A Butler's Attire
Dressed for the hour and the occasion, before the master or lady arrives.
About A Butler's Attire
A butler's attire is the formal dress a butler chooses according to the hour and the occasion at which the master or lady is received. Built around the morning coat worn by day and the tailcoat or dinner jacket chosen for the evening, it extends to the waistcoat, shirt, leather shoes, white gloves and neckwear. Our gentleman and lady butlers alike wear it as the dress that upholds the hours of the Manor.
Before the door opens, the attire announces the hour.
Formal dress is the attire a butler assembles from head to foot, having read the hour and the occasion, in order to receive the master or lady. A black coat alone does not complete it: the butler judges whether it is day or evening and brings coat, waistcoat, shirt, tie, shoes and gloves together into a single figure. When the one they serve steps into the Manor, it conveys, before any word, that this is a setting fit for the hour.
In the wardrobe of the Manor hang morning coats, tailcoats, top hats and leather shoes. That they are not shut away, but partly shown as furnishings, is because a butler's attire, too, shapes the Manor. Our lady and gentleman butlers do not divide their dress by gender; they choose their formal attire by the hour and the occasion of their duties.
If you are looking for the first time, begin by separating day from evening. By day the butler wears the morning coat; by evening the tailcoat or the dinner jacket. Then let your eye move to the collar, the hands and the feet, and you will see how the small details uphold the outline of the whole.
From the coat to the neckwear, six introductions
The Morning Coat
Day formal dress. In The Footman experience, the full set is worn: coat, waistcoat, shirt, trousers, tie, white gloves and leather shoes.
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The Tailcoat
Evening formal dress. The white neckwear worn with it is the clearest way to tell it from the dinner jacket.
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The Dinner Jacket
Evening wear. One way to tell it from the tailcoat is that the neckwear worn with it is black.
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Waistcoat and Shirt
The two that support the figure beneath the coat. With collar, chest and cuffs in order, the lines of the standing figure quietly fall into place.
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Shoes and White Gloves
On the feet, Oxford cap-toe shoes. White gloves drawn smooth to the wrist, and a quiet hand laid to silver and porcelain.
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The Colour at the Neck
White with the tailcoat, black with the dinner jacket. A small difference of colour is the clearest way to tell the two evening dresses apart.
Read moreTelling day and evening dress apart
| Attire | Principal hours | How to tell | Neckwear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning coat | Day | The full set worn in The Footman experience | A long tie |
| Tailcoat | Evening | Formal dress worn with white neckwear | White |
| Dinner jacket | Evening | Evening wear worn with black neckwear | Black |
Though they may all look like black dress, the hour, the cut of the coat and the colour at the collar change their role.
From beneath the coat to the feet, what role does each part play?
| Coat | By day the morning coat; by evening the tailcoat or the dinner jacket, chosen for the occasion. |
|---|---|
| Waistcoat | With the morning coat by day, a grey waistcoat. With the tailcoat in the evening, a white piqué waistcoat; with the dinner jacket, a black waistcoat or cummerbund. |
| Shirt | The collar and cuffs of a white dress shirt are kept in order, framing the face and the hands. |
| Leather shoes | Black Oxford cap-toe shoes complete the figure, from standing to walking. |
| White gloves | They lend the hands that handle silver and porcelain close to the one served a clean and distinct impression. |
| Neckwear | White with the tailcoat, black with the dinner jacket, telling the two evening dresses apart. |
The leading role is not the butler's dress, but the time the master or lady spends.
The role of a butler's dress is not to draw the eye to the butler, but to help the one they serve feel the division between day and evening and enter the scenes of the Manor naturally. The collar of a white shirt, the front of a waistcoat, polished leather shoes, white gloves drawn to the wrist: each is kept in order, and no visible disarray is brought before the one served.
Whether handling silver at their side or waiting beside the door, the butler's attire settles into the Manor as background. Once you know the rules of dress, you see not only the coat itself but which hour and which duty the butler has chosen.
On rainy days, the hems and the leather shoes are checked again before and after entering the Manor. When several guests are received, the butler makes sure that collar and cuffs are in order from every angle. Dressing once is not the end; in the course of their duties, butlers quietly review their attire.
The order in which a butler dresses
Read the hour and the occasion
Day or evening, and whether the master or lady is to be received: the axis of the attire is chosen.
Set the foundation
Shirt, waistcoat and trousers are put together, and the lines of collar and chest aligned.
Coat and shoes
The coat suited to the occasion is chosen from morning coat, tailcoat and dinner jacket, and the leather shoes checked.
Centre the tie
The butler checks the knot at the collar and its symmetry, composing the centre of the face.
Finally, the hands
White gloves and cuffs are set in order, and the preparation to appear before the one served is complete.
What to check when looking at the attire
- Separating the morning coat of the day from evening dress by the hour
- Checking the colour at the neck: white for the tailcoat, black for the dinner jacket
- Seeing not only the coat but waistcoat, shirt, leather shoes and white gloves as a single figure
- That our gentleman and lady butlers alike dress formally for the occasion
What to avoid when telling attire apart
- Naming the attire from a black coat alone
- Dividing the attire by gender
- Taking the finer points of dress as rules common to every occasion
QHow do I tell a tailcoat from a dinner jacket?
Beyond the cut of the coat, the colour at the neck is the easiest guide. White means a tailcoat; black means a dinner jacket.
QIs the morning coat worn in the evening too?
The morning coat is day formal dress. For the evening, we introduce the tailcoat and the dinner jacket.
QDo lady butlers wear the same attire?
Lady butlers, too, choose a butler's formal dress for the hour and the occasion. Both gentleman and lady butlers are in residence at Queen's Butler.
QMay I wear a morning coat?
In The Footman experience you may wear the full set, down to shirt, waistcoat and leather shoes. As sizes and kinds are limited, please tell us your height and clothing size before booking.
QWhat are the white gloves for?
They lend a clean and distinct impression to the hands that handle silver and porcelain and offer them close to the one served. White gloves are not mere decoration but part of how the gesture is seen.
QWhere should I begin when looking at the attire?
First establish whether it is day or evening, then look at the coat, the collar, the hands and the feet in turn. With the hour and the colour at the neck as your guide, the relationship between the three dresses falls into place.
About the attire
- Sizes and styles are limited. Before booking, please tell us your height and usual clothing size
- Please ask about sizes other than those listed
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Our butler will prepare the hour in which you put on formal dress.
If you wish to wear a full morning coat, please contact us with your height and clothing size.