Classic Black Tie - The Gold Standard

“A man should look as though he has chosen his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.”
Sir Hardy Amies – Dressmaker for Queen Elizabeth II

“No matter what extremes Hollywood people go to in making black tie garish and tieless, the real thing retains its unassailable verve, élan and sheer swankiness.”
Glenn O’Brien – GQ’s Original Style Guy

Lazenby with Ruffled Tuxedo Shirt Front – it looks very dated

Classics are Classics for a Reason

Ruffled Shirts Get Dated Quickly

The current definition of proper black tie, like most contemporary definitions throughout its past, provides options that can produce either a timeless look or a look relative to a specific era. While the relative look can be hit or miss (remember ruffled shirts and powder blue suits?) the timeless look delivers optimal results every time:It makes a man look

Table of Contents

Classics are Classics for a Reason
Depression Era Tuxedo: Classic Black Tie
Pre-1930s: Black Tie: Offshoot of White Tie

Taller
Stronger
Younger

Indiscreet movie with Grant in black tie

Depression Era Tuxedo: Classic Black Tie

It focuses attention on his face, it provides sophistication, swank and uniformity and it channels time-honored sartorial convention.

Therefore if we strip past and present black-tie definitions of their temporal variations, we are left with the quintessential or “classic” black tie code: the Depression-era ideal.

Black Bow Tie in Silk Satin and White Carnation Silk Boutonniere Fort Belvedere — Stiff detachable wing collar on marcella bib white tie shirt with a single end black bow tie in silk satin and white carnation silk boutonniere by Fort Belvedere

Pre-1930s: Black Tie: Offshoot of White Tie

Prior to the 1930s black tie was still largely an informal offshoot of white tie, borrowing its parent’s white waistcoat, stiff shirt and even bow tie at times. During the Depression era, it finally came into its own with its standardization of:

The black waistcoat
Adoption of a formal turndown-collar shirt
Acceptance of swank warm-weather alternatives such as the double-breasted and white jackets and the cummerbund

“No other era could have produced such a sartorial success” “Since the culmination of the dinner jacket’s design in the late 1930s, men’s fashion has yet to improve upon the genius of its original design or the unimpeachable refinement of its accouterments.”
Alan Flusser – Author Dressign The Man

It is for this reason that the standards of the 1930s have remained the benchmarks for successful black tie to this day.

This section examines those standards in detail, exploring what Mr. Flusser describes as “the exquisite relationship of form and function” that was worked out through the collaboration of English tailors with their fastidiously dressed customers.

Just as importantly, we will see how those details enhance a man’s appearance more effectively than any other type of civilian clothing. This information will allow a reader not only to assemble his own quintessential formal wardrobe but also to successfully navigate contemporary variations on that ideal.

Explore this chapter: 4 Classic Black Tie – The Gold Standard