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Theblack lounge suit (UK),stroller (U.S.), orStresemann (Continental Europe), is a men'sday attiresemi-formal intermediate of aformalmorning dress and aninformallounge suit; comprising grey striped or checkedformal trousers, but distinguished by a conventional-lengthlounge jacket, single- or double-breasted in black,midnight blue or grey.[1] This makes it largely identical to the formal morning dress from which it is derived, only having exchanged themorning coat with a suit jacket, yet with equivalent options otherwise, such asnecktie orbowtie forneckwear, awaistcoat (typically black, grey, orbuff),French cuffsdress shirt of optionalcollar type, and blackdress shoes ordress boots. The correct hat would be a semi-formalhomburg,bowler, orboater hat. Just as morning dress is considered the formal daytime equivalent of formal evening attiredress coat i e.white tie, so the stroller is considered the semi-formal daytime equivalent of the semi-formal evening attire dinner jacket, i.e.black tie (also called tuxedo). Unlike other dress codes, there is no clear equivalent for women, though typical morning dress andcocktail dress have both been identified as alternatives.
Wearing a black lounge suit the traditional way with formal trousers largely fell out of use following thecounterculture of the 1960s, although its practice has still been observed occasionally ever since.
For semi-formalweddingday attire, thegroom may dress in a dark-grey suit jacket with a dove-grey or buff waistcoat and optionally awedding tie. For a semi-formalfuneral day attire, the mourner may wear a matching black jacket and waistcoat presumably with a black necktie.
InBritish English, it is called ablack lounge suit. Since black was reserved forformal wear, it was unknown as a colour forlounge suits, so the term was unambiguous. It has also been referred to as aMarlborough suit in the U.K.
InAmerican English the style is referred to as astroller suit,club coat orsack coat.[2]
Aroundcontinental Europe, the style is often called aStresemann after theGerman chancellorGustav Stresemann (1878–1929) of theWeimar Republic, who wore the style as an alternative to themorning coat. In German it is also known asBonner Anzug (English: "Bonn suit") after the capital of postWorld War IIWestern Germany.
It is also known as adirector's suit from the terminside director (especially inJapan), orcitydress.
While early prototypes of black lounge suits did occur in the late 19th century, the current form was settled around 1900.[3]
Stresemann famously wore the suit during the negotiations of theLocarno Treaties in 1925, and in Germany it became synonymous with him.
Winston Churchill is depicted in many photographs and paintings wearing a black lounge suit and striped formal trousers while serving asPrime Minister of theUnited Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom this mode of dress is now unusual, though the dress code sometimes does occur infraternal orders such asFreemasonry for semi-formal daytime meetings. It is also still worn within thelegal profession, especially bybarristers. Indeed, the stripedformal trousers are in some circles referred to as "barrister trousers".
The stroller's apparent decline in use, as opposed to the staying power of its evening counterpart the dinner jacket, could be attributed to several factors: daytime formality in general, and specifically the standard of changing clothes for various occasions, fell out of general use in post-World War II Western culture; and strollers were sometimes associated with uniformedservants, a concept which had also fallen out of favour. By the late 20th century, fictional characters in media depicted wearing strollers were often portrayed as self-important or inflexiblesnobs, often in opposition to more sympathetic characters dressed casually.
Traditionally, inContinental Europe and the BritishCommonwealth of Nations,morning dress is worn to formal day events, andwhite tie for formal evening events. However, when both dress codes declined in use in theUnited States, this also affected the use of the stroller.
Yet, notably, at hisfirst inauguration in 1981, formerU.S. PresidentRonald Reagan wore a black stroller. When his planned attire was announced it generated some controversy among D.C. lawmakers who thought they were being told to acquire such suits as well.[4]
Gentlemen'svalets of the early 20th century are often depicted in television and film wearing black lounge suits as their standard apparel. In the 1964Walt Disney filmMary Poppins (set in the 1910s), the character of Mr. Banks wears a black lounge suit to work every day at the bank.On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) of theJames Bond films features a black lounge suitwedding. ThePan Tauchildren's television series (1969–1978) features a black lounge suit-wearing protagonist with the same name. In the long-runningBBC sitcomAre You Being Served? (1972-1985), the characterCaptain Peacock always wore a stroller as the store's floorwalker. The character of John Bates ofDownton Abbey (2010–2015) typically appears in a stroller while serving as hislord's valet. In the Germanneo-noircrime dramaBabylon Berlin (2017-), set during theWeimar Republic, GermanForeign MinisterGustav Stresemann wears a Stresemann suit accordingly.
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