The State of Black Tie: Your Observations

[Veremund]

Any advice on where i might find an inexpensive collarless shirt? the best i've found so far are £75 from oliver brown and £73.95 from bromley's. budget's a little tight with getting married, and it's a jump from the t.m. lewin shirt (£19.95!).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Traditional-Pure-Cotton-White-Tunic-Shirt-19/332615563946

 

[ababac]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Traditional-Pure-Cotton-White-Tunic-Shirt-19/332615563946

thanks!
'tis not marcella though. perhaps i could butcher the shirt i do have and apply the cuffs and bib to that shirt...

 

[Andy57]

i've recently bought a t.m. lewin marcella wing shirt. the cuffs and inside collar are marcella. i like the cuffs being marcella but am less enthusiastic about the collar. i think plain would be better.

i think it'll have to go back though as the sleeves are too short. also i'm thinking about spending a bit more on a collarless shirt so i can get a taller detachable collar, too.

any advice on where i might find an inexpensive collarless shirt? the best i've found so far are £75 from oliver brown and £73.95 from bromley's. budget's a little tight with getting married, and it's a jump from the t.m. lewin shirt (£19.95!).

Return the shirt and buy one with a fold-down (regular) collar. A wing collar must be detachable, otherwise it is impossible to properly starch it so that it stands up to the tie. Shirts with attached wing collars look terrible as the collar collapses under the tie. By all means buy a Marcella-front shirt. Good ones are available all over the West End.

 

[ababac]

Return the shirt and buy one with a fold-down (regular) collar. A wing collar must be detachable, otherwise it is impossible to properly starch it so that it stands up to the tie. Shirts with attached wing collars look terrible as the collar collapses under the tie. By all means buy a Marcella-front shirt. Good ones are available all over the West End.

i shall return the shirt. i believe the collar on it would stand up to the tie, but only because the collar is very close-fitting and not exactly comfortable.

i'll think i'll get myself a decent collarless shirt. then i have the option of whichever collar i feel like.
i'm already spending more on my dinner jacket than my bride is on her dress in any case. it would be foolish of me to ruin it by skimping on something so important as the shirt. or studs. or tie. or shoes. or laces. or socks. or square. or braces...

 

[Veremund]

Good man!

 

[Andy57]

i shall return the shirt. i believe the collar on it would stand up to the tie, but only because the collar is very close-fitting and not exactly comfortable.

Trust me, it wouldn't. Unless you starched the entire shirt, you can't starch the collar to be stiff enough. And if you did that, you'd be unable to actually wear the shirt. Like you probably wouldn't be able to bend your arms, if you could even actually get the shirt on!

 

[brax]

Thanks for the advice on the pique (Marcella) cuffs and collars. I’ll just stick with the pique bib with plain cuffs and collars.
Instead, I think that I’ll commission a pleated shirt for more informal summer events when I wear a cream dinner jacket.

 

[Andy57]

Thanks for the advice on the pique (Marcella) cuffs and collars. I’ll just stick with the pique bib with plain cuffs and collars.
Instead, I think that I’ll commission a pleated shirt for more informal summer events when I wear a cream dinner jacket.

I've been thinking the same thing, although I do like the pique bib far more.

 

[Veremund]

 

[Andy57]

What was the occasion? And who are those folks? Interesting to see that the men are all wearing what looks like a regular button-up shirt. And I've long thought that a dinner jacket was a great look on a woman.

 

[Andy57]

I'm not sure if I've asked this before, and in no way is this a poll, but I am interested in the community's diverse opinions. I'm about to commission a midnight blue dinner jacket, waistcoat, and trousers. I had thought that I would use black grosgrain silk for the facings, but now I'm thinking that I will use midnight blue silk, preferably grosgrain but perhaps satin.

So, on a midnight blue dinner jacket, black or midnight blue facings?

 

[ababac]

i will soon be commissioning the same, so i've been pondering this too.
obviously i'm not particularly experienced in these matters, but i don't think satin silk facings would work well in midnight due to the sheen. grosgrain could look pretty good as it'll appear darker.
mind you, i'm not terribly fond of satin so that may be informing my opinion.
i think i shall be erring of the side of caution and going with black grosgrain.

i do think that you could make midnight blue facings look good, though.

 

[Newcomer]

I went through this decision, and I really like the black facings. And high end satin is really lovely.

 

[jonathanS]

I went through this decision, and I really like the black facings. And high end satin is really lovely.

Do you like satin over grosgrain?

 

[classicalthunde]

@Andy57 will it be peak or shawl? I think on shawl you could go black satin facing with midnight blue, for some reason I think with peak it should all match and be grosgrain. I guess I think the shawl is a bit less formal, and therefor okay to play around with a bit