5 Stylish Black Tie Optional Looks

Black Tie Optional events give you the chance to express your personal style while maintaining a sense of formality. This guide provides five distinct looks that blend classic elegance with modern creativity, helping you stand out on any occasion.

Contemporary Black Tie Optional Looks

Been invited to a Black Tie Optional event but don’t know what to wear? Here are some contemporary yet classic options to consider. You’ll note that in this content we aren’t focusing on traditional black tie.

The examples here are more fashion-forward choices often seen in contemporary settings, many of which are festive in nature. Black Tie Optional means you can wear Black Tie but don’t necessarily have to. And it affords the chance to wear Black Tie differently than what’s considered traditional.

Today’s examples will include ensembles that don’t require Black Tie elements and ensembles that take advantage of the looseness associated with contemporary Black Tie Optional conventions to create more personal, memorable, stylish Black Tie Optional ensembles.

Outfit 1. Conventional Contemporary

What Is the Conventional Contemporary Look?

Our first example is a contemporary Black Tie Optional dress code choice on the optional end of the spectrum. It has a comparable formality to Black Tie within a modern setting but without the typical uniformity that a traditional Black Tie event would entail; that is to say, it is not a tuxedo and has no Black Tie elements.

Why Choose a Suit Instead of a Tuxedo?

You might not be able to justify the cost of buying an entire Black Tie Ensemble for one event since Black Tie events are so rare nowadays, and many don’t own a tuxedo, even if they’re into classic menswear. A well-fitting suit is better than a rented tuxedo 9 out of 10 times.

What to Wear for This Look

The optional in the dress code indicates that the host isn’t as concerned with formal evening wear. So a dark suit, white shirt, and conservative tie are perfectly okay.

You can even look at including accessories like boutonnieres or cocktail-themed pocket squares. These will give your outfit an added touch of elegance.

When to Wear This Outfit

This dress code is typical of more formal business-like occasions such as work events like a ceremony honoring a coworker or a retirement party.

2. True Contemporary with Knitwear

Drastic changes in today’s formality levels mean that there are many contemporary ensembles that were once considered casual and can appear very formal by today’s standards.

Breaking Traditional Rules

Because the host didn’t specifically ask for Black Tie for this dress code, there’s no expectation for all guests to be dressed exactly the same. It’s perfectly acceptable that conventional Black Tie Optional rules can be broken for these less formal occasions so long as an overall formal appearance is maintained.

Why a Turtleneck Works Better Than a Black Shirt

Black turtlenecks pair especially well with gray suits that also fit this level of formality and are a much better choice than the black dress shirt and a black jacket. It’s extremely difficult to pair neckwear with a black dress shirt. An open collar exposing the chest doesn’t fit the formality level, whereas a black turtleneck elegantly fixes both of the issues associated with a dark dress shirt.

Also, the more significant textural distinction between black knitwear and a jacket is more visually pleasing than the more proximate appearance of a black jacket and black shirt, which can appear muddy.

When to Wear Dark Turtlenecks with Dark Jackets

Muted, dark turtlenecks can be a good option for hip, laid-back events like art exhibit openings, club events, casual cool wedding receptions, and the like, where creativity and some nonchalance are openly embraced.

3. Fun Black Tie

Black Tie Optional doesn’t mean that you have to wear Black Tie, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t either.

When to Try Fun Black Tie

Assuming that the event isn’t formal like a government or a white-collar office event and that someone else isn’t the center of attention like a wedding, this could be a good opportunity to bust out Black Tie elements that might be too intrusive for traditional Black Tie.

Ways to Add Fun to Your Look

This approach is similar to Creative Black Tie but with less of an emphasis on drawing attention by breaking the rules a little with an otherwise uniform dress code and more focus on having more fun with playful options; items that are evening wear adjacent in contemporary settings

Why Choose a Velvet Jacket?

There’s increasing interest in the use of velvet dinner jackets, which are a contemporary twist on the smoking jacket popularized by figures like Tom Ford. Historically, these jackets were inspired by smoking jackets worn when entertaining at home and designed to keep cigar ash off your regular jacket at something like a dinner party. This is because the velvet was much easier to clean.

Nowadays, most velvet jackets are designed like a traditional dinner jacket and are meant to be a more fashion-forward replacement for a tuxedo jacket but come in more fun, bold colors like burgundy, bottle green, or even options like burnt orange. They can even be paired with velvet slippers for the full textured effect.

A Creative Seasonal Option

Conversely, you could go boldly contemporary and intentionally wear a sports coat as a dinner jacket substitute. Buzz Tang elevates his look to this pseudo evening wear status with a dinner shirt, cummerbund, and black bow tie.

A seasonal alternative that is the most traditional choice for this kind of effect is an off-white dinner jacket. Historically, it was used in warmer months and made with a looser weave to help dispel heat, but as part of contemporary styling, it can be worn whenever needed.

Adding Color and Personality

You can even go for something like a red bow tie or boutonniere for a little more color. Its more rakish style of evening wear is a good option for festive celebratory events like cultural events, opening nights, celebratory office parties, formal parties at residences, and more effusive weddings.

4. Non-Black Tuxedo

Most traditional colors associated with black tie ensembles include black, white, and maybe a red accessory. But there have been many contemporary takes on tuxedos that have introduced some more colorful options into the mix that can still be extremely elegant.

Why Choose a Midnight Blue Tuxedo?

Midnight blue has been a historical alternative to the black tuxedo, and it can sometimes even be the preferred option for those with fairer skin and hair.

Other Contemporary Color Options

Midnight blue tuxedoes are, nowadays, also joined by tuxedoes in lighter shades of blue, usually with black detailing. While this is a more fashioned forward option, it can still be perfect for Black Tie events. The same principle applies to the darker greens and burgundies, which have come up as a more contemporary choice lately.

How to Keep It Balanced

When wearing looks like these, it’s best to keep the rest of the outfit more muted as the tuxedo itself is meant to be the statement. This means that the rest of the outfit should be in line with the traditional elements of black tie. This will help it to avoid appearing costumey.

If you’re looking for extra styling points, pairing them with our colored evening silk socks can be a good option for artistic and cultural events, more formal office celebrations, or even public galas.

5. Bold Accessories with Black Tie

If you have a traditional tuxedo, there are still other ways to be festive while putting a contemporary twist on this classic style. Accessories go a long way in determining the style and overall feel of your evening wear. Usually, the rule is you can have one or two deviations within traditional Black Tie, but you can use them to your full advantage here.

Bold Accessories to Consider

Some options to consider are colored or patterned cummerbunds, more playful tuxedo studs, or bolder boutonnieres or bow ties. Some of our favorites include options like our velvet bow ties, non-satin cummerbund, or evening shoelaces for more subtle flare.

It’s all about finding small details that won’t be immediately apparent at first glance but show some personality when someone examines your outfit in more detail.

Take It Further with a Statement Piece

Conversely, you could go bolder with something like a ruffled tuxedo shirt. Having that one signature deviation can make traditional Black Tie more you. These more playful deviations can be a good option for festive weddings, festive office parties, hip cultural events, or more layback formal parties and private residences.

Here’s Preston in a traditional dinner jacket ensemble. But notice these festive studs and tartan cummerbund.

Conclusion

Despite the idea that all black tie adjacent dress codes have to be uniform, we hope this proves that Black Tie Optional is still a fairly flexible dress code. And if you want to experiment, there’s still plenty of room for creativity.

How do you like to do Black Tie Optional? Let us know in the comments!