Proceed with Caution

Contemporary Jackets

Contemporary Trousers

Contemporary Waist Coverings

Contemporary Shirts

Contemporary Neckwear

Contemporary Footwear

Contemporary Accessories

Contemporary Personalization

ØBlack Tie on the Red Carpet   Academy Awards red carpet, 2007   Hollywood has been coming to its senses of late and rediscovering the timeless merits of proper black tie.  Visit the Red Carpet Black Tie page to learn from the stars' shining examples . . . and their godawful mistakes.

Sharing the Spotlight     NBA player Kevin Pittsnogle dressed for his wedding.   To be fair, actors are not the only celebrities which display questionable tastes in formal clothing.  Music and sports stars often fare no better at their own industry awards ceremonies.

Learning from the Past     While the formalwear industry may have stopped selling the ridiculous shirts shown in this ad they continue to sell the equally ridiculous notion that a tuxedo should be anything but traditional.

Current Trends: Attire   Armani Collezioni, 2007   The most current chapter in black tie's history is a relatively conservative one.  A number of recently published men's style books have toed the line on strict formalwear protocol and many of the unconventional modern fashions still display an obvious respect for the traditional black and white palette.    Joseph Abboud Black Tie rental collection 2008

Well Suited   Brooks  Brothers Golden Fleece tuxedo, 2007 Remember that the more novel a trend is the more quickly everyone will tire of it.  Also keep in mind that certain designers like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Brooks Brothers tend towards more conservative variations.  Zoot suits and frock coats from fashion forward-designers like Fubu may be much more striking but calling out for attention is completely alien to the spirit of formal wear.

ØTasteful Personalization   If you want to add personal flair to your outfit without sacrificing its integrity, see the Classic Alternatives and Contemporary Personalization pages for tasteful suggestions.

Introduction: Proceed with Caution

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

Oscar Wilde 

While many purists argue that black tie reached its evolutionary peak by World War II thus rendering all subsequent adaptations unnecessary and even detrimental, the fact is that change is inevitable, particularly in our fast-paced world.   Young men will continue to experiment with evening wear either because they naturally find the prospect of improving on perfection to be irresistible or, sadly, because the increasing rarity of classic standards leave them no choice. 

At the risk of committing formal heresy in the eyes of traditionalists, this section provides guidance for dressers who wish to explore contemporary variations and alternatives while remaining true to black tie’s illustrious heritage.   

• Traditional Advantages

Young men choosing a tuxedo for the first time have many choices today.  They can opt for the hip styles televised on the Academy Awards or the fashion-forward formals pictured on the pages of GQ or the cool new trends offered by tuxedo rental chains.   With all of these modern alternatives what guy would want to wear a tuxedo like his grandfather’s?   The one who knows a good thing when he sees it.

Classic menswear proponents argue that there is no benefit to tampering with the classic formula as it has essentially been perfected.  “Since the culmination of the dinner jacket’s design in the late 1930s,” argues acclaimed haberdasher Alan Flusser, “men’s fashion has yet to improve upon the genius of its original design or the unimpeachable refinement of its accoutrements.”  Author Nicholas Antongiavanni is equally emphatic: “Nothing looks better than the elegant simplicity of black and white in garments that have been perfected over many decades by the best tailors and most astute dandies.  All the necessary compromises have already been made.  To press further is to lapse into vulgarity for the sake not of comfort but of fashion.”

The dangers of tinkering with perfection are spelled out in A 2004 Wall Street Journal editorial by Eric Felton:

This is the power of the traditional costume--it is at the same time aristocratic and democratic. The very uniformity of the tuxedo makes it socially leveling. And whereas most instruments of democratic equality tend to lower all boats, the tuxedo levels up. Would-be improvements invariably throw the aristocratic-democratic balance out of whack. Without the aristocratic touch of the bow-tie, without the fancy shirt studs, without the pleated shirt, all you've got left is a pedestrian black suit, if that.

So before a man reaches for the latest sartorial whims he should pause and question the perceived advantages.  If he has the opportunity to follow a dress code that takes the guessing out of what to wear why opt to improvise and worry about the appropriateness of his choices?  If he is so eager to look like James Bond then why ignore the decades of tradition and expert refinement that went into that look?  If he can rely on the tuxedo's inherent ability to complement all men equally why risk throwing off that balance to his disadvantage? 

• Contemporary Pitfalls: Change for Change’s Sake

While the benefit of tampering with the classics may be a matter of debate, history has proven categorically that innovations born simply of a desire to change for the sake of change are guaranteed to fail, often spectacularly.  To wit: Men who were married in black tie in the thirties and fifties look like Cary Grant or Frank Sinatra in their wedding pictures.  Their sons who thought they were so much hipper than their dads in the 1970s now resemble Lawrence Welk band members in their photos.  The subsequent self-assured generation also chose the newest fashions of the time only to find themselves cringing at photos of Duran Duran wannabes in knee-length coats and band-collar shirts.  

So how do we break this cycle?  How does a young man join the select group of dressers who can differentiate between trendiness and timelessness, fashion and style?  Through education.  Unfortunately, finding a decent teacher can be a difficult prospect these days because sound sartorial counsel is so often drowned out by the din of poor fashion advice that permeates the modern world. 

Poor Influences

The dearth of role models begins at the top of the fashion pyramid with today’s trendsetters: pop-culture celebrities.   In particular,  the annual Academy Awards telecasts to audiences of nearly one billion viewers have more impact on formalwear trends than any other event.  When debonair stars like Clark Gable and Cary Grant used to walk the red carpet on Oscar night they could be always counted upon to raise the black-tie bar.  Today, however, Hollywood fashions are more often influenced by celebrities who have little or no understanding of the principles of formal dress and are primarily concerned with appearing modern. 

Turning to the fashion industry for sartorial direction is not much help either as they are often the same stylists that are feeding the witless celebrity mill.  While menswear magazines once educated readers in the etiquette and elegance of evening wear, now they primarily spotlight designers’ frenzied attempts to catch the American public’s fleeting attention span.  Couture’s practice of constantly trying to reinvent fashion may be fine for everyday wear but it is anathema to attire named for its deliberate purpose of maintaining traditional form.  Canadian style columnist Russell Smith discusses this phenomenon at length in his 2005 book Men’s Style, commenting that “Over the past ten years, fashion designers and high-end men’s retailers have been battling to disrupt or render obsolete the conventions of black tie . . .  These men are not just twenty-five-year-old fashion publicists, either; increasingly, the innovators include men over thirty.  The tide has truly turned.” 

While the “creative black tie” trend mercifully may be coming to an end, a more insidious development of the 1990s is gaining strength: the vulgarization of formal attire.  In an attempt to save on costs and to cater to a generation unfamiliar with conventional evening clothes, designers and manufacturers are increasingly opting to modify black-tie garments to resemble everyday business attire. Consequently, when young actors and sports stars began to adopt common four-in-hand ties to compensate for their inability to tie a bow tie, countless ordinary men blindly followed their lead. 

Inevitably, the various celebrity and designer trends filter down the fashion pyramid and end up on the racks of the mainstream “formalwear” shops that cater to the vast majority of the tuxedo wearers.  Consequently this industry’s salespeople are more likely to be trained as specialists in inventory turnover than experts in traditional etiquette.  It is much easier, after all, to sell a young man on the latest vogue then to take the time to explain the sublime advantages of a century-old tradition.

• Change for the Better

Despite the recent state of affairs, history proves that not all change is bad for formal attire.  In fact, what we define as classic black tie today would never have come into existence if it were not for change: soft-front shirts with turndown collars were considered the height of informality when they began appearing with tuxedos in the 1920s and traditionalists of that era were equally reluctant to accept the double-breasted dinner jacket as anything but a casual summer alternative. 

What’s important to note about these golden era modifications is that they were introduced by men with an impeccable sense of style and a thorough familiarity with the purpose of formal attire.  In other words – and this can’t be emphasized enough – the only people who can successfully bend or break the rules are the ones who understand them. 

The Right Mentors

Having established that seeking black-tie guidance from today’s most common tuxedo trendsetters is akin to obtaining writing instruction from an illiterate, where do we find the people who genuinely understand style and tradition?  As with all good things, it will take a little effort. 

The foremost sources of reliable information are the authors of books on black-tie attire and etiquette available at bookstores or your local library.  The next best options are articles by established style experts published either in print or online.  However, even these resources should be subject to common sense scrutiny to determine whether their advice seems to stem from a well-researched foundation or simply from personal opinion.  Look closely and you will discover that a number of respectable men’s style books published over the past thirty years actually contain thinly disguised contempt for traditional formal attire.  Therefore, should you come across a source that refers to tailcoats as “tuxedo tails”, recommends clip-on bow ties or boasts of the author’s propensity for skipping formal neckwear altogether, you would be wise to question its mentorship. 

Other contemporary role models can include renowned dressers from such diverse fields as politics, business, entertainment or sports.  As contradictory as it might seem, there are indeed some actors, musicians and professional athletes who have repeatedly demonstrated a penchant for classic styling over fly-by-night fashion. 

Finally, closer to home, you can often learn from the examples and counsel of the people around you provided you once again take a moment to assess their qualifications.  Experienced tailors, frequent black-tie guests and impeccable everyday dressers will provide much more sage guidance than will teenage sales clerks, discount cruise passengers and guys who practically live in their sweat pants.

Self-Education

Ultimately though, there is no substitute for becoming your own black-tie expert by learning the foundations that influence the choices of knowledgeable role models.  Fortunately such an education has never been easier thanks to the comprehensive research contained in this very web site:

• first, make sure you know the basic rules of proper black tie 

• next, familiarize yourself with its classic details; 

• then review black tie’s history so that you can put today's trends in context; after all, the present is just the latest chapter in the past 

If you pay attention to your studies, you will notice that there are a few fundamental principles that will allow you to safely navigate current trends.

• The Golden Rules for Change

Fundamentals of Black-Tie Style

Understanding the fundamentals of black tie provides a man with the tools to discern between innovations that are simply fashionable and those that are truly formal.  These essential principles can be summed up as follows:

• Black tie is formal attire and formal is defined as “following or according with established form, custom, or rule.” 

• Black tie is evening wear and evening wear is grounded in black.  White is always secondary and color is to be used sparsely and with great discretion.

• Evening wear is dressier than day wear and dressy menswear is defined by understated details and elegant finishes. 

Rules for Bending the Rules

Armed with a comprehensive knowledge of the rules of black tie you can now decide how best to bend or even break them:

• Assess the degree of the transgression.   A modern variation that breaks with tradition in a manner that is subtle and respectful of the remaining fundamentals is only bending the rules; a trend that blatantly contravenes numerous fundamentals is clearly breaking them.        

• Limit the number of transgressions.  Minimize the risk to the outfit’s overall formality by including no more than one untraditional variation at a time, particularly if it’s an especially conspicuous bastardization.  Better yet, keep the dinner suit traditional and restrict the modern twists to its accessories such as waistcoat, shirt and jewelry.

• Know your audience.  Remember that black-tie customs vary according to geographic region, social strata and relative formality of the affair.  You will be much more likely to get away with a five-button Nehru jacket and band collar shirt at a music awards ceremony than you would at a Washington diplomatic reception.

• Act your age.  Younger men can get away with a lot more than other guys.   So can much older men, for that matter.  For all the rest of us it’s best that we accept our limitations.

• Try it on.  The fact that a trendy style looks good on a professional model means nothing unless he’ll be the one wearing it for you.  Similarly, you can’t truly weigh the visceral appeal of current fads against the subtle nuances of traditional style until you have worn the latter as well. 

Now let’s take a look at some of the most popular contemporary variations and use our style benchmarks to select a black-tie ensemble that won’t make you cringe when you dig out those photographs of your special evening ten years down the road.