Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is all about; youwhite tie.
I discuss the do's and don'ts, what to wear, what not to wear, so you don't embarrass yourself
and can look the part.
White tie is the most formal dress code you can wear in the western hemisphere, and unfortunately,
most men get it wrong, and the intention is all about the details because the outfit is
very defined by the dress code of it and it's very limited in what you can do and change.
First of all, it consists of a tailcoat which I'm wearing here right now, it's different
than any other garment even a morning coat is technically a tailcoat but the evening
tailcoat is cut differently.
It also has a pair of trousers with double galon; it's high waisted.
It's one with a white Marcella cotton waistcoat, either single breasted or double breasted.
It's one with a stiff front shirt and with shirt cuffs that are stiff and not doubled
but single.
Of course, always worn with cufflinks.
On top of that, you have a detachable collar, you have a white bow tie, in this case, I'm
wearing a single end bow tie from Fort Belvedere, and of course, you can't miss the top hat.
This is silk top hat, and it's vintage, it's not produced anymore so you can't get this
kind of quality top hat.
Of course, if you are not into the top hat, you can skip that too because at this day
and age, it's not required any more but it's a nice touch, and there are not too many events
where you can still wear it.
First, let's discuss white tie don'ts.
One, don't wear slippers.
Now, they may look very similar to opera pumps also known as court shoes, and they have this
bow, they're made out of a patent leather.
The difference between slippers and opera pumps is the vamp.
On slippers, it comes up all the way.
On the pump, it's much further down.
The reason you want opera pumps with a deep cut is so that you can see your nice silk
socks.
Two, do not wear an obviously fake boutonniere.
A boutonniere is a lapel flower, and it's almost obligatory for a white tie ensemble.
You can get away without it, but since it's a celebratory event, it really looks much
better.
Traditionally, a carnation is probably the most popular choice, but you can wear almost
anything that you like.
Whenever I went on cruises in a more formal evening wear, I wanted to wear boutonnieres
on the ship that did not have the right selection, and so I decided to design my own.
You can find over 40 of them in our shop, and I'm wearing one of them here right now.
They look very authentic, and the great thing is they will never wilt, they are all handmade
in Germany, and you can find out more about the whole process here.
Three, do not wear a necktie.
A necktie is only appropriate for a business suit but never for either black tie or white
tie ensembles.
You will sometimes see it in Hollywood but they just don't know what they're doing, and
you should never ever add a regular necktie to a tailcoat or white tie ensemble.
Four, don't wear a regular suit.
If the invitation states full fig, white tie, or formal attire, and white tie is required,
you need a tailcoat.
Don't just go with a black suit and a regular jacket or a morning coat; both would be wrong.
The tailcoat for the evening is the only acceptable option.
Five, do not wear a white or off white dinner jacket.
A dinner jacket is appropriate for black tie events with a black bow tie wherein a white
bow tie with a dinner jacket is simply wrong.
Six, do not wear a regular tuxedo if the invitation states white tie.
Simply either invest in a full ensemble which can be difficult may be even rent it.
If the invitation states white tie and you are at the opera ball in Vienna, you have
to show up in full fig which means no smoking jacket, no tuxedo, no dinner jacket, no black
tie, it has to be white tie.
Seven, do not wear spats with evening wear.
Sometimes, vintage lovers love to wear spats because they're different.
It helps to change the look of their shoes, but traditionally, it was something that was
reserved for morning wear.
As such, it's perfectly fine with a morning coat but not with an evening tailcoat.
Eight, do not wear black shirts.
The only acceptable shirt for a white tie ensemble is either a Marcella pique front
that is stiff or a boil front that is likewise stiff.
You don't want pleats and you don't want anything other than plain white.
Nine, do not wear a designer's name or label visibly on your clothing.
Sometimes, people get these little tags on the undersleeve, and they want to show off
but it's quite gaudy, and you should always remove it if it's on the sleeve.
You don't want any designer names that are visible for anyone to see.
Ten, do not wear wrist watches with white tie.Back in the day, it was impolite to look
at your watch when in company because it would imply you have better things to do than being
with the person right then and there.
Later on, watches became acceptable however, you would either wear a pocket watch on a
chain or on a which was a little fob, and you would have your pocket watch in your waistcoat
pocket, and the fob would hang down in a little decorative element.
A wristwatch was something that was quite informal, and as such, it's not appropriate
with a very formal white tie ensemble.
Eleven, do not wear a studless shirt and don't skip the bow tie.As you can see here, the
shirt is stiff fronted and has a little decorative studs that are exchangeable, and it just is
the perfect way to highlight a white tie ensemble.
For black tie, you have the option to go without studs even though it looks better with them.For
white tie, you have to go with studs.
There is no alternative.
Twelve, do not wear a morning coat.
Even though a morning coat is also a tail coat and sometimes, people can't distinguish
between the two, a morning coat has one continuous line that is cut away.
Thirteen, do not wear a cummerbund with a white tie ensemble.
Cummerbunds are not appropriate with white tie.
They are okay for black tie but for white tie, you always wear a waistcoat or a vest
as it's known to Americans.
Back in the day, servers would wear black waistcoats, and the nonservants would wear
white waistcoats.
back in the day, if you went to a funeral in the evening, you could wear a tailcoat
with a black morning waistcoat.
Today, people hardly ever wear white tie anymore and especially not for funerals, so it's basically
a relic of the past.
Fourteen, do not wear notched lapels on your evening tailcoat.
Notched lapels are always less formal than peaked lapels and because it's the most formal
garment in classic menswear, you could only have peaked lapels.
Fifteen, make sure your shirt does not come untucked with your white tie ensemble.
Unlike a regular suit, white tie generally has a lot more details and therefore you also
find lots more latches and buttons that make sure everything stays in place.
The stiff shirt front makes it more likely for your shirt to come untucked especially
when you sit and you get back up.
For that reason, there's a little latch that buttons into the front of your trousers, so
you will always stay in place.
Sixteen, do not wear waistcoats that are too long.
Generally, it's a hallmark of someone who doesn't wear black tie very often to have
a waistcoat that peaks out underneath the front of the evening tailcoat.
Proper people like Prince Philip r royalty in England gets that right.
People like Geroge Bush or Obama get it wrong.
Having that little extra fabric just screams I don't know what I'm doing and I'm just wearing
this because I have to.
So now that you know what not to wear with white tie, here are a few better examples.
One, do wear a pocketwatch.
It's a nice accessory, it has a vintage touch to it, and it's just much more fun than having
a wristwatch.
Two, do show some shirt cuff.
Traditionally, you can show anywhere from nothing to almost an inch of shirt cuff.
It really depends on personal preference and to learn more about it, check out our sleeve
length guide here.
Three, wear boutonniere and a top hat.
Boutonnieres just upgrade every outfit and particularly white tie.
A top hat can only be worn with a tailcoat that is long because it's long on top and
long at the bottom.
Since there are not too many options, I suggest you always go for one if you can get your
hands on one that fits you.
Four, wear your white tie ensemble with confidence.
If you are not happy with the way you look and you are embarrassed, it will show and
it will ruin the entire look of your ensemble.
Wear it, have fun, and be confident.
Five, wear an evening overcoat and pair it with gloves and a nice silk scarf in the winter.
When it's cold outside, you don't just want to show up in your tailcoat, you want to have
an evening overcoat.
A pair of white gloves and a white silk scarf just round out the entire outfit and underline
the black and white scheme of the white tie.
For a selection of white gloves and scarves for the evening, please check out our shop.
Six, wear an evening waistcoat.
Most waistcoats you can find these days are just wide waistcoats that are modified for
the standard day wear pattern, however, an evening waistcoat is distinctly different
in the sense that it has a much deeper cut out so you can show your shirt front and the
shirt studs.
On top of that, it has a little tab that buttons into your trousers so it won't come loose
and it is backless so you don't swear.
Seven, wear patent leather evening shoes.
The only option you have is either a whole cut oxford or a capless oxford in either black
patent leather or black calf skin leather.
Personally, I prefer patent leather because it's shinier and more suited to evening wear.
If you want to make your outfit more unique, I suggest to go with court shoes or opera
pumps because there is not really another chance to wear these kinds of shoes other
than with white tie or maybe with black tie but they highlight your socks, they are easy
to dance with, and they just go really well with a white tie ensemble.
Now that you know everything about the most formal of all evening wears and white tie,
make sure to check out black tie because, in this day and age, black tie is still a
lot more relevant.
I'm wearing a white tie evening shirt with a detachable wing collar that sits behind
my bow tie.
I'm having shirt studs in there.
I'm wearing a single breasted white tie waistcoat, it's a vintage one and it's backless.
I'm wearing cuff links that are mother of pearl and palladium simply because of for
evening wear; you usually go with a white metal such as white gold, platinum, or palladium.
My shoes are opera pumps in patent leather with a black bow.
The bow tie I'm wearing is a single end bow tie from Fort Belvedere, it's the regular
full sized butterfly bow tie.
If you like smaller ones or if you are a shorter guy, you should go with the smaller bow tie.
This one is a little more unique because it has one layer of fabric.
You can also have a regular double end bow tie and we show you how to tie both of them
in our video here.
Otherwise, my pants have a very high rise, that way, the waistcoat does not have to come
too far down to cover the waistband and thus, it does not peek out from underneath my tailcoat
which is exactly the way it should be.
For socks, I'm wearing black silk socks from Fort Belvedere which you can find in our shop,
and the pants have a double side galon that is braided which is very elegant and distinctly
reserved for white tie.
For black tie, you can have a single side strip which is also known as gallon.
The tailcoat and the pants are vintage from the 1960s.
The tailcoat was actually not made for me, but it is a vintage piece that was tailored
in 1960 in Munich Germany.
I wore it for my wedding and whenever there is a white tie event, I still take it out
because I really enjoy wearing it and it fits me quite well.
Now, if you are in the market for a white tie ensemble, i suggest you have it custom
made.
If you can't afford it, try to go vintage because any new reproductions are not going
to cut it.
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