The old world charm of gentlemen’s dress sets are turning up on the thoroughly modern Red Carpet. At the turn of the twentieth century well-appointed men wore dress sets with their shirts for formal occasions, which in that era meant going to a night club, or black or white tie event. The cufflinks and buttons of the dress set personalized a look and added an air of elegance and importance to the tuxedo. Fast forward to the 4th Annual Academy Museum Gala held at the Museum in Los Angeles in October, when actor Ke Huy Quan showed up wearing a Fred Leighton Art Deco mother of pearl, pearl and platinum over gold gentleman’s dress set, putting this elegant jewel back in the spotlight.
What is a Dress Set?
So what exactly is a dress set and how is it worn? For starters you’ll need a buttonless tuxedo shirt, that has two slits, one where the button would usually be and the other where the button is attached. A dress set is a suite of buttons, generally three, and cufflinks that are worn together on a tuxedo shirt. It’s a matched set which gives a tuxedo a more formal feeling. They’re pretty simple to use. The buttons, sometimes called studs, have a long post on the back that slides through the button holes to close the shirt. It may take a little jiggling to get the posts in place, but the buttons need to fit snugly so that they sit up on the shirt without drooping.
There are many types of vintage dress sets. It’s a style that was particularly fashionable during the Edwardian and Art Deco eras of the early 20th century. Many of those dress sets were made with pearls, mother of pearl or moonstones with diamond accents, often set in platinum. A variation on that look was platinum accented with rubies or sapphires. It was more unusual to find a dress set with all colored gemstones, but sometimes dress sets were made using gold and colored gemstones such as opals, creating sophisticated elegance.
A Matched Set
Dress sets also include cufflinks that match the buttons. Having cufflinks and buttons that match creates a more formal look. During the 1930s it became very fashionable for men to wear dress sets made with black onyx or black enamel, which was sometimes combined with rock crystal. The use of colored gemstone dress sets also became more prevalent during this decade. After World War II dress sets stayed stylish into the 1950s. However, these lovely accessories fell out of favor with the more casual and free-wheeling fashions and lifestyles of the 1960s and beyond.
Dress Sets Express Your Personality
The next time you have a formal event that calls for black tie, consider elevating your tuxedo look with a vintage dress set. It’s the attention to the details that really make a difference when we dress formally and that’s especially true for a tuxedo. A dress set allows you to customize your look and show your personality. And if you really want to dress to impress, such as at your wedding, or a formal event where you’ll be in the spotlight, an elegant dress set will set you apart from the pack as a gentleman of style.
Top of page: Vintage opal and gold dress set used in all images.
Authored by Amber Michelle