Cryptic crossword clue
At Tosca, playing in Lyon, he wears formal garments 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word TAILCOATS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
A
I
L
C
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A
T
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "formal garments" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case formal garments = tailcoats.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does TAILCOATS mean?

TAILCOATS noun
  1. A formal evening jacket with an extended back panel; a dress coat.
  2. Any coat with similar tails.

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