Many white tie events, in an admission that full formal garments are difficult to acquire, will indicate that black tie is acceptable. Nowadays, black-tie is the go-to dress code for “formal” events. The smoking jacket, a velvet variant that was worn after dinner while the men retired to smoke pipes or cigars, also had its beginnings in the home. The garment became de riguer for hosting dinners in one’s home (that is, if you were a member of the landed gentry). King Edward VII (pictured below, in statue form) commissioned his friend Henry Poole to make a short jacket to wear for dinners that were more comfortable than traditional, formal tailcoats.
The tuxedo dates back to the mid-19th century. No matter which actor has played James Bond over the years, the tuxedo has always been one of the nattiest outfits he’s donned. It’s also the getup in which a man is at his most handsome. Technically it’s semi-formal attire, one step down in dressiness from white tie. The typical time that “evening” starts is 6pm. Justin Timberlake wearing a smoking jacket of sorts.īlack-tie is an evening dress code.
