How To Get The Most Out Of The Black Tie Guide

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Sven Raphael Schneider in Tuxedo

Although you can read different sections of the Black Tie Guide out of order, we believe you will gain the most from The Tuxedo & Black Tie Guide by reading the sections in order, because each topic builds on the knowledge gained in the previous one. In fact, it’s a lot like a course curriculum – but without the homework, deadlines and surprise quizzes.

All pages of the Black Tie Guide have a menu on the very bottom to navigate between the chapters and sections within a chapter, so you can quickly and accurately get to the section that you are interested in.

If you read this on a desktop or large screen you also get a table of contents for each page so you can jump to the right heading on any given page.

Beginner: Want Just The Basics, Quickly?

Get our free pdf Black Tie Pocket Guide here. It contains all you need to know you look the part.

Intermediate: Want to Get A Solid Foundational Understanding of Tuxedos and Black Tie?:

  1. the Tuxedo Etiquette section provides the absolute fundamentals: defining white-tie and black-tie attire and describing their associated traditions
    the History section examines the origin and evolution of the above attire and traditions; its lessons are not essential for men who intend to follow the conventional rules but they are critical for men who think they can rewrite those rules
  2. Classic Black Tie draws from black tie’s history to describe in detail its benchmark attire
  3. Contemporary Black Tie looks at black tie’s contemporary trends in context of its history and classic benchmarks
  4. Style & Fit Basics 101 explains the important principles of well-suited and well-fitting tailored clothing
  5. Be sure to take advantage of the illustrated Glossary in the Advanced section when you come across an unfamiliar sartorial term.

Clothes Lover: Want to Know Everything There Is To Know About Black Tie? We got you covered:

  1. the Buying Guide will save you time in tracking down some of the harder-to-find classic garments and accessories
  2. White Tie is the equivalent of the Classic Black Tie section and is invaluable for anyone fortunate enough to be invited to a full-dress occasion
  3. the Vintage Evening Wear section examines the finer detail of formal attire and tradition in a specific topic-by-topic approach (rather than the general era-by-era approach of the History section)
  4. the Advanced section is a potpourri of interesting related topics including a Tuxedo Glossary, Red Carpet Black Tie, Scottish Black Tie
  5. The Morning Wear Guide discusses the equivalent of Black Tie and White Tie during the day, more specifically the morning coat and stroller suit.

Table of Contents

You find the full table of contents for the Black Tie Guide here.