Morning coats and top hats in the Wardrobe

The Footman — Wardrobe

Attire for the Apprentice Butler Experience

The full set, provided at the Manor. Come as you are.

Queen's Butler — Definition

About Attire for the Apprentice Butler Experience

The attire for the Apprentice Butler Experience is a full morning coat set provided at the Manor. Coat, waistcoat, shirt, tie, white gloves and shoes are fitted to you by a butler. As sizes and styles are limited, please be sure to tell us your height, build, usual clothing size and shoe size before booking.

The attire is prepared as working dress that supports a butler's deportmentWardrobe for service

Wardrobe

How much of the attire is provided at the Manor?

The attire for the Apprentice Butler Experience is a full set provided at the Manor, centred on the morning coat and including waistcoat, shirt, tie, white gloves and shoes. The butler hands you each piece in turn and checks the collar, shoulders, front buttons, cuffs and tails, so that even those unused to formal dress can proceed one step at a time.

The attire is not merely for appearance. The set of the back when standing, the tails when walking, the white gloves that handle silver: each piece is bound to the deportment you will practise. From the moment you are dressed, the butler shows you the distances and hand positions that keep the attire composed.

You may come with nothing, but sizes and styles are limited. Before booking, please tell us your height, build, usual clothing size and shoe size. If you fall outside the guide sizes, please speak to the butler first.

See the full morning coat set

A butler adjusting the collar of a morning coat

Choose your guide

What should you check next about the attire?

In the Wardrobe, a butler adjusts the collar and white gloves of a male apprentice in his fifties while a young female apprentice waits holding a top hat

Set

The full set and how it is worn

The role of coat, waistcoat, shirt, tie, white gloves and shoes, and what the butler adjusts.

Sizes

Guide sizes and advance advice

Men around 160 to 185 cm, women around 150 to 160 cm, shoes 24.0 to 27.5 cm as a guide; other sizes may be discussed.

In the Wardrobe, apprentices in their twenties, forties and sixties choose morning coats while a butler hangs a jacket

How to wear

Know the dressing sequence first

From shirt to tie, waistcoat, coat and white gloves: the sequence explained through photographs and deportment.

In the Dining Room, five apprentices of all ages in morning coats practise bowing after the butler

Full set

What does the full morning coat set include?

Coat	Forms the outer line of formal dress. The butler checks the shoulders, collar, front buttons and the tails falling behind.
Waistcoat	Worn beneath the coat, it settles the line of the torso.
Shirt	Collar and cuffs draw the lines of formal dress. The butler checks its position against the tie.
Tie	Set to the shirt collar, with the centre composed as seen from the front.
White gloves	For handling silver and the like, and to present the hands elegantly in commemorative photographs.
Shoes	Black shoes are provided at the Manor. The guide size is 24.0 to 27.5 cm.

Dressing flow

How does dressing proceed on the day?

In the Dining Room, a female apprentice in her sixties pours tea from a silver pot, the butler's hand guiding hers

To the Wardrobe, with the butler

After your arrival and an outline of the day, you proceed to where the attire is prepared. The Manor is never let unattended; the butler accompanies you.

Confirm the sizes given in advance

Your height, build, usual clothing and shoe size are checked against the set prepared. Please mention anything of concern before dressing.

Dress from the inside out

Shirt, tie and waistcoat first, then the morning coat. The butler waits on your movements and assists where needed.

Shoes and white gloves

Settle the feet, then finish with the white gloves. Once they sit to the fingertips, you move on to the handling of silver and the deportment of service.

The full length in the mirror

Not only the front: the butler checks shoulders, back and tails. You are invited to see yourself in the mirror in a natural, composed posture, breath settled.

Size guide

Where should you look for guide sizes?

In the Dining Room, a mother and son apprentice lay out silver and porcelain in the order the butler indicates

Guest	Guide	Tell us before booking
Men	Height around 160 to 185 cm	Height, build, usual clothing size, shoe size
Women	Height around 150 to 160 cm	Height, build, usual clothing size, shoe size
Shoes	24.0 to 27.5 cm	The shoe size you usually wear
Other sizes	Advance discussion	Rather than judging by numbers alone, please tell us whatever size information you have.

Sizes and styles of attire are limited. For parties of two or more, please give each person's height, build, usual clothing size and shoe size.

Fit

Can I discuss it if I fall outside the guide sizes?

Sizing advice does not decide yes or no by numbers alone; it is a check in advance of the attire held at the Manor against your height, build, usual clothing and shoe size. Men around 160 to 185 cm, women around 150 to 160 cm and shoes 24.0 to 27.5 cm are guides; other sizes are welcome to enquire.

At the same height, the fit of shoulders, torso, sleeves and tails differs. That is why we ask not only your height but your build and usual clothing size. For parties of two or more, giving each person's details separately lets the butler confirm the preparation of each set.

The butler will confirm the information needed, and on the day each piece is fitted in turn from what has been prepared. Rather than arriving with doubts about the attire, please make use of a conversation before booking.

See guide sizes and how to ask

At the double doors, a butler watches a female apprentice in her thirties practise opening the door and bowing

QDo I need to bring my own attire?

The morning coat, waistcoat, shirt, tie, white gloves and shoes are provided at the Manor. To confirm sizing, please tell us your height, build, usual clothing and shoe size before booking.

QCan women wear the morning coat?

Yes; for women we hold sizes for heights of around 150 to 160 cm. Queen's Butler has both male and female butlers, and we guide you through dressing with equal care whatever your gender.

QCan I ask if I am taller or shorter than the guide?

Yes, other sizes are welcome to enquire. As sizes and styles are limited, please tell us not only your height but your build and usual clothing size.

QWhat shoe sizes are available?

The guide is 24.0 to 27.5 cm. For other sizes, please enquire before booking with the shoe size you usually wear.

QCan attire be prepared for two people?

For two or more, please see the plans for pairs and families. Please give each person's height, build, usual clothing size and shoe size separately.

QIs it all right if I am not used to dressing this way?

Yes. The butler guides you through the sequence and checks the collar, shoulders, front buttons, cuffs and tails. Rather than hurrying to arrange things yourself, please follow each prompt one step at a time.