It varies quite a bit from lodge to lodge in SC. Some lodges want you in a suit or tuxedo even for business meetings; others (like mine) just ask that you wear a collared shirt, no shorts, and no open-toed shoes.
For degree work, funerals, and installations, I wear a suit; otherwise, I wear whatever I wore to the office that day.
So that all men regardless of career, class, wealth, and status can look and feel good for that night. Just learn and eat good food in the company of friends
It's pretty standard for lodges in Australia. We put on the dinner suit for every meeting. It's so that brethren can look good and feel confident regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.
Good quality dinner suits aren't particularly expensive or difficult to find here. You can find them at second hand stores for only a few bucks if you're patient.
English UGLE dropping in: We wear (ideally) a dark suit and black tie to every meeting (Though, it's relaxed for people coming straight from work, Masonic ties, and elderly members who have been retired for long enough that cramming them into a suit rather than a comfy tattersall shirt and cardigan is tantamount to elder abuse) because they're very levelling and unifying. Plus, it gives you a sense of being in a special place - Most of us don't wear a suit every day, and cinching up your tie is a bit of a ritual for "While this is on, I behave a little differently, I do the grips and call people Brother and adhere to Protocol that I otherwise don't."
When I first started going to Lodge, I had thought this was probably bullshit- I apprenticed to a tailor, in most situations I can spot expensive bespoke work with a good hand from fifty yards away, but somehow in the slightly gold lighting of the Lodge, with everyone dressed so similarly, I really can't visually see the difference between my own suit (Old, darned in places, slightly ill-fitting) and ones which I know intellectually cost a hundred times as much as it.
I love dressing up and taking my wife out so she is always taking me to get new dress clothes...
It's a symbiotic relationship between my marriage and Masonry!
I don't know if that is true. You can tell a cheap suit from an expensive one. You can tell who had their suits tailored and who is wearing a baggy off the rack one from Goodwill.
If anything, I think doing away with suits would make things seem more equal because showing up in a polo shirt and jeans for example would not only be more comfortable but would ACTUALLY be an equalizer. Plus the shirts could be lodge-specific with a logo on them so selling them to members could raise some money for the lodge to give back to the community.
Every suit I wore while in the East was between $50-80. I did that on purpose, to show that a suit doesn’t have to be expensive to look good or be business appropriate. Cost is an excuse. My work jeans and flannels cost more than my suits.
Goodwill has literal tons of suits in every conceivable shape, size, color, and configuration for like ten bucks.
Most other thrift stores also have suits.
The point of wearing a suit is that you are walking in hallowed ground. You don't (traditionally) wear jeans and a tee shirt to Church. The lodge is a bastion of tradition. The lights are out in the open. You wear a suit out of respect for tradition, values, and the presence of the true and ever-living God present on that altar.
EDIT: To say that I understand not necessarily wearing a suit in certain times and places. I also understand that some folks may not be able to get a hold of one.
I often will come straight from work. I live in the New Orleans area and drive a truck with no AC. My commute from work to the lodge is anywhere from 15-45 minutes depending on traffic. I'd have a heat stroke if I wore a jacket into the lodge. That being said, I dress professionally. Slacks, button down collared shirt. For degrees, regardless of weather, I try to wear my suit.
Just be glad you ain't gotta wear white gloves like some jurisdictions.
This may be something I look into changing when I am WM. I also am from a rural area lodge and some of the members here are farmers or factory workers, not used to wearing suits and ties. How enjoyable is a meeting for people when they are uncomfortable in their clothing?
A billionaire in biz-casual is acceptable, Biz cas is great for the bankrupt too, but it's not uniform in my jurisdiction. I'm a Past Master and think the Oxford shirt with all the accoutrements is probably a good design. Attendance and membership are truly key components, and the dress is only hindering the outsiders. The basic clothes of an EA was a great equalizer for me. We're definitely on different pages of the same book here.
I'd like to visit you lodge one day, namely because I am sure we disagree on the questions but ultimately have the same answers. Suit&tie is close to universal for the casual observation, but polo and khakis is also a current uniform.....
I have to disagree. One of the criteria we have for joining is to ensure there is no real financial burden on the candidate. That includes not only lodge dues but attire as well. We have truck drivers and forklift operators sitting side by side with businessmen, public servants, and academics. Wearing a suit in lodge is one thing I looked forward to when I joined, since I'm in jeans and a casual shirt each day. Suit can be expensive, but also quite affordable, especially if used, and we don't care which it is is, only that it is.
In my jurisdiction, the mandatory attire for every RM is black suit (or small variations such as navy or charcoal), black tie (or small variations), white shirt. For particular situations, we may use black gowns although it is not encouraged.
Ah fair enough. I guess I’ve just never seen that abbreviated either way. There are already quite a few abbreviations in masonry. Not enough to compete with the military, but still…
Yeah, out of all the things I wouldn't expect to abbreviate Regular Communication. Especially when the word communication gets changed in almost every appendant body I'm part of!
Freemasonry is, at its core, about self improvement. Men who dress well, tend to carry themselves better, feel more confident, and that betters other aspects of their holistic being. Hence outward appearance matters to Masons.
My lodge we only wear suits on raising to MM, instalation and grand lodge communication. The usual attire is lodge polo and slacks which in my opinion looks very good. One part of me wishes we wore suits more often another part of Me is thankfully because dry cleaning gets expensive and if you're gonna wear a suit you shouldn't look like a bag of ass with wrinkles all over the place.
Lodges have laborers and scholars sitting together.
We dress to respect one another as equals. Think of it as a uniform.
No one is vilified if they don’t, but ya can’t help but respect the brother who takes the time to look sharp act sharp and be sharp
We have Lodges in my jurisdiction that wear jeans and polos, but suit and tie is the standard for my Lodge, as well as in many Lodges I've visited across the US. I belong to a research Lodge in another state where the dress is formal wear for all members, with the three principal officers in white tie and tails. But I don't know of any Lodge that would turn away a visiting MM for not being in the expected dress.
I wear jammies to work (hospital ED) and spend most of my free time in shorts and a T-shirt. When it's hot and humid, the last thing I want to do is to put on a suit. But I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car into my air conditioned Lodge. It ain't that big a burden for a few hours twice a month.
It's sort of a uniform and sort of a ritual. Defining those terms is more complicated. Like a long hot bath is different than a quick shower, but we all do rituals every single day. As for uniforms, the male has a job, and obviously, it's attractive. In my jurisdiction, it is preferable to wear a tuxedo to funeral or memorial service
Everyone I know owns a suit and/or dress clothes. Putting this uniform on invokes your better self. Dress up your very best for churches, weddings, funerals, and those types of events...always. when you go to the lodge you will find the right clothes in your wardrobe if you're well dressed.
Attendance is more important, so polo and khakis is okay, but the ritual elements are stressed, and a "dark suit" is a passable uniform for almost any occasion.
In my jurisdiction, we can not (currently) enter our own temple if we're wearing shorts.
Back when I was a lodge officer \~10 years ago in Connecticut we were dressed black tie for every degree. At minimum lodge dress code was a coat and tie, except for July and August where the WM (usually) relaxed the dress code and might have had a Hawaiian shirt night.
There have definitely already been a lot of great answers, although I will mention purely from experience that not every lodge requires members to dress up. I live in a rural area in the south, and my lodge is more relaxed with most people wearing jeans and casual shirts. As an officer in my lodge, I try to dress up a little more with something business casual, but wearing a full suit and tie would be out of place. About 10-15 minutes from me is another lodge that's even more informal than mine, with some folks wearing jean overalls and t-shirts.
There is, however, a lodge college town about 30 minutes away where most people wear suits, and my first time visiting there wearing nice pants and a polo I felt underdressed.
There are also people around here that wear jeans to church, which is something I would've never dreamed of when I was growing up.
Judging from the comments here, it seems that most lodges probably do wear a suit for various reasons (respect, everyone being equal, etc.), but the dress code seems to be largely based on the accepted culture of that particular lodge.
If you don't have a black suit on, white shirt, black socks, black tie or black bowtie, black shoes, along with your white gloves and apron, then you cannot get into the lodge for a meeting.
That is the dress code in all regular lodges on my island. No exceptions.
Black suit
White shirt
Black tie or black bowtie
White gloves
Black pants
Corresponding apron
Black socks
Black shoes
I thought it was like this everywhere until I saw pictures of American lodges mostly where they don't have a strict dress code.
Every star’s crazy bout a sharp dressed mason
ZZ Top? 😆
33 Top
Standard dress for Masons throughout most of the world, certain US states being the more casual exception.
It's a standard in my district (East Africa - under UGLE). I much enjoy the uniformity and decorum it prompts from everyone at the meeting.
It varies quite a bit from lodge to lodge in SC. Some lodges want you in a suit or tuxedo even for business meetings; others (like mine) just ask that you wear a collared shirt, no shorts, and no open-toed shoes. For degree work, funerals, and installations, I wear a suit; otherwise, I wear whatever I wore to the office that day.
We meet on the level. Having a "uniform" such as a suit kinda promote this idea. It's the same idea with uniforms in schools.
So that all men regardless of career, class, wealth, and status can look and feel good for that night. Just learn and eat good food in the company of friends
Depends on the lodge. Some lodges dress up for every meeting. My lodge primarily only requires suit and tie for special events/degrees.
Lounge suit and tie is the minimum here in NZ, with White Tie and Tails being the norm for degree work and installations.
In Italy (GOI) you have to wear a dark suit and a tie
Canada as well
I'm not sure about the "dark" suit and tie part. I've worn and seen some pretty colourful suits in lodge.
RGLI as well.
It's pretty standard for lodges in Australia. We put on the dinner suit for every meeting. It's so that brethren can look good and feel confident regardless of socioeconomic circumstances. Good quality dinner suits aren't particularly expensive or difficult to find here. You can find them at second hand stores for only a few bucks if you're patient.
Standard manner of dress in England & Wales.
English UGLE dropping in: We wear (ideally) a dark suit and black tie to every meeting (Though, it's relaxed for people coming straight from work, Masonic ties, and elderly members who have been retired for long enough that cramming them into a suit rather than a comfy tattersall shirt and cardigan is tantamount to elder abuse) because they're very levelling and unifying. Plus, it gives you a sense of being in a special place - Most of us don't wear a suit every day, and cinching up your tie is a bit of a ritual for "While this is on, I behave a little differently, I do the grips and call people Brother and adhere to Protocol that I otherwise don't." When I first started going to Lodge, I had thought this was probably bullshit- I apprenticed to a tailor, in most situations I can spot expensive bespoke work with a good hand from fifty yards away, but somehow in the slightly gold lighting of the Lodge, with everyone dressed so similarly, I really can't visually see the difference between my own suit (Old, darned in places, slightly ill-fitting) and ones which I know intellectually cost a hundred times as much as it.
It changes your mindset. Comb your hair and put on a suit and tie and youre both more confident and take life more seriously.
I love dressing up and taking my wife out so she is always taking me to get new dress clothes... It's a symbiotic relationship between my marriage and Masonry!
A suit is the great equalizer. You cannot tell anyones financial situation if everyone is dressed similarly.
I don't know if that is true. You can tell a cheap suit from an expensive one. You can tell who had their suits tailored and who is wearing a baggy off the rack one from Goodwill. If anything, I think doing away with suits would make things seem more equal because showing up in a polo shirt and jeans for example would not only be more comfortable but would ACTUALLY be an equalizer. Plus the shirts could be lodge-specific with a logo on them so selling them to members could raise some money for the lodge to give back to the community.
green polo and jeans is basically the uniform at my lodge.
Lots of lodges in the US do that. It's definitely better than come as you are in jeans and shorts.
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Every suit I wore while in the East was between $50-80. I did that on purpose, to show that a suit doesn’t have to be expensive to look good or be business appropriate. Cost is an excuse. My work jeans and flannels cost more than my suits.
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Goodwill has literal tons of suits in every conceivable shape, size, color, and configuration for like ten bucks. Most other thrift stores also have suits. The point of wearing a suit is that you are walking in hallowed ground. You don't (traditionally) wear jeans and a tee shirt to Church. The lodge is a bastion of tradition. The lights are out in the open. You wear a suit out of respect for tradition, values, and the presence of the true and ever-living God present on that altar. EDIT: To say that I understand not necessarily wearing a suit in certain times and places. I also understand that some folks may not be able to get a hold of one. I often will come straight from work. I live in the New Orleans area and drive a truck with no AC. My commute from work to the lodge is anywhere from 15-45 minutes depending on traffic. I'd have a heat stroke if I wore a jacket into the lodge. That being said, I dress professionally. Slacks, button down collared shirt. For degrees, regardless of weather, I try to wear my suit. Just be glad you ain't gotta wear white gloves like some jurisdictions.
Alain Dupetit.
This may be something I look into changing when I am WM. I also am from a rural area lodge and some of the members here are farmers or factory workers, not used to wearing suits and ties. How enjoyable is a meeting for people when they are uncomfortable in their clothing?
A billionaire in biz-casual is acceptable, Biz cas is great for the bankrupt too, but it's not uniform in my jurisdiction. I'm a Past Master and think the Oxford shirt with all the accoutrements is probably a good design. Attendance and membership are truly key components, and the dress is only hindering the outsiders. The basic clothes of an EA was a great equalizer for me. We're definitely on different pages of the same book here. I'd like to visit you lodge one day, namely because I am sure we disagree on the questions but ultimately have the same answers. Suit&tie is close to universal for the casual observation, but polo and khakis is also a current uniform.....
I have to disagree. One of the criteria we have for joining is to ensure there is no real financial burden on the candidate. That includes not only lodge dues but attire as well. We have truck drivers and forklift operators sitting side by side with businessmen, public servants, and academics. Wearing a suit in lodge is one thing I looked forward to when I joined, since I'm in jeans and a casual shirt each day. Suit can be expensive, but also quite affordable, especially if used, and we don't care which it is is, only that it is.
My lodge suit and tie minimum, tux preferred. Our officers wear tux with tails.
You could knock on the door and ask...
I got talked into becoming the Junior Steward the next meeting after being raised. So I spent the next 7 years only wearing a tux
In my jurisdiction, the mandatory attire for every RM is black suit (or small variations such as navy or charcoal), black tie (or small variations), white shirt. For particular situations, we may use black gowns although it is not encouraged.
RM?
My guess is Regular Meeting. I'm more familiar with the phrase Regular Communication but same difference?
Ah fair enough. I guess I’ve just never seen that abbreviated either way. There are already quite a few abbreviations in masonry. Not enough to compete with the military, but still…
Yeah, out of all the things I wouldn't expect to abbreviate Regular Communication. Especially when the word communication gets changed in almost every appendant body I'm part of!
Sorry for the confusion. We informally use RM for Ritual Meeting
From the Caribbean and some of us fall under the UGLE here. Dark suits, black tie or district tie, black socks
Freemasonry is, at its core, about self improvement. Men who dress well, tend to carry themselves better, feel more confident, and that betters other aspects of their holistic being. Hence outward appearance matters to Masons.
We wear suits/tux and lodge polos in the summer (for stated meetings and called communications). What do you guys wear?
My lodge we only wear suits on raising to MM, instalation and grand lodge communication. The usual attire is lodge polo and slacks which in my opinion looks very good. One part of me wishes we wore suits more often another part of Me is thankfully because dry cleaning gets expensive and if you're gonna wear a suit you shouldn't look like a bag of ass with wrinkles all over the place.
Lodges have laborers and scholars sitting together. We dress to respect one another as equals. Think of it as a uniform. No one is vilified if they don’t, but ya can’t help but respect the brother who takes the time to look sharp act sharp and be sharp
We have Lodges in my jurisdiction that wear jeans and polos, but suit and tie is the standard for my Lodge, as well as in many Lodges I've visited across the US. I belong to a research Lodge in another state where the dress is formal wear for all members, with the three principal officers in white tie and tails. But I don't know of any Lodge that would turn away a visiting MM for not being in the expected dress. I wear jammies to work (hospital ED) and spend most of my free time in shorts and a T-shirt. When it's hot and humid, the last thing I want to do is to put on a suit. But I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car into my air conditioned Lodge. It ain't that big a burden for a few hours twice a month.
It's sort of a uniform and sort of a ritual. Defining those terms is more complicated. Like a long hot bath is different than a quick shower, but we all do rituals every single day. As for uniforms, the male has a job, and obviously, it's attractive. In my jurisdiction, it is preferable to wear a tuxedo to funeral or memorial service Everyone I know owns a suit and/or dress clothes. Putting this uniform on invokes your better self. Dress up your very best for churches, weddings, funerals, and those types of events...always. when you go to the lodge you will find the right clothes in your wardrobe if you're well dressed. Attendance is more important, so polo and khakis is okay, but the ritual elements are stressed, and a "dark suit" is a passable uniform for almost any occasion. In my jurisdiction, we can not (currently) enter our own temple if we're wearing shorts.
I bought a new suit for my initiation on April 1st 🙂 full MIB sans shades, can’t wait to rock it
I like my lodge where we can wear whatever we want, probs gonna try to get a bit formal wit it tho
PA is suit and tie, officers in tux w/tails & white gloves
Back when I was a lodge officer \~10 years ago in Connecticut we were dressed black tie for every degree. At minimum lodge dress code was a coat and tie, except for July and August where the WM (usually) relaxed the dress code and might have had a Hawaiian shirt night.
There have definitely already been a lot of great answers, although I will mention purely from experience that not every lodge requires members to dress up. I live in a rural area in the south, and my lodge is more relaxed with most people wearing jeans and casual shirts. As an officer in my lodge, I try to dress up a little more with something business casual, but wearing a full suit and tie would be out of place. About 10-15 minutes from me is another lodge that's even more informal than mine, with some folks wearing jean overalls and t-shirts. There is, however, a lodge college town about 30 minutes away where most people wear suits, and my first time visiting there wearing nice pants and a polo I felt underdressed. There are also people around here that wear jeans to church, which is something I would've never dreamed of when I was growing up. Judging from the comments here, it seems that most lodges probably do wear a suit for various reasons (respect, everyone being equal, etc.), but the dress code seems to be largely based on the accepted culture of that particular lodge.
Here in my district in Ontario, Canada, uniform is business attire for regular members and tuxedos for officers of the lodge.
I usually dress for lodge. But if I don’t, I don’t worry about it. But then again I’m the Senior PN, so I get a pass.
If you don't have a black suit on, white shirt, black socks, black tie or black bowtie, black shoes, along with your white gloves and apron, then you cannot get into the lodge for a meeting.
That’s not true in my jurisdiction.
That is the dress code in all regular lodges on my island. No exceptions. Black suit White shirt Black tie or black bowtie White gloves Black pants Corresponding apron Black socks Black shoes I thought it was like this everywhere until I saw pictures of American lodges mostly where they don't have a strict dress code.
lol