formal evening dress: vest or no?

[Jordan]

No, but I'd certainly do all I could to expedite their activity.

Probably not, but that begs the question whether a gentleman should remove his coat at all (unless it is to offer it to a lady).

Now there are a couple of good reasons for this. Allow me to explain:

1) Until the 1980s the very best dress shirts were made with a stiff bosom. These shirts buttoned "up the back"-- rather like a hospital gown-- with one button at waist level, the other somewhere between one's shoulder blades. At the neck two collar buttons were used: one rather long one at the back to close both layers of the shirt and secure the collar, with another almost as long one at the front that went through a single layer of the shirt, and through both tabs of the collar holding it in place. Because evening waistcoats generally tended to be backless (as they often are today) a gentleman removing his coat in public would expose the hospital gown "gap" to all and sundry.

2) Women glow, gentlemen perspire. And some men sweat. And some sweat more than a pedophile in a Santa suit, which is something that really should not be shared with the general public. Usually, when someone decides to remove his jacket because it's too warm, it's also too late. The back of the shirt is damp, and often there are wet patches under each arm. It looks-- frankly-- gross.

So, what's a guy to do when it gets too warm? Well a guy takes off his jacket. A gentleman, on the other hand, dabs his brow with his handkerchief, sips cool water, and excuses himself to the terrace for a breath of fresh air, or to the gents where he can safely take off his jacket for a few moments and, if necessary, press a cold cloth to the back of his neck.

Yes, I know it's inconvenient, but then so is surrendering your seat on the bus to a lady after a tiring day at the office. No one ever said being a gentleman would be easy.

Thank you MacMillan of Rathdown

That is very interesting reading. I never knew about backless shirts of years gone by and I can’t see the point in backless waistcoats personally.

I hear what your saying about sweat patches on shirts if a jacket is removed and all I can say is I find myself fortunate that here in the UK its never that warm.

Jordan