Coming in 2009

In the early years of this guide's development, I regarded the most formal incarnation of evening wear as little more than a black tie footnote.  This guide was intended to be a practical tool for the average man which by definition meant it had no use for a discussion of a ritual that even in its heyday was reserved for only the most elite members of society and is now virtually abandoned by even those select few. Yet the longer I researched the storybook-like history of evening wear and the more I heard from passionate stalwarts of this tradition, the more I realized that white tie was not only an integral part of the study of black tie but that it also deserved far more respect that being relegated to a measly appendix in the history of the comparatively pedestrian tuxedo.

To date, the only components of white-tie attire that I have covered in detail are the two which are sometimes borrowed by black tie. Once I have finished my research I will flesh out this section of the guide by adding descriptions of the other components and enhancing the history and etiquette that is already touched upon elsewhere in this site.  In the meantime, readers can visit the London Lounge forum for an exhaustive discussion of classic white tie taken from early 1930s issues of Apparel Arts magazine.

Although very few readers will ever have the opportunity to put put this additional information to practical use they will at least be able to develop a more profound respect for the tuxedo's princely pedigree.