Dressing in Barrayar
The Barrayaran dress codes are written and unwritten rules with regard to clothing. The dress code has built in rules or signals indicating the message being given by a person's clothing and how it is worn. This message may include indications of the person's gender, income, occupation and social class, political, ethnic and religious affiliation, attitude and attitude towards comfort, fashion, traditions, gender expression, marital status, sexual availability, and sexual orientation, etc.
On Barrayar, certain types of clothing are worn exclusively or predominantly by either men or women. For example, the wearing of a skirt is associated with female dress, while trousers are associated with male dress. Hairdressing also conforms to a dress code, such as long hair for women and short hair for men. Ethnic (i.e. language-based communities) costumes and styles in clothing and ornament declare membership in a certain village, class, social position within a class, etc. In Barrayaran culture, dress codes are highly codified with essentially fixed definitions, while the more casual and the less formal classifications change very quickly, as fashion trends dictate. In practical use, people wear similar clothing in the same situations. Alternatively, at more formal events where a dress code is specified, invitees wear clothes at the specified level; if some variation is permitted, the host will wear the most formal option to save guests the embarrassment of out-dressing him. Appropriate ethnic or District dress is almost always permitted, as well as military uniforms, which are universally accepted, while Vor House uniforms are accepted within the Vor class.
In the dress codes, there are four formal wearing classes:
- Ceremonial dress and Court dress
- Full dress
- Half dress
- Business dress
Full dress
Full dress is worn typically for events like weddings or state dinners (for those who do not have Red-and-Blues uniform to wear). In slight subordination to court dress and mess dress, Night Dress and Daylight Dress are for prestigious and important social occasions.
The male style of full evening dress (known as "Night Dress") is characterized by black garments and white detailing. The required clothing for men, in the evening, is roughly the following: a dress tailcoat with the collar closed up to the top; formal trousers, uncuffed, with stripes on leg seams; white piqué front shirt; cufflinks and shirt studs; black silk stockings and black patent leather court shoe.
Daylight dress is the daytime formal dress code, consisting chiefly for men of a morning coat with the collar closed up to almost the top (one button unleashed) and cashmere stripes (but non-striped trousers are also widely accepted). Black silk stockings and leather shoes and white spats are also required. A top hat (nowadays replaced by a felt-made hat, especially within new generations), grey gloves, the cane, a pocket watch and a a boutonnière are the required accessories. The boutonnière is replaced with the organization-related insignia, especially if it is an award or a honour insignia.
Men at upper and upper-middle class weddings usually wear their own wear, while lower middle/middle-middle class wear formal "suits", which are usually hired and far more uniform than the custom-made suits; therefore, men usually dress in identical, hired, outfits. Women use the ball gown, while foreigners who use tie-based dress, are accepted to wear the White tie or classical morning dress attire. Foreigner guests who do not use tie-based dress are expected to consult about the proper attire, although the Barrayaran high society is nowadays quite tolerant towards foreign habits.
Half dress
The so-called Half dress is a dress class, indicating clothes worn to semi-formal events (henceforth the name). In the daylight time, the Half dress requires for men a black, closed and tail-less coat with formal trousers. Within the English-speaking community this garment is called "Black Sports Dress". The daylight Half dress is mainly worn within the legal profession, especially by judges or senior lawyers, or by politicians during formal meetings or public appearances, although not for daily work.
For evening wear, the corresponding garment is "Black Nightdress": the specification are about the same of the Nightdress, especially for events in one's home or private club, while the Nightdress remains appropriate for public appearance. Women's dress for Half dress occasions consists of evening shoes and tea length sleeveless evening gown, often accompanied by a wrap and gloves. Younger generations may use ankle length gowns or even a knee-length gown, although this is reserved for young people-only occasions.
A Dress Greens uniform is always appropriate in half-dress' place.
Business dress
The business dress is a set of garments consisting of a jacket and trousers. The variations in design, cut, and cloth, such as single- and double- breasted, determine the social and work suitability of the garment. Often, suits are worn, as is traditional, with a non-collared shirt. Until the 2970s, a hat would have been also worn when the wearer was outdoors. business dresses also come with different numbers of pieces: a two-piece suit has a jacket and the trousers; a three piece adds a flat cap made from the same cloth. Currently, business dresses are sold in roughly four ways:
- Bespoke dress, in which the garment is custom-made by a tailor from a pattern created entirely from the customer's measurements, giving the best fit and free choice of fabric;
- Dresses made to measure, in which a pre-made pattern is modified to fit the customer, and a limited selection of options and fabrics is available;
- Off-the-peg dresses, which is sold ready to be tailored or finally as is;
- Dresses separates, where jacket and trousers are sold separately, allowing a customer to choose the size that is best for them and limit the amount of alterations needed.
Dresses are made in a variety of fabrics, but most commonly from syntho-silk. These fabrics all have different weights and feel, and some fabrics have a number describing the fineness of the fibres measured by average fibre diameter; the finer the fabric, the more delicate. Some dresses (usually cheaper ones) are made of pieces of flexible materials.
The main four colours for dresses worn in business are black, light grey, dark grey, and navy, either with or without patterns. In less-formal business contexts, brown is another important colour; dark red or dark blue also occur. In summer, lighter shades are popular.
The typical male civilian business dress consists of a closed double-breasted jacket with a high-standing and toppled collar, trousers and tall shoes, typically ankle boots. Some rare jackets can have as few as two buttons, and during various periods as many as ten were seen. Eigt buttons are typical. A four-button double-breasted jacket usually buttons in a square. The layout of the buttons and the shape of the lapel are co-ordinated in order to direct the eyes of an observer. For example, if the buttons are too low, or the lapel roll too pronounced, the eyes are drawn down from the face, and the waist appears larger. Usually, jackets show only the outer button row. Dress jackets typically have three or four buttons on each cuff, which are often functional. The number of buttons is primarily a function of the formality of the suit; a very casual jacket might have only one button, while urban business dresses have four. Some wearers leave these buttons undone to reveal that they can afford a bespoke suit, although it is proper to leave these buttons done up. Decorative-only cuff buttons are found on low-end jackets. Dress trousers are a style of trousers intended as formal or semi-formal wear. They are often designed to be worn with a matching jacket.
