BlackTieFoo: Shirt Studs and Other Fooish Contemplations - Page 9

Originally Posted by F. Corbera 

Matt, did you mention Achillus or Reevolving in your Maid of Homor speech?
BTW, I hope that you did the Funky Chicken, for which an unbuttoned DB offers the potential of awesome moves.
Thank you.

Originally Posted by F. Corbera 

That's 1%-ish.
Did Zabar's cater?
Oh: saw PT today out in the harbor, astride a dolphin. Since they don't allow mammal riding in the Canal, it means that he rounded Cape Horn.
That's damn impressive.
How are your socks, BTW?

Originally Posted by mafoofan 

Well, the wedding was over the weekend and I wore my full get-up. First time ever in 100% correct black tie. A few observations:
1. I f*cked up by ordering my shirt with a two-button collar as on my regular shirts. The bottom button tends to show.
2. A cummerbund is useful even with a double-breasted dinner jacket. When sitting or dancing it's nice to have the option of unbuttoning the jacket.
3. Even though it was a large black tie event (~250 people) at a fancy hotel with generally well-to-do guests, very few men dressed in fully correct black tie. In fact, there were more guys in black suits with long black ties than ones in a proper tuxedo with a bow tie. Most of the men in correct black tie were over 60. Almost all dinner jackets worn were single breasted with notch lapels. Shoes were egregious across the board. It was basically as if people just wore whatever black shoes they happened to have. Lots of brogues. Lots of loafers, too.
4. A surprising number of men, young and old, wore pocket squares. They probably shouldn't have as most were awkwardly tucked in (lots of TV-folded silk) or odd in design.
5. Maybe 1 in 10 men in dinner jackets wore studs. The others were all in regularly buttoned shirts.
6. There was one other guest I saw with shawl lapels and he was easily 70.
7. Single-cuff shirts were nowhere to be seen. Everyone but me wore French cuffs. I didn't notice any barrel cuffs.
8. No matter what anybody says, there is a real advantage to a pique bib front and collar even if not starched. The heavier, highly textured fabric keeps the visible parts of the shirt looking flat and unwrinkled. When you don't have a long tie to cover things up, a regular shirt tends to look too rumpled.

Originally Posted by mafoofan 

Well, my wife and I were truly puzzled when we thought about it. We know for a fact most of our peers at this wedding could easily afford to do things correctly--they either did not care to, or were unaware that there is a 'correct' way.

Originally Posted by mafoofan 

Probably true to some extent--but I wager that many simply believe that what we call "correct" is simply passe.

Originally Posted by mafoofan 

Probably true to some extent--but I wager that many simply believe that what we call "correct" is simply passe.

Originally Posted by cncrd 

There are always multiple guys who show up in black Gucci bit loafers, to be clever, ironic, or most usually because they consider those to be hyper dressy and don't care to know better... and these are usually the most affluent guys in the room.

Originally Posted by NORE 

Now I'm thinking, maybe the gooch loafers were worn in an FU fashion? Like, "there will mostly be yokels here so I'm not showing up in full regalia, they don't deserve as much..."
?

Originally Posted by Slickman 

Foo, what is your verdict on the alden patent plain toe as I need a pair of correct formal shoes, and they seem to be the most affordable goodyear welted that look good