BLACK TIE
An Introduction to Formal Dress in the UK

In the first half of the 20th century the Formal Dress Code in Great Britain, the USA and other Western Countries was as follows:-
(a) Full Dress or White Tie – formal evening wear.
(b )Black Tie or dinner jacket, DJ – semi-formal evening wear.
(c) Morning Dress – formal daytime wear.
(d) Stroller – semi-formal daytime wear.
(e) Lounge Suits – informal dress.

Since World War 2 dress codes have blurred, especially in the USA . In the UK Morning Dress is still popular. In America it has largely gone out of fashion. Celebs and pop stars seem bent on changing the traditional formal dress for Hollywood – style functions as this excerpt from the Times illustrates; but in the UK the dinner jacket is still the favourite for formal evenings whilst morning dress remains popular for weddings.

Black Tie is a euphemism for DJ or Dinner Jacket and in the 21st century is the dress code for formal evening events that take place after 6.0 pm ; Colloquially know as the ‘penguin suit’.

Black Tie comprises:

1. Black jacket
2. Black trousers
3. Black silk bow tie
4. Black waistcoat
5. White dress shirt
6. Black socks
7. Black patent leather shoes

A cummerbund may be worn instead of the black waistcoat. Accessories include a white silk/cotton/linen breast pocket hankerchief.

Black Tie Scottish Highland Dress comprises:

1. Black jacket – Prince Charlie and Argyll are two of the most popular.
2. Black waistcoat
3. Kilt
4. White shirt
5. Black bow tie
6. Black ghillie brogues
7. Kilt hose
8. Flashes
9. Sporran

Scottish Highland Dress is worn commonly at both black tie and white tie events. For more on this refer to Black Tie in Wikipedia. See year 2007 fashion statement, Black Spirit, Black Kilt.

Morning Dress: the standard dress for events before 5.0 pm is as follows:

1. Morning coat, tails, in black for the most formal occasions; light colours eg. grey for weddings and less formal events
2. Grey striped trousers
3. Black waistcoat (most formal ie funerals), grey, buff and white for weddings.
4. Stiff white turn-down collar
5. Long tie (or cravat with winged collar)
6. White shirt or coloured / striped shirt with white collar and cuffs.
7. Oxford black shoes; jodhpur boots are acceptable at equestian events.
8. Black or grey silk top hat – occasionally.
9. Formal gloves eg chamois leather – occasionally.
   

White Tie – the most formal evening dress in the UK is now kept for mainly state occasions, the Mansion House Banquet, Hunt Balls and some Oxford and Cambridge May and Commem Balls – please refer here.

"Should Brown wear Black Tie on formal occasions?" - Daily Telegraph 16/5/2007

Gordon Brown has broken a habit of a lifetime by wearing white tie to the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of the visiting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister's purchase of a £3,000 bespoke suit from Gieves & Hawkes marks the end of his decade-long refusal to dress up for formal occasions, most notably his annual Mansion House address to City of London luminaries.

In a move that will shock the espionage community to its foundations - James Bond has changed his tailor - The Times March 10th 2008 "The classic Bond tuxedo scene is, after all, a recent one. It is in Casino Royale and it is tacky as hell, but audiences were reported to have cheered. It is when Craig's Bond and Eva Green's Vesper are getting dressed for the big card game. Bond has just given Vesper a dress, and goes back to his room, to see a tuxedo lying on his bed. “But I already have a dinner jacket,” he says. “There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets,” retorts Green, Frenchly. “This is the latter. And I need you looking like a man who belongs at that table.”

Townie's guide to a country weekend - by Jessica Fellowes, The London Paper. The Glyndebourne opera season is the original – not to mention grandest – of this scene, setting the standard for many of them. But you don’t always have to wear black tie or know your Puccini from your Wagner. On the whole, country ­operas are hosted by two types of country dweller. The first is the former hippy who wants to prove his or her arty credentials, despite the big house. The dress code might be black tie but of the frayed hand-me-down type with slightly-too-long hair and crumpled linen jackets for the men and hemp skirts for the women. You can find this crowd at Garsington Opera, in Oxford – which opens tomorrow night – while at the Grange Park Opera in Hampshire, guests are encouraged to take their cue from the glamorous event organiser, Wasfi Kani, and drape themselves in layers of Indian silks. Picture (left) of Grange Park. The second crowd are ­ serious opera buffs, who want to hear the fat lady sing ­ without having to stay in the Big Smoke. They insist on crisp black tie and divine long dresses and can be seen at the likes of Glyndebourne. You might be more Girls Aloud than Giovanni, but you can still hit the high notes. Black Tie Optional Regardless of the kind of big event your organization has planned for its next fundraiser, everything you need to know and do is in this thorough and essential handbook. Now in a Second Edition, "Black Tie Optional" demystifies the process and makes it as easy as possible to have a successful event that generates money as well as new supporters.