Black tie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black tie is a dress code for formal evening events. Its primary component is the dinner jacket as it is known in the United Kingdom, the northeastern United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. The jacket and matching trousers are typically called a tuxedo in the United States and Canada, and a smoking on the European continent and Japan.
Black tie is today worn at a wide variety of functions, and the corresponding female attire can range from a short cocktail dress to a long gown, depending on fashion, local custom and the hour at which the function takes place.
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[edit] History
Beau Brummell is often credited with the invention of the formal dress code during the early nineteenth century and for appearing at formal functions dressed in black and white when more colourful attire was more the order of the day. As a member of courtly circles until his estrangement from the Prince of Wales, his influence on others led to the style of dress becoming the norm.
Until the 1880s the only accepted form of evening dress was what is now known as white tie, worn with a tailcoat with peaked lapels and silk facings.
The black silk bow tie and the short mess jacket are of military origin -- black silk bow ties were and still are worn by British naval and military officers in ball dress and mess dress when their civilian counterparts are in white tie.
Henry Poole & Co. of Savile Row has record books that state that they made a "short smoking jacket" for the Prince of Wales in 1865. This appears to have been worn by the Prince with a black bow tie, and the fashion was copied by various gentlemen in his circle. When it first appeared, the dinner jacket was referred to more commonly as a 'dress lounge', because it was an evening dress form of the lounge suit. It was strictly reserved for small less formal private gatherings in the evening, especially in the country, but white tie was still the preferred dress for large societal gatherings such as balls and state occasion.
The story of the dinner jacket coming to be called a tuxedo in North American English is erroneously attributed to an occasion in 1886 when a scarlet smoking jacket with satin faced lapels was worn by Pierre Lorillard at a white tie event held at Tuxedo Park, a country club in New York. In fact it was James Brown Potter who was the first American to wear a dinner jacket, a form of dress he adopted on the suggestion of Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) when he invited Potter to dinner in the country with him while he was on a visit to England. On Potter's return to New York, the dinner jacket was widely copied and worn at informal dinners at the Tuxedo Club. Eventually someone from the Tuxedo Club dared to also wear his dinner jacket to formal events and as a result it came to be called the 'tuxedo'. This name is now avoided by certain fashionable sets in the United States, in favor of the usual English terms "dinner jacket" and "black tie".
The waist sash, called a cummerbund, was borrowed after World War I from military dress in British India. Black waistcoats are often worn instead of cummerbunds. There is also an older tradition carried over from white tie, which has largely died out, of wearing a white waistcoat with a dinner jacket. This is an option seen only on the most dress tradition conscious dandy today.
[edit] Elements
Black tie leaves much to the wearer's discretion compared to the far more codified white tie (e.g. single- versus double-breasted coat). In recent years, a wide rift has emerged between traditional (sometimes referred to as British) black tie and more modern approaches. Many, particularly in the United Kingdom, would not consider any but the traditional to be black tie at all.
The elements of a black-tie ensemble are:
- A black short coat with silk (ribbed) or satin lapels
- Black trousers with a stripe of silk braid or ribbon down each leg
- A white dress shirt with a marcella or pleated front
- A black silk bow tie
- A black cummerbund or low-cut waistcoat (AmE: vest)
- Black socks
- Black leather shoes
[edit] Coat
The dinner jacket is usually made of black wool, without vents, with ribbed-silk or satin lapels. Traditionally, there are two styles of lapel: the peaked lapel, derived from the evening tailcoat; and the shawl lapel, reminiscent of a smoking jacket. Both can be found in single- or double-breasted form. (Note: Although immensely popular in the United States, notched lapels are a modern innovation, and are not universally considered correct.) As for the single-breasted jacket, it is considered incorrect to have more than one button in the United Kingdom.
Because black often shows a greenish tinge in artificial light, dinner jackets in midnight blue were introduced by the Duke of Windsor (then Prince of Wales). They are occasionally seen as an alternative to black.
White dinner jackets are only worn in warm climates, and in the summer in some temperate countries. Not only are the British Isles not considered warm enough for white dinner jackets to be acceptable, but the United Kingdom frowns upon their use, even in warmer climates. In the United States and Canada white dinner jackets (as with most of white summer clothing, like all-white loafers, all-white seersucker, etc.) may be worn from only from Memorial Day through to Labor Day.
[edit] Waistcoat/cummerbund and trousers
It is common to wear either a black waistcoat (vest) or cummerbund (not both) with a single-breasted dinner jacket. Waistcoats should be low-cut, and are often made in the same material as the lapels of the jacket. It was once common to see them in the same material as the rest of the suit, however. Cummerbunds are worn with the pleats facing up.
White waistcoats, as worn with white tie, used to be said to be an alternative to the black waistcoat, but are almost never seen.
Trousers (pants) worn with a dinner jacket, being formal, should not have turn-ups (cuffs) or belt loops. It is usual to wear them with braces (suspenders). There is some debate to the appropriateness and formality of pleats versus none.
The silk braid or ribbon down the edge of the trouser legs is always confined to one stripe, two being reserved for white tie.
[edit] Shirt and tie
A white cotton or linen shirt is conventional, though shirts in off-white or in silk can sometimes be seen. The shirt fronts are usually cotton marcella (as in white tie) or pleated.
Prior to the Second World War, stiff shirts and separate wing collars were usual. Nowadays, semi-stiff and non-detachable wing collars have become popular, although in the United Kingdom a classic collar (as worn with a lounge suit) is sometimes preferred.
The shirt is usually fastened with shirt studs, and the cuffs with matching cufflinks. In lieu of studs, it has become more common to wear a soft dress shirt with a concealed button placket ("French front"). Soft dress shirts have French cuffs, while stiff shirts (as are still worn with white tie) have single cuffs.
Bow ties are usually made of silk barathea or satin. It is considered poor form to wear a pre-tied bow tie, particularly when the hook and buckle are in plain view. However, for most 'black tie' occasions, pre-tied ties are becoming increasingly common, with the former stigma attached to them decreasing.
Colored bow ties and their corresponding waistcoats or cummerbunds are widespread at parties, but are not appropriate for more formal occasions. A new habit of wearing a four-in-hand, rather than a bow-tie has emerged in the United States. However, most would not consider this to be black tie at all and entry would be refused to many black-tie events when wearing such attire. Brightly colored shirts are of equally poor taste, and the wearing of a white tie with a dinner jacket is graver still. Colored or patterned velvet smoking jackets are sometimes worn after dinner for the port and cigars, but are not appropriate at formal occasions.
[edit] Footwear
The most traditional formal shoes are patent-leather opera pumps (also known as court shoes) with a ribbed silk bow, as is worn with white tie. These are uncommon today. A popular alternative is the formal black leather lace-up Oxford shoe, often in patent leather, but without a toe cap or any decorative brogueing. Shoes with open lacing (Derbies in British English and bluchers in the United States) are considered too informal to wear with evening dress. An exceedingly rare alternative is the black button boot.
Hosiery should be black knee-high ribbed silk socks.
[edit] Accessories
A white handkerchief (cotton, linen or silk) may be worn in the breast pocket of the dinner jacket, or a boutonniere (a flower, usually white) in the buttonhole. In cold weather a dark blue or black overcoat, black gloves, and a white silk scarf may be worn for traveling.
There is no standard headgear for black tie, but if an overcoat is worn a hat such as a black homburg or trilby may be worn, and in summer a straw boater is considered acceptable. Top hats are only worn with white tie or morning dress.
Wristwatches should be thin and elegant. As an alternative, a pocketwatch may be hung from the vest.
In the past few decades it has become acceptable to wear orders and decorations with a dinner jacket at formal state events. These awards may consist of miniature medals, neck badges, breast stars, and/or sashes. The governing regulations for wear of these awards vary from country to country.
[edit] Appropriate occasions
Black tie is worn at many private and public dinners, dances, and parties, making a comprehensive list difficult because its use varies widely from region to region. At the most formal end it has taken over from white tie at many occasions where the latter would formerly have been worn, e.g. by orchestra conductors. At the most formal events court dress is worn.
Black tie is almost always worn in the evening only, i.e. after 6 p.m. One notable exception is that observed by the Rugby Club of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, whose members are required to don black tie at midday in preparation for their annual dinner. The daytime equivalent of black tie, the stroller, can be worn for formal events during the daylight hours.
[edit] Black Tie in public perception
- Due to the rarity of wear, and the type of occasions that black tie is appropriate for, black tie is considered a fairly exlusive dress type and the ownership of a full suit is often equated with a statement of class.
- Dinner suits are often humorously called penguin suits since they match the general color scheme of the bird type's plumage.
[edit] Corresponding forms of dress
[edit] Mess dress
In the armed forces, officers and non-commissioned officers normally wear mess uniforms which correspond to evening dress or black tie. These vary according to the regiment or corps, but usually involve a short Eton-style jacket that comes to the waist. Some forms include white shirts, black bow ties and low-cut waistcoats, while others have high collars that fasten around the neck and correspondingly high waistcoats. They are usually brightly coloured (in the British Army scarlet is the most common colour) and ornamented with gold lace and buttons, corresponding to the regiment or corps.
In the Royal Navy there is a distinction between "mess dress", which is worn at white tie events, and "mess undress", which is worn at black tie events. Both are worn with a black bow tie, however mess dress is worn with a white waistcoat instead of the usual colour, and may be worn with a stiff shirt and wing collar. The stiff shirt and wing collar were abolished for mess undress in the 1960s, and were made optional for mess dress in the 1990s.
[edit] Scottish dress
Scottish dress is often worn at black and white tie events, especially at Scottish reels and céilidhs. The black tie version is much more common, even at white tie events.
The traditional black tie version of Highland dress consists of:
- Black jacket - Prince Charlie, Montrose, Sheriffmuir and Argyll jackets are suitable
- Black waistcoat
- Kilt
- White shirt
- Black bow tie
- Black Ghillie brogues
- Kilt hose (solid color, diced or tartan)
- Flashes
- Sporran
(The white tie equivalent has the wearer with either a white bow tie or a lace jabot over a collarless shirt. Regulation Doublets, Argyll Jacket, Prince Charlie, Sheriffmuir and Montrose jackets are suitable, a Lovat or tweed jacket would not be considered formal enough.)
Other colours for both the Prince Charlie jacket, and the hose are often seen.
The Lowland version of black tie is a variation on normal black tie, with trews worn with a normal dinner jacket or Prince Charlie jacket. Trews are also often worn during the summer and in a warm clime.
