Black Tie versus Tuxedo

So what is the difference between black tie and a tuxedo? Fifty years ago the response would have been “nothing”. Today the answer is “everything”.

When the White Tie and Black Tie dress codes were introduced to the public lexicon in the 1930s they were simply catchy ways to differentiate between semi-formal and formal evenings. It was implicitly understood by polite society that the former required tuxedos and the latter demanded tailcoats. Just as importantly, it was universally accepted that the accessories for either type of coat - while subject to fluctuations in fashion - were to adhere to evening wear’s conventional black and white palette.

Then came the post-war burgeoning of the middle class and a global fascination with modernity. A youthful America was particularly eager to establish itself as a new cultural leader as it basked in its remarkable military success against much older world empires. These concurrent trends meant that the tuxedo was now affordable for a large segment of the population that had little familiarity with, or interest in, tradition. As a result, when pastel colors were introduced to the dinner jacket in the mid-1950s the tuxedo began to violate basic evening wear principles and could no longer be considered synonymous with the black-tie dress code.

Over the following decades the gap between the two ends of the formalwear spectrum would continue to widen. At one end, manufacturers scrambling to cater to the youth market created tuxedo innovations that deviated ever further from tradition. Color expanded into trousers and shirts, patterned fabric found its way into dinner jackets and bow ties gave way to four-in-hands. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of the tuxedo at afternoon weddings made it more common for it to be worn before evening. By the turn of the millennium it was impossible to define the tuxedo any more precisely than just a formal suit.

Surprisingly, at the other end of the scale the classic principles of black tie have managed to remain largely intact during this same period of fashion revolution. Despite transitory fads that found lapels and bow ties morphing from razor thin to garishly wide and suit silhouettes evolving from body-hugging to baggy, the attire has remained black and white and appropriate only in the evening. Traditional black tie’s natural appeal to the well-cultured has ensured its survival and saved it from the capricious whims of popular fashion.

This mature appeal speaks to the core of the difference between the common tuxedo and proper black tie: black tie is the tuxedo for grown ups. In 2005, ninety percent of tuxedo rentals in the United States were used for proms and weddings. Considering that these affairs are almost entirely youthful celebrations we can safely assume that most Americans will only experience formal attire as a novelty. For them, a tuxedo is doubtless defined as formal costume that includes a manufactured polyester bow tie wrapped around an anemic wing collar and matched with a brightly colored cummerbund or vest. Once their circle of friends have all married they will likely never don a tuxedo again short of formal nights on a cruise ship in which case they will probably revert to their novice impressions.

It is no coincidence then that men do not generally begin attending black-tie events until they have reached a stage in life in which their accomplishments and experience have fostered the sophistication needed to truly appreciate the nature of such affairs. Only those men cultured enough to be educated in authentic black tie will have the opportunity to experience evening wear as it was intended to be.