The State of Black Tie: Your Observations

[ericgereghty]

Following up on some questions I made on this thread a few months ago, my wedding was a few weeks ago and I finally got to wear my tuxedo! Very pleased with it and appreciate all the advice I received here. Here's the breakdown of my outfit:

• Tuxedo: vintage black wool barathea with a satin shawl lapel from Etsy. The jacket needed some serious surgery, as it was way too big. William Field in DC did a great job getting it to fit me. I also had him remove the back vents and pocket flaps from the jacket to make it more classic. The trousers didn't need much work - just hemmed and I had him place side adjusters on it. I know suspenders are the norm, but I like the cleaner look of side adjusters.
• Shirt: covered placket from Drake's.
• Bowtie and cummerbund: satin silk from Drake's.
• Pocket square: white silk from Eton.
• Cufflinks: black silk knots from Sid Mashburn.
• Shoes: opera pumps from Myrqvist. Completed the look with black silk socks from the Armoury.

I probably could have had the bowtie tighter, the cummerbund looser, had the shirt sleeves shortened, and figured out how to stop the pocket square from falling down, but those are all minor issues, IMO. I'm pleased with the clean, soft look of the shawl lapel, less structured covered placket shirt, side adjusters, and fabric cufflinks. And the opera pumps added a touch of playfulness, which I like. I hope to wear this again in the not too-distant future!

View attachment 2242131

I would say replace the shirt at some point, but on the whole this looks damn good, especially for a rehomed rig.

 

[cedarlake23]

I would say replace the shirt at some point, but on the whole this looks damn good, especially for a rehomed rig.

Thank you! I put a lot of thought into the different pieces, so it's great to see it work out so well. Could you elaborate on replacing the shirt? I like that it's not structured, which goes with the overall soft look. I could see experimenting with starching it or something to give it a little more more form, though.

 

[Pascal1980]

Hello everybody,

would you actually wear a smooking to the opera or theater?

That would be my only option to wear black-tie.

Best regards

Pascal

 

[psb]

Hello everybody,

would you actually wear a smooking to the opera or theater?

That would be my only option to wear black-tie.

Best regards

Pascal

I always wear a smoking in the opera.

 

[The Chai]

Hello everybody,

would you actually wear a smooking to the opera or theater?

That would be my only option to wear black-tie.

Best regards

Pascal

Always...what am I a pleb?

 

[Pascal1980]

Always...what am I a pleb?

Well, here even the Bourgeoisie of the bankers in Frankfurt comes in a jeans and t-shirt to the theater, and maybe a sports coat to the opera. Very informal indeed!

I am just looking for a reason to get a smoking ;-)!

Best regards

Pascal

 

[Erablian]

I am just looking for a reason to get a smoking ;-)!

I hope you won't mind an English language tip: In English it's called a "dinner suit" or "tuxedo". People who speak only English will have no idea what you're talking about if you say "wear a smoking."

 

[The Chai]

I hope you won't mind an English language tip: In English it's called a "dinner suit" or "tuxedo". People who speak only English will have no idea what you're talking about if you say "wear a smoking."

Most European countries I believe call it smoking...my last tailor who was Italian also referred to it as smoking

 

[kylepw]

I hope you won't mind an English language tip: In English it's called a "dinner suit" or "tuxedo". People who speak only English will have no idea what you're talking about if you say "wear a smoking."

Most English tailors will refer to it as a “dinner jacket,” not “suit.”

 

[Cause Moe]

Usually, in English, a "smoking jacket" is something quite different from a tuxedo or dinner jacket. In some other languages, a "smoking" is the same thing as a dinner jacket. Thus there is some confusion sometimes.

 

[ericgereghty]

Thank you! I put a lot of thought into the different pieces, so it's great to see it work out so well. Could you elaborate on replacing the shirt? I like that it's not structured, which goes with the overall soft look. I could see experimenting with starching it or something to give it a little more more form, though.

I'd say it just looks too soft at the collar, which damages the overall look, in my opinion. And, realistically, the collar is probably the only part of the shirt that needs to look crisp with black tie

 

[WhereNext]

I’m getting 2 new dinner jackets, one with a peak lapel and one with a shawl lapel. Both will be getting grosgrain silk facings on the lapels, but since all 3 of my previous dinner jackets had satin facings, I’ve run into a question about the “direction” of the ribs of the grosgrain. Diagonal running down from the shoulders towards the chest “feels” the most right to me, but is there some sort of precedent I should know about for having them run horizontal (I may not follow the precedent/guideline, but I’d like to know if there is one at least)? If you’ve got close up pictures of your own grosgrain lapels done either way and are willing to share, it would be appreciated. Thanks to any takers!

 

[Pascal1980]

Impressions from a James Bond party "Casino Royale" yesterday. It was a birthday event.

View attachment 2241693 View attachment 2241695 View attachment 2241697 View attachment 2241699

Was the party in Bad Homburg in its Casino, or Baden-Baden or Darmstadt?

 

[cedarlake23]

I'd say it just looks too soft at the collar, which damages the overall look, in my opinion. And, realistically, the collar is probably the only part of the shirt that needs to look crisp with black tie

Super helpful information. Thanks!

 

[psb]

Was the party in Bad Homburg in its Casino, or Baden-Baden or Darmstadt?

We ordered a mobile Casino for this event. They brought everything to the location.