Evening attire for men

Black tie means a dinner jacket, matching trousers, a formal white shirt, a black bow tie and polished black shoes. It is a dress code for the evening, so it usually applies to anything starting after six. It sits below white tie, which means tails, and above a lounge suit. If the invitation says black tie without any softening word after it, treat it as a firm instruction rather than a suggestion.

Not to a strict black tie event, no. A dark suit is missing the things that define evening dress: the silk or grosgrain facing on the lapels, the covered buttons, the braid down the trouser seam and the absence of belt loops. Individually they are small. Together they are what makes the outfit read as evening wear rather than office wear, and in a room full of dinner jackets the difference is obvious from across the floor.

It means a dinner suit is expected but a very dark suit will be accepted. The host is giving guests who do not own evening wear a way in, not lowering the standard for everyone. If you have a dinner suit, wear it. Creative black tie is a different instruction again: it keeps the black tie shape and formality but invites some latitude in colour, texture or the jacket itself, which is where a velvet jacket earns its place.

A white shirt with double cuffs, worn with cufflinks. The front is usually pleated or in a textured marcella weave, and the collar is either a turndown or a wing. In Britain the turndown collar is the more usual choice for black tie, and the wing collar is more closely associated with white tie. Whichever you pick, the collar wants enough structure to hold its shape all evening. We cut evening shirts to measure alongside the suit.

You need one or the other with a single-breasted jacket, and neither with a double-breasted one. The job is simple: cover the waistband so no shirt shows between the fastened button and the trousers when you move. A cummerbund is the lighter, cooler option and pairs naturally with a shawl collar. A low-cut evening waistcoat is the more formal of the two and sits well under a peak lapel. Pleats on a cummerbund face upwards.

It should be, and it should be black silk. A hand-tied bow sits slightly unevenly, and that is the point: it shows the tie is real rather than clipped on. It also lets you size it to your collar and your face rather than accepting whatever length came in the box. Tying one takes about ten minutes to learn and is the same knot as a shoelace. Practise it before the night rather than in the taxi.

Plain black lace-ups with a smooth toe, either patent leather or highly polished calf. Oxfords are the safe choice because the closed lacing gives the cleanest line. Brogues, loafers and anything with visible stitching or a chunky sole are too informal, however good they look with a business suit. Socks should be fine, black and long enough that no skin shows when you sit down.

Often, yes. A waist, a sleeve or a trouser leg can usually be let out or taken in, because a well-made garment is cut with seam allowance left in it. Shoulders and overall jacket length are far harder, so if those are wrong the suit may be past saving. Bring it in and we will tell you honestly which it is. Our alterations service handles evening wear whether or not we made it.

Yes. The same cloths, the same cutting and the same fitting process, worked to a different set of patterns. See our evening wear for women. Couples often order together, which makes it easier to keep the two outfits speaking to each other on the night.

It depends on the cloth and the garment, so there is no single figure. A dinner suit in a hard-wearing barathea and one in a rare cloth or a heavy silk velvet are two different orders. Your tailor will go through the numbers with you at the consultation, before anything is committed to. Our suit packages set out the options.