Style Codes, Simplified: Black Tie

Dress codes are exactly that: attempts to codify certain standards of fashion. Men’s style nowadays, however, is very open to the idea of modifying the established formulas. This usually means disaster when done with black tie, the most formal and traditional of all the dress codes still in use today. Here’s how to do it – and do it right.

The first thing you should know about black tie formal is that it’s a very strict checklist. You have to have all of the pieces, or else the outfit itself won’t fly. There may be options or varieties for a few, but you absolutely have to complete all the items, and that’s that.

Black Tie Basics
A standard black tie outfit needs, among others, pants and a formal jacket. While this is a combination that you often see in men’s fashion, you can’t just wear any pair you happen to find. Quality should be an integral part of the set, and each item should be integral to each other – that is, they ought to be bought as a set.

For starters, a low-quality shirt is an even worse idea than usual when worn in so formal a context. Your best bet is still to buy a special tux shirt with its dressier cuffs – yes, they require cuff links – and a smoother, higher grade finish. If you want to go all the way on sartorial tradition, a tux shirt with its bibbed or pleated front is a must-have piece. Pair this with pants that are just as dressy and well-made.

Your office suit jacket won’t cut it if the invitation says black tie formal. A classic tux is imperative for meeting the minimum requirements, and nothing less will do. It might not look very different from a regular suit jacket at first, but its slimmer cut and pronounced lapel really set the upgraded version apart.

Last but far from the least are the requisite accessories to complete the look. A bow tie is, of course, the most important one. It doesn’t always have to be black – this rule can be bent depending on the event – but it does have to be simple and matte. If it has polka dots or cartoon characters all over it, it’s not likely that it will work when worn with the rest of the black tie ensemble.

No less than the most pristine black shoes will do for this most formal of codes. It doesn’t have to be the patent lace-ups as tradition used to prescribe, but it does have to be clean. Wing-tips and oxfords work just as well.

Advanced Style Details
Convenience has become a mantra for the modern lifestyle, and men’s fashion has not been spared. Clip-on and elastic banded bow ties have become common in a widespread effort to make the whole exercise of formal dressing ‘easier’. The real formal dresser, on the other hand, shouldn’t be resorting to such crude and un-traditional shortcuts.

Formal men’s fashion, after all, is largely about the details. Wearing the right socks under your shoes, having a smart pair of cuff links for your tux shirt and having that (preferably monogrammed) pocket square are all just as important as having the real man’s bow tie.

In some very rare cases, you can inject a bit of personality, such as with a printed bow tie or colorful socks. These are always risks in the prickly formal sphere, however. You’re always much better off sticking to the tried, tested and traditional formula.

Other Suggested Readings:
Guide to Mens Suit Cuts
Mens Job Interview Fashion

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