Classy Black Tie

[Karl Sand]

What is the classiest looking black tie ensemble. Wing tip collar, waist coat? tie or bowtie? what are people's opinions.

 

[embowafa]

This:

 

[crazyquik]

Single breasted DJ, peak lapel. Stiff front shirt (wing is nice). Low cut vest, perhaps with studs, in either black or white pique. Keep the jacket unbuttoned to show off your awesome vest.

 

[beau nash]

I am never sure what people mean when they say "classy," so I apologize if I am not answering your exact question.

I think people look best in formal wear when they look most comfortable and natural in it. That means that what you usually read hear about fit and fabric applies to suits and odd jackets as well. I think too that a person in a standard dinner suit--black, single breasted, peak lapel, one button, cummerbund, turn down collar--looks best. I understand that people like variations, and I do have a DB dinner suit that I wear sometimes and would love another vintage midnight blue one. I just wouldn't wear a wing collar and a DB jacket and a different shade of fabric and a long tie all at once. Anything more than one slight variation on the standard looks contrived to me.

The long tie, even in black satin to match the lapel, never looks right to me.

 

[JibranK]

Originally Posted by Karl Sand

What is the classiest looking black tie ensemble. Wing tip collar, waist coat? tie or bowtie? what are people's opinions.
Wing tip collar? C'est quoi?

 

[ysc]

wing tip collar - http://www.peterraney.com/Tux Wing Tip Collar.jpg

Classy black tie is a classic dinner jacket (plain black one button or db, shawl or peak lapels unvented ideally, never single vented) with the proper trousers (silk stripe or brocade thing down the side, no belt) a white dress shirt with studs or a button cover, a self tie black silk bow tie and the best shiny black shoes you can lay your hands on. A black silk cummerbund is good, an old school low cut waistcoat is better, although can be hard to get if you are not spending a lot.

There are other things you can do, but this is the basics.

 

[videocrew]

I'd avoid a waistcoat unless you can find a classically styled low cut one. The common rental-style 6 button ones you find nowadays are a joke. Good cummerbunds are easy to come by. I'd say single-breasted peak lapel is the best all-purpose jacket. Bow tie in a fabric to match the lapels of the jacket is my preference.

This provides a solid platform for experimentation too. Being a young guy, most of my black tie events are more of a "black tie optional" nature, so some interesting touches are acceptable. I have a RL blackwatch cummerbund, this bowtie from J. Press, some slightly more interesting studs, etc. Of course I don't wear it all at once, but one "eccentric" item at a time works well.

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by embowafa

This:

this was one beautiful look.

 

[ysc]

Originally Posted by sho'nuff

this was one beautiful look.

+1

Get close to this and you will be doing fine

 

[Karl Sand]

I concur

 

[lee_44106]

www.blacktieguide.com

 

[Karl Sand]

"The peaked lapel jacket, formal waistcoat and wing-collar shirt combination is the apex of black-tie formality."

from that website

 

[awxg]

Wouldn't tails be 1000x more badass than any of this?

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by Karl Sand

"The peaked lapel jacket, formal waistcoat and wing-collar shirt combination is the apex of black-tie formality."

from that website

This is my preference.

 

[cheessus]

I prefer the shawl collar...am I the only one?