Rent
A single occasion. A graduation ball, a friend's wedding, a gala you do not expect to repeat. You get the right garment, fitted and altered, without tying up money.
Dress codes, decoded
The invitation gives you two words and assumes you know the rest. Here is what they actually mean – and exactly what to wear.
The most formal
White tie · Högtidsdräkt
If the invitation says white tie, or högtidsdräkt or frack in Swedish, there are no alternatives. This is the most formal code in existence, worn at the Nobel banquet, academic ceremonies, orders and the grandest balls.
- — Black tailcoat with peak lapels, never buttoned
- — White piqué waistcoat
- — White hand-tied bow tie in piqué
- — Stiff-fronted shirt with a detachable collar and studs
- — Black patent shoes and black silk socks
Orders and medals are worn on the left breast. If you are unsure about placement, bring them to the fitting and we will help you.
The most common formal code
Black tie · Smoking
The code you will meet most often: weddings, balls, gala dinners and New Year's Eve. Note that Swedes call it smoking, which is simply the Swedish word for a dinner jacket – it has nothing to do with tobacco. Simpler than white tie, but just as strict in its rules, and considerably more forgiving to wear all evening.
- — Black or midnight blue dinner jacket, single-breasted with a shawl or peak lapel
- — Black hand-tied bow tie – never a long tie
- — Dress shirt with a pleated or plain front
- — Cummerbund or waistcoat – one or the other, never both
- — Black shoes, black socks, no belt
Dinner jacket trousers carry a silk stripe down the leg and are worn with braces, not a belt. That is the detail that separates a dinner jacket from a black suit.
The broad one
Lounge suit & kavaj
Mörk kostym means a navy or charcoal suit, a white or pale shirt and a tie. Worn at dinners, christenings, funerals and occasions that are formal without being ceremonial.
Kavaj is the step below: a suit in any dark colour, a tie preferred but not always necessary. On a Swedish invitation, kavaj is usually a way of saying „dress up, but relax“.
Unsure what the difference means in practice? Bring the invitation to the shop. We have read thousands of them.
Book a fittingThe decision
Rent or buy?
Buy
Formal invitations more often than every other year, or your own wedding in sight. By the third wearing a purchase has usually paid for itself – and the garment is always yours.
Made to measure
Hard to fit off the peg, or set on exactly the right cloth, lining and lapel. It takes longer, but the result is a garment there is no second copy of.
Common questions
About dress codes
Can I wear a black suit when it says black tie?
No. A black suit has no silk lapels and no stripe down the trouser, and it shows immediately in a room where everyone else is in a dinner jacket. Better to hire one than take the shortcut.
What does „lounge suit with festive touches“ mean?
A dark suit as the base, but you may add something of your own: a patterned bow tie, a strong pocket square or a waistcoat. Not a dinner jacket, but not everyday either.
Can I wear a black bow tie with a tailcoat?
No – a tailcoat takes a white bow tie and a white waistcoat. A black bow tie with tails is traditionally associated with waiting staff rather than with the guests.
Does the bow tie have to be tied by hand?
A hand-tied bow is never perfectly symmetrical, and that is precisely the point. We will show you how before you leave the shop – it takes five minutes to learn.
What about shoes?
White tie: black patent shoes. Black tie: black patent or very well polished black oxfords. Lounge suit: black or dark brown lace-ups. Never a rubber sole with formal dress.I am attending a Swedish wedding. What is expected?
Read the invitation for the words frack (white tie), smoking (black tie) or kavaj / mörk kostym (lounge suit). Swedish weddings tend to state the code explicitly. If it says nothing at all, a dark suit is the safe choice – and bring the invitation to us if you would rather be certain.
Bring the invitation
We will read the dress code for you and put together everything you need.