I’m a man, and men’s formal attire is notoriously boring, so I’m coming at it from a man’s perspective, but analogous equivalents for women are also welcome.
At formal occasions such as banquets, weddings, and dances, a man is expected to conform to a formal dress code of some sort, which can require anything from a dark suit upwards to a tuxedo or (rarely) beyond. It seems that in many areas, there are formal alternatives to this based on ethnic clothing. For example, there is a kilt-based ensemble (with jacket and tie, but no pants, obviously) that is more or less a socially acceptable alternative to a dark suit or tux in English speaking countries, though it may be pretentious for a man who has no Scottish heritage.
Doper style and etiquette experts, is there a list somewhere of all the formal alternatives for men, and in what areas they are acceptable?
Well, one obvious place to start is Wikipedia: formal wear, which lists alternatives such as the Hátíðarbúningur (Iceland) and Sherwani (India and Pakistan), among others. I don’t know how many would be recognized as formal wear outside of the country of origin or diplomatic circles.
In much of West Africa, a grand boubou is the most formal clothing, and in many places would be more common than a suit- especially since locally available western suits tend to be fairly poor quality, while the boubous are wonderfully made. The best grand boubous are gorgeously embroidered and can cost a pretty penny. You will always wear it with a hat, but the exact style of hat will vary by region. The tradition dates back over a thousand years to the age of the great kingdoms and empires of West Africa. While it is associated with Muslim dress, it’s also appropriate for Christians and other religious groups, and it is popular in wider society.
It’s not an exact equivalent of “white tie” dress, since some people wear it as daily wear, according to their social status. Traditional leaders, prosperous businessmen, and government officials, for example, may wear them on a daily basis. On religious holidays and other important events, everyone who has one wears one and “dressing up” is a integral part of the holiday celebration. They are absolutely adorable on the little kids!
*In the interest of a pleasant New Year’s Eve, free of bickering about dress codes, Miss Manners will now hold a Formal Dress Clinic for Gentlemen.
In the sane modern world, if there is such a thing, formal evening clothes are specified on invitations as either “black tie” (black dinner jacket with black satin or grosgrain lapels, pants with stripe down the sides matching the lapels, pleated white shirt, black bow tie) or “white tie” (black tailcoat with satin lapels, pants with a stripe on the outside legs, white pique waistcoat, starched white linen shirt, white pique bow tie).
Q: Is it appropriate to wear a white bow tie for an evening wedding ceremony with a tuxedo that does not have tails?
A: Tuxedo is the slangy term for black tie. And black tie means that you wear a tie that is black.
Q: I received a wedding invitation that stated “black tie.” Neighbors who received it say that “black tie” means only to dress up (suits for men, nice dress slacks and tops for women), not formal – that if it were formal it would have said “black tie formal.”
A: No, black tie means black tie; they don’t have to state it twice to mean it.
Q: For a formal holiday occasion, is it acceptable to wear a colored or patterned bow tie and matching cummerbund in place of black?
A: There are those who believe that gentlemen require little touches of red, plaid or worse to look festive. Miss Manners does not. She thinks of this as the sartorial equivalent of the red convertible – a symbolic shout of “Whoopee!” before anything jolly has had a chance to happen.
Q: I see more and more people wearing the craziest- looking evening clothes: tuxedos with a black button instead of a black bow tie, black four-in-hand ties (which the servants should wear) instead of black bow ties, white bow ties or four-in-hand ties and white vests with tuxedos (the white bow ties and vests belong with tailcoats), colored “tuxedos,” etc.
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A: We call that Academy Award attire. It is unrelated to proper dress. *
I dunno 'bout a list but if you are in the States or Canada (or Western Europe, barring UK) or Oz/Kiwiland, formal attire is formal attire: black tie for men, cocktail dresses or gowns for women. That is your culture and as a member of it, you are expected to conform.
I’m not saying you couldn’t go wild and wear something different, but you’d best be prepared for looks askance or outright denial of entry etc.
Maybe you’re looking at this the wrong way. Why not revel in the subtle differences between lapels, suit fabric, buttons and trouser cut? How about going with an exquisitely tailored tuxedo and be the embodiment of “clothes make the man”?
Honestly, well-fitted evening wear on men is stunning. It may seem drab, but it’s not.
Yeah, you need to be pretty darn ethnic to pull off ethnic formal dress at a formal event outside of that ethnic culture. i.e. a kilt in the family plaid when you still have an accent, but not a kilt when your last name is Jorgensen and the closest your been to Scotland is a bottle of whiskey.
If you’re in the US military, a dress military uniform is always acceptable as formal wear. And even those have a sliding scale of formality from least to most (ribbons, small medals and decorations, large medals and decorations).