In 2024, plenty of purists will insist, with much tsk-tsking, that the rules of black tie have changed. They're wrong—or, at least, not entirely right.How people dressinresponseto a black tie invitation might have changed, but the rules themselves remain largely immovable. “If you get an invite to something that says ‘black tie’, you’re under pretty strict orders to wear a tuxedo and a bow tie,” says Jake Mueser, the founder of New York City-based J. Mueser Bespoke. “It doesn’t mean just wear a suit and a black tie.”
While there’s a degree of wiggle room within those parameters, the overarching guidelines are actually fairly simple. Traditional black tie means a blacktuxedo, a black bow tie, a white tuxedo shirt, and black patent leather dress shoes. Cummerbunds and waistcoats are optional, though we're bullish on the former and bearish on the latter. (FWIW, black tie isn’t even the most formal echelon of formal attire, white tie is—but unless you’re British royalty, you don’t need to worry about it.)
It's also worth remembering that black tie is actually democratic in nature. “One of the beautiful things about black tie, especially in this day and age, is that all the men in attendance share the experience,” says Mark Cho, founder of The Armoury, a haberdashery with locations in Hong Kong and New York. “It’s not about sticking out—it’s about looking like part of a group that has come together in celebration of something, be it a wedding, a ceremony, a grand party, and so on.”
Despite evolving formalwear norms and the relaxing of dress codes across the board, Cho says, black tie still means wearing a tuxedo—and he hopes it stays that way “till the end of time.” As long as it does, everything you need to nail the look is right here. —Mitch Moxley
Read more:Black tie attire, explained by menswear experts
