Suit or Tux

[Benjamin Baxter]

Ok, I'm looking to buy a suit or tux to wear to lodge and or Masonic events/functions. So what are the preferences? I'm not talking tails on tux, that would be overdress in a lot of Texas country lodges.


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[Glen Cook]

Ok, I'm looking to buy a suit or tux to wear to lodge and or Masonic events/functions. So what are the preferences? I'm not talking tails on tux, that would be overdress in a lot of Texas country lodges.


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Buy a black suit, tux shirt and a bow tie. It can double till you can afford both

 

[CLewey44]

see above ^^^

 

[Bloke]

Here, GL tells us what to wear. For evening lodge, dinner suit ( you would call it a tux), bow tie, plain (not dress) white business shirt, black socks and black shoes. Day lodge, lounge suit (you might call it business suit). Grand Lodge Team (only) tails. Sounds like your GL is not that specific on dress.... it's funny the different things different GLs proscribed and prescribed which reflect their concerns and collective values...

 

[Canadian Paul]

For my mother lodge - Office-bearers, tuxedos, Benchers, business suits. Some older lodges specify white tie and tails for some or all office-bearers. In lodges presently or formerly under the GL of Scotland, ties, cummerbunds and sometimes waistcoats in lodge, Grand Lodge or Newfoundland tartan are worn with a tux by some.

 

[Companion Joe]

Unless you are on a special degree team or belong to certain appendant bodies, the likelihood of you needing a tux is low. You don't need a tux for regular Blue Lodge functions in most U.S. jurisdictions.

The fact that you are asking about purchasing a suit gives me the impression you don't own a suit. If that's the case, buy a charcoal gray suit. You can wear it to a lot more places: lodge, church, funeral home, wedding, business purposes, out for a nice supper, etc. Charcoal gray is about as functional as it gets. That should be the first suit every man owns.

 

[Glen Cook]

Here, GL tells us what to wear. For evening lodge, dinner suit ( you would call it a tux), bow tie, plain (not dress) white business shirt, black socks and black shoes. Day lodge, lounge suit (you might call it business suit). Grand Lodge Team (only) tails. Sounds like your GL is not that specific on dress.... it's funny the different things different GLs proscribed and prescribed which reflect their concerns and collective values...

In Cheshire you will see red socks in Chapter and red striped shirts with white collar. In UGLE, you will see blue striped shirts w white collar

 

[Companion Joe]

I don't know if it's completely necessary for everyone in the lodge to be dressed exactly the same down to their socks (my BL's officers all dress alike), but I am a stickler for dressing appropriately for lodge. Wear a suit or coat and tie. If it's summer months and hot, it's not terrible to relax the wearing of a coat.

 

[Thomas Stright]

Polo and jeans are fine at my lodge in Texas.


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[Benjamin Baxter]

Polo and jeans are fine at my lodge in Texas.


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That's typically what we wear at my lodge. It's the country, but I though maybe I could help dress it up a bit. Sometimes its contagious......lol


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[Thomas Stright]

If I had to wear a suit at all lodge meetings I doubt I would be a member of a lodge like that.


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[Elexir]

If I had to wear a suit at all lodge meetings I doubt I would be a member of a lodge like that.


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Why wouldnt you be a member of a lodge where you had to wear a suit?

 

[Benjamin Baxter]

Unless you are on a special degree team or belong to certain appendant bodies, the likelihood of you needing a tux is low. You don't need a tux for regular Blue Lodge functions in most U.S. jurisdictions.

The fact that you are asking about purchasing a suit gives me the impression you don't own a suit. If that's the case, buy a charcoal gray suit. You can wear it to a lot more places: lodge, church, funeral home, wedding, business purposes, out for a nice supper, etc. Charcoal gray is about as functional as it gets. That should be the first suit every man owns.

Well I do have a suit. It's a grey suit, but I have outgrown it a size or two. I do have a suit that I wear for commandery. It has my pins on it and would like to have a suit or tux that is just for going to lodge.


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[Companion Joe]

Then I'd go with a charcoal suit.
Years ago, our lodge had devolved to the point where people were coming in jeans and t-shirts. It started with me and spread to a few others. It is contagious. The officers need to set the example. Pretty soon, most members will get the message.

 

[Companion Joe]

As for not being a member of a lodge you have to wear a suit to, there are two ways to look at that comment, and you could be right either way.
We make it clear to petitioners during their investigation that while not a rule, there are certain expectations; an acceptable level of dress is one of them.

 

[Warrior1256]

Unless you are on a special degree team or belong to certain appendant bodies, the likelihood of you needing a tux is low.

I am a stickler for dressing appropriately for lodge. Wear a suit or coat and tie. If it's summer months and hot, it's not terrible to relax the wearing of a coat.

Same here in Kentucky. I do not know of any function where you would be under dressed in a suit.

 

[Bloke]

...., cummerbunds ....

Summer dress only. It's actually one of two rules which get ignored, the other being plain shirt.... you see a lot of dress shirts; worn by young guys. Guys here like to dress up rather than down for lodge. Some old guys say the tux should be dumped, but survey the young guys (I'm in a lodge of predominately <45s) and the dinner suit wins ... and not even by a mile, it's been unanimous at times.

The thinking behind this is it puts everyone on the level. It's hard (for most guys) to tell the difference between a $100 tux vrs $1,000 tux. I've had mine for 13 years, they are the most hard wearing suit I've ever owned and it is still in good order... the pants also allow for wide adjustment over the years due to the side clips...

Traditionally we go causal for Christmas with jeans and collared shirt, people are not a fan of this, we did it for 4 years, and finally gave up on it last year. I think people like lodge because it's a place they can dress up for without it being an expensive night... even 5 year old boys are often in bow ties... it's all very cute.

And i think dress is more than something shallow... yes, self employed I bum around "looking like a hobo" (direct quote from GF) but the dinner suit is like the apron, another outward symbol were looking to make inward change.

 

[Thomas Stright]

Why wouldnt you be a member of a lodge where you had to wear a suit?

Didn't say I wouldn't wear a suit. But I don't wear one in my usual profession and to be honest don't care wearing them much at all. But some occasions suits are required.


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[Warrior1256]

But I don't wear one in my usual profession and to be honest don't care wearing them much at all. But some occasions suits are required.

I agree with you. Suits are not required at a regular business meeting at either of the lodges that I belong to. If this were voted on and the result was that suits are then required I would still attend these lodges but I would have voted against it.

 

[Companion Joe]

We don't have an official dress code at my lodge, but we do have an understood standard of dress. We have turned people around at the door when they showed up wearing shorts. If someone showed up wearing jeans and a t-shirt, it would be pretty evident to them in a hurry that we have a standard of dress because they would stick out like a sore thumb. When people have said they didn't want to visit our lodge because they felt out of place or whatever because of how we dress, I tell them I'm sorry they feel that way, but I will still visit their lodge ... and I'll be wearing a suit.

I know of a couple of lodges that have voted in a coat and tie dress code. They went to Goodwill and bought a bunch of used jackets and ties. If someone shows up improperly dressed, they are given one for the night. If they don't want to wear it, they don't come in.

As a member of the GL Education Committee, one of the things we tell people about dress codes is this: Let's say you are going to lodge and you are wearing the same old clothes you wear to work every day, or even worse, the same clothes you wear to Walmart or to mow the yard; if you stop at the store or to get gas and someone sees you, they aren't likely to ask what you are doing, but if they do, is it going to give them a favorable impression of Freemasonry? On the other hand, if you are wearing a suit or coat and tie and they ask you where you are going, when you tell them, their natural reaction will be "That must be important."

There was a time when Masonic Lodges were important parts of communities. If its own membership doesn't think it's important enough to take the time to clean themselves up a bit, why would the general public? Just because society has devolved to the point where people think it's OK to dress like slobs, that doesn't mean Freemasonry should. We should be the example.