Ecclesiastical Black Tie? edit
From the description, it sounds as if this is the clerical equivalent to black tie? Is that the case - would a priest be permitted to wear a cassock and ferraiolo to a black tie function?
As the most formal non-liturgical garment of a Roman Catholic cleric, it would not only be used at a "black tie" function, but also at an even more formal "white tie" one. And it could be worn at functions less formal than "black tie," such as a graduation, which would be normally considered "semiformal"---i.e. the time to wear a suit and tie.
--A Roman Catholic cleric
Spellings edit
Why are there two spellings, "ferraiolo" and "ferraiuolo"? Is one more prevalent than the other in certain regions or certain eras? —Lowellian (reply) 07:05, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
Ferraiuolo is the older of the two. The "u" was later dropped in order to simplify it.