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Browsing All Posts filed under »White Tie«
White Tie in Vanity Fair
This month’s issue of Vanity Fair features Robert Downey Jr. in full dress on the cover and in one of the photos for the accompanying article. There is no reference to the outfit other than to say it is supplied by Giorgio Armani. However, it’s nice to see it done correctly in light of the turndown collar […]
White Tie & Tails: Men’s Formal Wear for 1936
September 30, 2014
Originally posted on witness2fashion:
Correct Formal Dress for Men, from 1936 Delineator Magazine If you’re wondering why a site devoted to everyday fashion is featuring “white tie, top hat and tails,” it’s not just because I love old Fred Astaire movies. The 20th century was often a more formal place than the 21st century.…
Spotlight: Evening Dress Gloves
June 10, 2014
Even more than the tailed coats they’re worn with, formal gloves are a sartorial protocol that has become completely foreign to the average man. While the role of outdoor gloves in protecting the hands from inclement weather is self-evident, there seems to be no logical purpose for covering one’s hands when indoors. As I explain in […]
2014 Met Gala Red Carpet
May 7, 2014
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a black-tie gala each May to celebrate the opening of their annual exhibit. The Met Gala aka Met Ball is the epitome of exclusivity with a guest list overseen by Vogue‘s all-powerful editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and a ticket price of $25,000. Known as the East Coast equivalent of Oscars night, the affair adds a twist to the […]
Advanced Cravatology
March 25, 2014
Despite being such a simple accessory – or perhaps because of it – the bow tie is offered in a dizzying array of options. I describe the various shapes, models, and materials on the Black Tie Guide’s Classic Neckwear page but there are a few more interesting insights I’ve gleaned since then. Fabric Having recently purchased […]
White Tie Honours: Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony 2013
December 11, 2013
The Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony is arguably the most high profile white-tie affair in the world and takes place annually on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. At yesterday’s ceremony I was very proud to see Jenny Munro accept the award for literature on behalf of her mother, Canadian author Alice Munro. The […]
A Tailcoat’s Tail
November 21, 2013
I was walking home from work last week, daydreaming of a white tie photo shoot for my site when I happened upon the real thing: a young man nonchalantly smoking outside of a downtown hotel attired in full dress. Of course, I had to ask what the occasion was. The friendly fellow, Brandon Smith, informed […]
Wartime White Tie
November 11, 2013
In honour of Remembrance Day today we take a look back at World War II and the modest sacrifices made by men on the home front to support the men on the battlefield making the greatest sacrifice of all. I had previously been aware of fabric rationing in the United States during World War II […]
Full-Dress Fright
October 31, 2013
Next to Fred Astaire, Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula is arguably history’s most recognizable embodiment of White Tie. The legendary vampire’s association with formal evening wear arose not from the original 1897 novel but from a 1920s London stage adaptation by Hamilton Deane. The evolution is described in Bram Stoker’s Dracula: A Reader’s Guide: Another major […]
Correct Details of Evening Clothes
July 4, 2013
Here’s an interesting look back at the “correct details” of evening clothes circa 1940 courtesy of Esquire magazine. While some of the advice is specific to that particular period the vast majority of it remains pertinent to this day. (Click on the images for larger versions.)
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October 1, 2014
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