Cummerbund Suits

A cummerbund may be defined as broad pleated waist sash generally worn with single-breasted dinner jackets. The cummerbund was first popularized by the British military officers in colonial India and it subsequently caught on with the civilians. The contemporary use of the cummerbund is purely aesthetic and fashion experts opine that it stands midway between a shirt and the waistband. The one other practical use of cummerbund is its convenience for the expanding girth of diners during a sumptuous meal. Traditionally worn with a dinner suit, a cummerbund has no specific function, beyond helping the wearer to stretch the legs and even making the obese people look taller and sleeker.

Several leading fashion houses offer formal cummerbunds and the foremost designers of cummerbunds include Thomas Pink, Turnbull & Asser and Robert Charles. Robert Charles is especially famous for cummerbunds made of silk with attractive and colorful floral designs.

When weighted MOLLE pockets were attached to the cummerbund and the user moved up and down, the cummerbund became dislodged from the Velcro attachment and the top edge rolled over. Correspondingly, the upper portions of the pockets also rolled over, inhibiting access to the MOLLE pockets and reducing the ability of the user to rapidly retrieve his equipment.

The cummerbund is associated with dressing up for formal occasions but recently David Beckham wore the cummerbund on his 30th birthday and made it look sexy by combining it with an open-necked shirt. But some of his fans disagree. They say it was fine for James Bond to wear a cummerbund in 1970 but in today's time they look old-fashioned.

By the way, if you really hate cummerbunds, as many men do (including the hefty, whose cummerbunds tend to ride the upslope), there's always the waistcoat option.

Of course, with his well-toned body, bronzed good looks and celebrity status, Beckham at least has a fighting chance of looking good in clothes that would make most men his age look utterly ridiculous. And compared to some of the footballer's previous fashion "statements" - kaftans, pink nail polish and an ill-advised fling with hip-hop style - this latest look is tame.

But there are signs that the public has grown tired of his eccentric tastes. The fashion-obsessed star was recently voted Worst Dressed Man by readers of GQ magazine. Beckham, who had been at the top of the Best Dressed list for two years running, was criticized for his nouveau riche style and "chav" tendencies.

"I don't think he's a stylish man," says Brandelli. "He wades through a whole bunch of looks just because he can. But he's in Spain, he plays for Real Madrid and he's obviously trying to fit into some sort of Matador theme, and I think he's interpreted this look in a neat way. "It's certainly the best I've ever seen him look."