A tailcoat's a coat with the front of the skirt cut away, so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt, known as the tails. The historical reason coats were cut this way was to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse, but over the years tailcoats of varying types have evolved into forms of formal dress for both day and evening wear. Although there're several different types of tailcoat, the term tailcoat's popularly taken to be synonymous with the type of dress coat still worn today i… (More on Tailcoat)