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The State of Black Tie: Your Observations

ericgereghty

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Ahhh, could be so. Then I like the entire getup a good deal less. In any event, the shoes are still far too light a shade to be visually coherent.

LS, standard type suit? As ballsy as some of your gear can be (that picnic tablecloth jacket comes to mind), I wouldn't bet on you sporting a linen tux.
 

lordsuperb

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I'm basic, I used a tan linen pow jacket and linen pants. The picnic jacket is reserved for dinner dates and nights out on the town. I probably could've worn it at the reception but barbecue was being served.
 

Bigbadwolfen

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Screenshot_20220817-193921_Gallery.jpg


Just got my first bespoke suit, went back to shorten the pants very slightly and take in the back of the thighs a bit since the cut was just a bit to classic for my taste. Really pleased with the result tho! Luckily I have 2 black tie events in the comming month so it will get a lot of use!
 
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classicalthunde

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View attachment 1823163

Just got my first bespoke suit, went back to shorten the pants very slightly and take in the back of the thighs a bit since the cut was just a bit to classic for my taste. Really pleased with the result tho! Luckily I have 2 black tie events in the comming month so it will get a lot of use!

nice! details (maker, fabric, etc.)?
 

Bigbadwolfen

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Is there something about the British racing green lining that one should know about? You make it sound ubiquitous. I am interested in hearing about it!

Not that i know off but for me it was a perfect choice for a very British garment (both historically and style wise) and it also matches the paint of my imaginary jaguar e-type 😉
 

Krish the Fish

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I’m going to have a bottle green velvet dinner jacket made up I think with my next visit to see my tailor. I was thinking about doing ventless, self faced lapels, normal cuffs (not gauntlet/turn up, just plain velvet) and self faced buttons with a link front button. Is there a better make up I should be considering? I am not sure how I feel about facings on velvet jackets, I feel like my head canon for one is always self faced
 

Johnmdub

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Hi folks, wanted to share my black tie outfit, assembled after much reading on this thread.
Suit is 1950s ithink, could be 60s either. Label is from a menswear shop in Ottowa that closed in the late 60s. Barathea wool, apparently, found on ebay. Is in beautiful condition. Was prepared to have any tailoring necessary, but just had the seat of the trousers taken in a bit, replaced buttons with silk covered ones to match facing and added brace buttons, otherwise tailor advised me to leave as is.
Marcellus bib shirt, M & S silk tie, meermin oxfords with 'silk' laces found on amazon. Made the linen pocket square with rolled hem myself, and have vintage silver cufflinks.
Was pretty pleased with how it worked out, just have to get myself invited to more black tie events so i have reason to wear it.
Screenshot_20220829-080734_WhatsApp.jpg
 

stuffedsuperdud

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I’m going to have a bottle green velvet dinner jacket made up I think with my next visit to see my tailor. I was thinking about doing ventless, self faced lapels, normal cuffs (not gauntlet/turn up, just plain velvet) and self faced buttons with a link front button. Is there a better make up I should be considering? I am not sure how I feel about facings on velvet jackets, I feel like my head canon for one is always self faced

Self-facing is the safest option, but I took a chance on a purple dinner jacket several months ago and got it with black velvet facings, so that the texture matched. It's a dark purple so the color difference is almost tonal but does draw attention to the shawl and underscores the black tie nature of the garment; I really like how it ended up looking. You can also consider a green satin, so that the textures are different but the colors harmonize. One thing I am adamantly against is black satin against a non black velvet, though this might be a minority opinion.

The tailor steered me away from gantlet cuffs and black velvet jettings on the pockets, to maintain more of a sense of minimalism, which turned out to be a good idea.


EDIT:
One additional detail worth considering is, velvet has a direction to it: it feels smooth if you rub it one way and coarse if you rub it the other way. My previous DJ had the nap down, which is more intuitive. The jacket looked kind of shiny as a result in most indoor overhead lighting and of course felt good to the touch since your hands tend to smooth out a garment from top to bottom. My current one is backwards and feels smooth as you rub it from down to up. I initially thought this was a tailoring error but they did it for the black velvet lapels too so I can only assume it was intentional. After taking it for a spin, I actually like this way better. You still have the richness of the velvet but it presents itself in a more subtle discreet manner in most lighting, and that's kind of the point of all this, right?

IIRC in one of Tom Mahon's videos, he mentioned that he only does corduroy against the grain, specifically because of the difference between shiny vs matte, and that argument probably applies for this as well. But this might ultimately be a choice for you and your tailor.
 
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Andy57

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Thank you! Its made by Götrich (Swedish tailor) in smith woolens 400gsm, dont remember exact fabric but its a 100% wool from their formal book. Grosgrain silk details and a more classic brittish cut. And ofc, brittish racing green lining 😉
Knowing Erik and the other Götrich folks, you were in good hands.
I wish, in that case I would have a reason to go full on Andy with my tux game 😉
I'm a verb now? Or is that a noun? :)
I’m going to have a bottle green velvet dinner jacket made up I think with my next visit to see my tailor. I was thinking about doing ventless, self faced lapels, normal cuffs (not gauntlet/turn up, just plain velvet) and self faced buttons with a link front button. Is there a better make up I should be considering? I am not sure how I feel about facings on velvet jackets, I feel like my head canon for one is always self faced
I'm biased, obviously, because I had my bottle green velvet jacket made up with black grosgrain lapels. Ventless, for sure, jetted pockets. I think bottle green works quite well with black facings. I'm less sure about burgundy, and anything in the lighter part of the spectrum I would definitely make self-faced (and have). Green satin is an interesting idea if you can find a complimentary green. Silk facings definitely underscores the dinner jacket nature of the jacket, as @stuffedsuperdud rightly points out. Whatever you decide, the settings on the pockets should match.
EDIT:
One additional detail worth considering is, velvet has a direction to it: it feels smooth if you rub it one way and coarse if you rub it the other way. My previous DJ had the nap down, which is more intuitive. The jacket looked kind of shiny as a result in most indoor overhead lighting and of course felt good to the touch since your hands tend to smooth out a garment from top to bottom. My current one is backwards and feels smooth as you rub it from down to up. I initially thought this was a tailoring error but they did it for the black velvet lapels too so I can only assume it was intentional. After taking it for a spin, I actually like this way better. You still have the richness of the velvet but it presents itself in a more subtle discreet manner in most lighting, and that's kind of the point of all this, right?
I agree with this 100%. When I was considering having my bottle green jacket made, Sonya Glyn recommended to me that I have the jacket cut with the velvet "upside down". It took a lot of convincing to have my tailor cut it that way, but the result was worth it. The color is more saturated, somehow, or deeper. It does make a difference.
 

Bigbadwolfen

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Knowing Erik and the other Götrich folks, you were in good hands.

I'm a verb now? Or is that a noun? :)

Im very happy with the end result and got plenty of comments on the tux!

I would say neither but rather a compliment 😉
 

The Dirty Pigeon

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I ditched my old M2M tuxedo and commissioned a new one from a local bespoke shop. I'd love to get feedback, especially the fit, but also the styling.

Here's a video with some moving around which should give a better idea of the general fit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lln1jenhufzmn9i/IMG_5669.mov?dl=0

I am wondering if the vest is cut deep enough and if the sleeves should come up a tiny bit? Maybe not. I have a new shirt on the way with stud spacing that will work a little better with this suit. If I could do it again, I'd push the lapel about 1/2-3/4" wider but I'm ok with it as-is. Any other thoughts?

Scabal "Festival" Barathea with grosgrain facing lapels/buttons/etc., Carmina shoes (need some polishing), Le Noeud Pappillon grosgrain tie.

IMG_5693.jpeg
 
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