Help with men's formal please

[Norfolk Brit]

We are on Cunard in a couple of months; as this is a surprise for my husband to soften the blow of a rather daunting birthday I am secretly kitting him out. However, menswear is a bit of a mystery to me: I know he will need what we call a dinner suit (tux, trousers (pants), bow tie), but does he need a cummerband and is there anything else he needs for the formal nights?

 

Thanks, Mary

[cavkc]

He'll need a dress shirt & cufflinks

 

DH sometimes wears a cummerband but not always, it's purely down to personal taste

[Anni L]

What a great thing to do for him for a big birthday!

 

My hubby has his own tux. It's a double-breasted one, so he doesn't wear a cummerbund. However, he also wears a pair of braces (suspenders with buttons instead of clips), a pleated white tuxedo shirt, a set of studs and cufflinks, a self-tied bow tie, a pair of dress socks/hose, and a VERY shiny pair of black shoes. The most formal are actually patent-leather shoes, but he's opted for just very well-shined black leather. (He gets more use out of them.)

 

Don't forget a dress watch, too, and any of his other special jewelry.

 

Hope this helps!! Oh, and there are TONS of wonderful, gala bow-ties on the internet - have fun shopping for them!

 

And ENJOY that cruise!

 

Anni

[SailorKate]

DH just bought a new Tux and decided to go a little modern with a "New Look". The traditional shirt is a pleated variety with a wing collar and bow tie. Either a cummerbund or Vest can be worn. DH has difficulty keeping cummerbunds in place and so he ops for vests, usually with bow ties. But this trip, at least one night he wil be wearing a vest with a plane white shirt with a standard plain collar and French cuffs and cuff links with a regular long black satin tie. He also opted to purchase suspenders which of course won't show under the vest. He will look very handsome:-)

 

Just another option.....

[gratefulguy]

You may want to double-check the number of shirt studs required for the shirt(s) he will wear. If no cummerbund or vest is worn, he will need at least four; with a cummerbund, three is probably enough.

I'm saying this because it's easy to mis-place the studs, and for my cruise last May, discovered only three studs were still in the little box I used for links/studs for 40 years!

What a great present--another reason for him to know what a lucky man he is.

[Norfolk Brit]

Thank you so much for all your help; I had no idea men's formal wear was so complex, but have now organised everything he needs. Assume that a vest in the US is what we call a waistcoat (a vest here is an undergarment mainly worn by the v. elderly, and he's not ready for that yet).

 

Can't wait to tell him at the end of July (his birthday); booked this in January and everyone except him knows (even the cat); have shocked myself with the extent of my duplicity. Fortunately, he is fully occuped with the (soccer) World Cup at present, as by some miracle we have found ourselves in the quarter finals; this renders me conveniently invisible for hours on end.

 

Thanks again, Mary

[Anni L]

Mary, you're absolutely correct - what we in the US call a vest is what you call a waistcoat. V-necked, buttons up the front, sleeveless, goes over the shirt and is made of some fancy material. Glad he's not up to the British kind of vest yet! LOL

 

Thanks for your posts - you are a very witty lady, and I always enjoy reading them. Congrats on the World Cup progress so far - and enjoy!

 

Anni

[Norfolk Brit]

Mary, you're absolutely correct - what we in the US call a vest is what you call a waistcoat. V-necked, buttons up the front, sleeveless, goes over the shirt and is made of some fancy material. Glad he's not up to the British kind of vest yet! LOL

 

Thanks for your posts - you are a very witty lady, and I always enjoy reading them. Congrats on the World Cup progress so far - and enjoy!

 

Anni

 

Thank you Anni for your kind words and help; you look lovely in your photo, and I bet you're great fun (incidentally, my cat is a huge fan of your parrot). As for our World Cup progress I suspect my days as the invisible woman are numbered, which is a shame.

 

Kind regards, Mary

[britishiles]

A top hat and a cane?

 

Just kidding. Hope your husband has a great birthday at sea!

[Norfolk Brit]

A top hat and a cane?

quote]

 

Ah ha, so you've heard about the funny little ways of the English male. The cane DEFINITELY stays at home.

 

Thanks, Mary

[momofmeg]

We are on Cunard in a couple of months; as this is a surprise for my husband to soften the blow of a rather daunting birthday I am secretly kitting him out. However, menswear is a bit of a mystery to me: I know he will need what we call a dinner suit (tux, trousers (pants), bow tie), but does he need a cummerband and is there anything else he needs for the formal nights?

 

Thanks, Mary

 

If you rent a tux a shirt and cumberbund is supplied. i understand you can rent shoes separately and also the cruiseline will sale you a pair of socks-so just go that route and you have everything you need.