London’s diverse neighbourhoods. Derrick sees Britain’s inventive new take on occasionwear as the product of a unique tension. “Many of the pillars of western dressing, like black tie, originate in the UK,” he notes. “But Britain is also a self-effacing nation. Our rich tailoring heritage of creating beautiful things is always tempered by the reality that it might be pouring down with rain when you come to wear it.” This contrast gives rise to clothes that are elegant and fantastical, yet somehow also grounded in the real world.

London-based menswear designer John Alexander Skelton took a clerical approach to eveningwear in his AW24 collection, shown in the church of St Bartholomew the Great. Inspired by religious vestments that his brother had found in a Roman flea market, Skelton’s designs featured cape-like coats and piecrust collars, evoking the gothic élan of the New Romantics (and a smidgen of early years Princess Diana), without feeling overly theatrical.

“Dressing up is the antithesis of where fashion is now,” observes Skelton. “Currently it’s all about being extremely simple and very casual and not standing out from the crowd — there’s a lot of reappropriation of utilitarian, function-focused clothing.” In that vein, “clothing needn’t be restricted to specific occasions”, he believes. “I want people to wear my pieces any time, in a punk kind of way. My pieces work best when subverted and integrated into everyday wardrobes.”

While the key to the success of an eveningwear look is, of course, to follow the dress code, one could take risks and embellish gently. Opt for a Skelton piecrust collar in place of a dress shirt, for example, or adorn a classic black suit with a bold lapel pin from Rocha. “I think this time of year should make you feel emboldened to try something new,” says Jeffrey.

And for the modern man, it doesn’t end with clothes. “Lipstick completely transforms any outfit, and more importantly shows the world you see past the binary way in which we present ourselves,” states Jeffrey. “A crisp white shirt with a maroon lip is iconic for a party, in my opinion.”

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