The State of Black Tie: Your Observations

St1X said:

Also, only snobs will judge you for wearing a vented jacket.

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Mute said:

There's no hard rule against covered placket, though I personally prefer seeing the studs. Best practice for the tie and cumberbund is to match the fabric of your lapels. Sizing is more a matter of preference though too small or large could look less than idea. You'll have to experiment a bit to find what you like.

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Andy57 said:

A covered placket is okay and certainly better than a shirt with buttons. Tie and cummerbund should match the lapels of your jacket. Budd, in London, has good cummerbunds and ties. For something a littler more elevated, try Sam Homer, LaBowtique, or Le Noeud Papillon. If you haven't worn a bow tie before don't be intimidated. Tying a bow tie is easy and just takes a bit of practice. Under no circumstances is a pre-tied tie acceptable.

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cedarlake23 said:

Thanks so much for the advice! I don't recall when I last wore a bow tie, so I'll definitely practice. Regarding sizing, I know for regular ties that the lapel and tie width should roughly match. Is there a general guide like that for bow ties? Or another way to tell if it's too large or too small?

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hpreston said:

Generally, the ends of the bow should line up with the width of your face. No wider that your ears, and no narrower than the outer points of your eyes.

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Old Red said:

When @cedarlake23 asked about width I was thinking width of the tie itself. They seem to be uniformly (or ubiquitously) the same, about an inch and a quarter? I found extremes.

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Prince Ranier with a thin bowtie. When was this a thing? I like it.

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The fella behind Cary Grant* wearing a wide bowtie. I think I've seen more like this. And when I say 'I've seen' I mean in the media. I have never been to a black tie event nor do I own a rig. I'm a little sad about that.

*Note that CG and Dean are wearing notched lapel jackets.

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