The State of Black Tie: Your Observations

[landshark]



The days of my needing black tie have gone, tho I do wish I knew then what I know now. I would definitely go for a midnight blue, peaked lapel, 1 button, side vented rig, velvet slippers, and a formal shirt (hidden placket maybe and spread collar) with a long tie, sterling stud links and some sort of flower. I know some of this is just wrong but it's just right.

This was sounding pretty good until you got to this...

A long tie is totally wrong.

 

[Lensmaster]



This was sounding pretty good until you got to this...
A long tie is totally wrong.

I agree. That was a great description of evening wear. Why ruin it with a business tie?

 

[culverwood]



And thus, a new "rule" has been born and doctoral thesis in Cultural Studies generated.
When the monograph "Tie me to the Point: the Fetishization of Collar Points and Bow-Tie Coverage in Men's Semi-Formal Dress" is published, I hope someone posts a link here.

+1 These forums are responsible for any number of new sartorial rules normally referring back to the POW, Astaire or Grant.

 

[culverwood]

FC's rule abour not buttoning SB DJs was another one I had not heard before.

It'll be like the Golf before long and there will be Rules Officials at the door.

 

[Digmenow]



FC's rule abour not buttoning SB DJs was another one I had not heard before.
It'll be like the Golf before long and there will be Rules Officials at the door.

Hah! If everyone had to sign their scorecard at the end of the evening with total honesty, it'd be a different world!

Here's the thing about the 'rules' being proposed in this and several other threads. The people who are offering them have established themselves as elite in their knowledge of what to wear and how to wear it. It's not simply that they have their garments custom fitted by experts although that certainly goes a long way. These gentlemen have a lifetime of experience in dressing well while many of us who follow their advice do not. I have no doubt that they could walk into a Men's Wearhouse, make their selection and walk out looking better than any other man who has passed through the door since the day the store opened. Perhaps a small number of them arrived on this planet with innate sartorial knowledge but it's more likely that they were taught by someone before them and have repeated those teachings long enough that it has become a natural extension of who they are. These men don't dress well because some other person applies nice suits to their bodies. They exist within a carefully established framework of their own design.

This site is a shortcut for most of us to the knowledge and experience they have acquired. If a man who looks stunning in every picture I've ever seen of him tells me that a single button, shawl lapel dinner jacket looks best unbuttoned while wearing a cummerbund and then goes to the trouble to tell me why, it would be foolish for me, who just a year ago wore only the finest polyester pants that Perry Ellis had to offer, to think that I would look better with my dinner jacket buttoned over a skinny lapel waistcoat.

Barring some scientific breakthrough that will extend human life by 50%, there's not enough time left for me to learn this stuff through experience. These guys have been out there guarding the sartorial wall all their lives.

I WANT them on that wall.
I NEED them on that wall.


I AM a beginner.

 

[NORE]



This was sounding pretty good until you got to this...
A long tie is totally wrong.

I agree. That was a great description of evening wear. Why ruin it with a business tie?

Even if it was a grenadine?

 

[F. Corbera]



FC's rule abour not buttoning SB DJs was another one I had not heard before.
It'll be like the Golf before long and there will be Rules Officials at the door.

We live a world without rules, only suggestions.

 

[poorsod]

I usually button the "linked double button" so that the edges of the jacket come to apposition without overlap. If you are not supposed to button the tuxedo jacket why make a special "linked double button" in the first place?

 

[JonasAberg]

I was under the impression that a dinner jacket should always be buttoned (when standing) as it creates a dramatic white triangle, contrasting with the surrounding black, emphasizing the wearers face and giving the youthful, strong appearance of broad shoulders and narrow waist.

Wearing it unbuttoned loses the dramatic flair the garment is capable of. That's why I wear it buttoned.

 

[F. Corbera]

I'm glad that we cleared that up.

 

[F. Corbera]



These guys have been out there guarding the sartorial wall all their lives.

Please don't make this speech again. Thank you.

 

[Kaplan]

From the Oscar red carpet

Interviewer:

"I love your velvet tux!"

Christopher Plummer:

"It's a smoking jacket."

 

[Baron]

Christopher Plummer looked great

 

[bringusingoodale]



From the Oscar red carpet

Interviewer:

"I love your velvet tux!"

Christopher Plummer:

"It's a smoking jacket."

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[musicmax]



Yes, the ones I've been to in DC have usually been white tie optional, and even where the invite only says "White Tie" an overwhelming majority turns up in black tie (me included). I've been debating getting a set of white tie attire for the longest time, but have not had the courage to take the plunge. Maybe if i keep going to these balls, I should get one after all.
Also, as someone who enjoys Viennese waltz, the ultimate dream would be to go to Vienna during the ball season, and THAT would undoubtedly justify getting white tie attire (but that's presumably another thread).

I got my rig primarily from Brooks Brothers for my wedding in 2008 and have worn it to at least one event annually since. Other than the torture of pinching the front shirt stud through four layers of shirt and starched collar, the formal shirt may be the most cherished garment I own - the side vent allows you to place one hand behind the placket so that you can install the studs without wrinkling the pique, while the buttons, tabs and buttonholes let you attach the shirt, vest and pants in such a way that they all stay in place all night.

BB Golden Fleece Tailcoat with pants: $1600 on sale for $999 (currently unavailable on their website)
BB Golden Fleece Formal Shirt with detachable collar (single French cuff, stiff pique bib front): $225
BB White Formal Vest (white pique to match shirt): $175
* BB Black Patent Leather Laceups: ~ $350
* BB Black Silk Socks: ~ $30
BB white pique self-tie bow tie: ~ $50
Unknown brand white silk braces with braided loops: don't recall price; from some discount store such as Sym's
* Thomas Pink MOP formal set: ~ $250

The * items you may already have as they work for black tie as well as white. You may have a pique shirt but the BB just works perfectly.