The Black Tie Dress Code

Most of the events that are organized nowadays are black tie balls. Anyone attending a black tie ball is supposed to abide by the black tie dress code.

The black tie dress code is a semiformal evening dress code for social functions. For man, it includes :

Traditional black tie dress code

• a dinner jacket ( or “tuxedo”), usually black, with silk facings on a shawl collar or peaked lapel
• a pair of black trouser with a silk or satin braid covering the outer seams
• a black low-cut waistcoat or cummerbund, although people tend not to wear those anymore
• a silk black bow tie
• a white dress shirt with a marcella front and a turn-down collar.
• black socks
• black patent shoes

The black tie dress code was originated by the Prince of Wales ( later King Edward VII of England) when he decided to wear less formal attire to dinner rather the formal white tie dress code. As such, the black tie dress code is only a semiformal dress code. Unless you are attending a ball that explicitly presents itself as a black tie ball, you should go for the formal white tie dress code.