It's very easy to dress in black tie and the holiday season is the...
derek guy@dieworkwear
120 views
Dec 15, 2024
~4 min read
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It's very easy to dress in black tie and the holiday season is the perfect time to do so. You can wear black tie to the opera (e.g., opening night for Nutcracker) or a New Year's Eve party. All you need to do is avoid a few simple mistakes. 🧵
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Fortunately, this photo shows every single common mistake today in black tie. So we can move through the image in order.
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First, black tie calls for a dinner suit (aka tuxedo), not a business suit. It also means wearing a black bow tie, typically made in the same material as your jacket's facings. When you wear a long black tie with a dinner suit, ppl can't tell if you're going to a party or funeral
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Next, you want to avoid the flash of white shirting that can appear below the coat's buttoning point, which is common nowadays since many ready-made garments are made with low-rise trousers. You can solve this by wearing a cummerbund or formal vest (not business vest).
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Alternatively, you can wear a double-breasted jacket. The advantage of a double-breasted jacket over its single-breasted counterpart is that you can still keep it closed when you're seated. If the coat is always closed, no one will see the flash or shirting.
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A lesser offense if wearing a white business shirt. Although it can work in a pinch, you ought to wear a formal shirt—something with a pleated or pique bib, which will allow you to wear dress studs. Otherwise, a fly front shirt will also work.
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A slightly greater offense is wearing a belt. Why? The spirit of a black tie outfit is to look elegant, and a belt is too casual for such an ensemble. Keep those to business suits or odd trousers teamed with sport coats. For black tie, get suspenders or hide belt with cummerbund
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Finally, shoes. Black is not enough—the design matters a lot in terms of formality and elegance. Derbies, cap toe oxfords, and dress sneakers are neither elegant nor formal enough for black tie.
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Instead, seek: formal bumps, plain toe oxfords (no cap), Prince Albert loafers, or Belgian loafers. The oxfords can be made from black patent leather or black calfskin. If second, shine them up and use flat black silk laces (not regular shoeslaces).
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If you're just getting your first rig, you can't go wrong with a single-breasted peak lapel dinner suit worn with a formal shirt, cummerbund or formal vest, and one of the shoes mentioned above. This will look tremendously elegant and correct for any black tie occasion.
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If you want something a little more unique, you can also go for velvet or tartan dinner jacket, which looks particularly great during the holiday season. These are a little harder to find off-the-rack, although Ralph Lauren has done some great stuff in the past.
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You can get a basic tuxedo from Spier & Mackay for about $750. It's been said that midnight blue looks blacker than black under artificial light, but I think this was truer during the period of incandescent lights and less true in our LED world. Midnight blue is still nice tho.
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If you have a bit more money to spend, The Armoury also has some great black tie rigs. You can get formal shirts custom-made through @ProperCloth. Cummerbunds, black silk socks, and proper shoes can be had through Ben Silver. Of course, you can also check thrift shops.
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Main thing to understand is that black tie is for things like celebrations, parties, evening shows, etc. It's a fun outfit, not a business outfit. That means wearing a dinner suit, not a business suit. Celebratory black bow tie, not black funeral four-in-hand. Etc.
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If you have to prioritize your budget, focus first and foremost on the dinner suit itself—if it fits well, you can get away with a lot. In a pinch, a white dress shirt can work. You can find cummerbunds and black bow ties at thrift stores. Etc.
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If the suit fits well and you avoid some basic mistakes, you will look smashing. Just remember this is not the same as business clothes—you want to look like you're here to have fun and celebrate.
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