Dress code part 3

Etiquette: Black-Tie Dress Codes

Many a gentleman lives in fear of the moment when a black-tie invitation – or, God help him, a white-tie invitation – will arrive in the mail. The prospect of that moment, however, should actually fill him with calm, since a request for black tie leaves little margin for error.

A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up

• Black-Tie Dress Codes

Black Tie

The appearance of this term on an invitation indicates unequivocally that the host expects dinner jackets to be worn. Black Tie Required is sometimes used to mean the same thing but its wording may suggest that the host believes guests are too naive to infer the mandatory nature of the former. (Unfortunately this belief is often quite justified.)

There will likely be those few guests who will interpret black tie to simply mean formal and arrive in whatever they feel appropriate. The host will graciously excuse the appearance of the uninformed among them, viewing the transgression as a valuable learning experience for these guests. As for the willfully inconsiderate, the host’s congeniality need last only as long as the evening.

Black Tie Preferred

This terminology is used by those who want to host a very formal party but do not want to exclude guests that cannot afford a tuxedo. Invited guests genuinely unable to meet the expense of buying or even renting a dinner jacket may wear a dark suit and tie instead. Guests that own or can easily afford a dinner jacket but cannot be bothered to wear one should politely decline the invitation. To do otherwise is boorish as it tells the host in no uncertain terms that his or her preferences are irrelevant.