When to Wear a Tuxedo or Tails: Proper Black- & White-Tie Events

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#blacktie #whitetie #tuxedo

Today, most formal affairs where the hosts have chosen to institute Black Tie as the formal dress code will explicitly state as much on their invitations. A few occasions where evening wear is expected or even welcomed still do exist outside of this invitation paradigm, however, and they're the ones we're going to cover in today's video.

Let's get started today then with public events and entertainment.

Historically, opera has been considered the most prestigious of all of the Performing Arts and as such, men would dress accordingly when in attendance. While the days of mandatory tailcoats for attending the Opera are long gone, it's not out of the question, especially in major metropolitan cities to see some particularly well-dressed men attending the Opera in Black Tie or even sometimes White. Premiere performances of the ballet, symphony, and theatre are also often Black Tie optional.

Next up, we will cover private events with family, friends, or coworkers.

White Tie should only be worn if it's explicitly stated on the invitation. Still, there are a few functions where full dress is required, most of these being located in Europe. An example here is the famous Viennese Opera Ball which is, in some circumstances, actually open to the public. In America, however, the White Tie opportunities are fewer and far between generally limited to things like debutante balls.

Private Black Tie events do remain relatively popular, however, these are often large dinner dances or other events given by corporations or fraternal organizations.

As the middle-class equivalent to the debutante ball, the prom will often feature a much more loose definition of what we would call formal dress. So while most might choose ensembles with loud colors and cheap fabrics, the young man who wears a properly styled tuxedo to his prom is going to stand head and shoulders above the others.

On the topic of weddings, however, marriage ceremonies are still generally held to more formal standards than other events and a formal evening wedding is the grandest of all of these. If you're invited to a wedding ceremony that begins after 6:00 p.m., usually with a reception to follow, a Black Tie dress code is going to be common, if not white.

Now let's get into some more rare and unique situations starting with evenings at sea. Ocean cruises do often still provide a man an opportunity to wear a tuxedo. In fact, some cruise lines pride themselves on their attention to the details of formality even encouraging guests to dress up on the ship after 6 p.m. Some cruise lines will offer onboard formal wear rentals as well for those passengers who didn't bring a formal ensemble.

If a man belongs to a fraternal organization, he may have a few more opportunities than usual to wear formal wear as well. Prestigious universities such as Cambridge and Oxford and organizations like the Masons will often have their members don full dress for particularly special occasions.

So, barring these specific cases then, what's the most sure way to know when you should wear Black Tie or White Tie?

In simplest terms, just consult your invitation. Prior to World War II, it was considered a faux pas to explicitly state a dress code on an invitation because of the universal understandings of what clothing to wear when that we mentioned at the beginning of the video. Today, however, especially in the United States, so few parties are truly formal in nature that mindful hosts will be sure to include a dress code on the invitation. Even so, in recent decades, hosts have begun to needlessly complicate things a little bit with more ambiguous variations of the traditional dress codes.

And if a dress code isn't printed on an invitation and you're still unsure, just talk to your hosts directly and ask them what they'd prefer, you'll be glad you did!