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| Western dress codes and correspondingattires |
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Informal wear orundress, also calledbusiness wear, corporate/office wear,tenue de ville ordress clothes, is aWestern dress code forclothing defined by abusiness suit for men, andcocktail dress orpant suit for women. On the scale of formality, it is considered less formal thansemi-formal wear but more formal thancasual wear. Informal or undress should not be confused with casual wear such asbusiness casual orsmart casual; most situations calling for “informal wear” will usually tolerate casual dress to varying extents.
The suit originated as leisure wear in the late 19th century but eventually replaced thefrock coat as everyday wear in the city. AfterWorld War I, the suit was established as informal daily wear.Hats, such asfedora orbowler hats, are sometimes worn with informal wear.
Informal wear is commonly applied foroffice use in professions likepolitics,academia,law andfinance,business, as well as certain events such asjob interviews in other sectors. It is a traditional dress code that aims to indicate respect to the situation and not draw attention.[1]
Thesuit originated in Britain in the 19th-century as a leisurewear. Seeking a casual alternative to the knee-length, heavyfrock coats then considered appropriate business dress, men began to wear lighter coats cut just below the seat when not engaged in business.
Standard suit-making fabric is fine combed wool, with the inclusion of cashmere in more expensive fabrics. Middle-price suits are often made of wool-polyester blends, whilst the cheapest are made entirely of polyester fabric.
This business suit (also known as the "sack suit" inNorth America, commonly byBrooks Brothers) became the standard business daywear for all men who were not engaged in physical labor. The waistcoat (British) orvest (American) was worn regularly with the suit up toWorld War II, but is rarely seen today, due to central heating in offices and the expense of construction. Until at least the early 1960s it was common to wear a hat.
In general, business suits are characterized by three styles and a fourth fusion style. English suits are noted for having a "touch fit" to the wearer's body shape and carefully made padded shoulders. Italian suits are often slimmer, with higher armholes and highly shaped to complement a slim physique. Traditional American suits have lightly padded shoulders and loose natural fit with minimal shaping. Since the 1960s, designer brands (especially Polo Ralph Lauren) have created fusion style that brings a more shaped European look to the natural American cut.
Suits in Britain were often made intweed, often with three pieces, and were worn outside theCity of London. Tweed is made from uncombed wool, and, like all fabrics from the time, was thick and durable (18-ounce was considered medium-weight in the Edwardian era). A full tweed suit is less common today, with just tweedsports jackets more often worn, but is still used generally as everyday wear by some, and for outdoor sports such as shooting and angling. It is worn with appropriate accompanying clothes, much as any other suit; brown full brogues and wool ties are common items not worn with other types of suit.
Informal attire is today considered a form of dress customarily appropriate for all formal settings, which do not explicitly requirewhite tie orblack tie. For instance, it is commonly worn to religious services and funerals, in government offices and schools. Some professions, like law or finance, may require it. Because of its strong association with the business world, informal attire is also known asinternational standard business dress, business professional orbusiness formal.
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