My work’s Christmas party is this coming Friday, and is black tie at a particularly swanky location. I’ve bought a dinner jacket and trousers today, but am undecided on shoes. The only black shoes I own are slip-ons that I use to work in (more for comfort than looks), so these are a no-no.
From what I’ve been reading, traditionally patent leather (i.e. shiny shiny) shoes are worn for black tie events, although many seem to hate them and think they have been co-opted by “spivs”, at least in the UK. Others say normal Oxford lace-ups (capped with a seam running across the front) polished to a high shine are also acceptable, others say they should be plain, round-toe lace-ups and not capped. I don’t know about brogues (wingtips for you Americans), perhaps they are less formal than patents and Oxfords and thus not acceptable?
I may well have to compromise as I don’t have much time and many shops don’t have size 12s of what they have on display.
What’s the general consensus on this? Should I skip patents? Are brogues not formal enough? To cap or not to cap?
Ask the folks where you bought the trousers and jacket from. They should be able to tell you what will work. Personally, I’d go for a pair of black wingtips, for two reasons…
You can wear them with just about anything from black tie to jeans, and
I already own a pair
You can also wear regular calf skin but they should be as plain as possible - no cap, and definitely no brogues. Just understand it’s not strictly correct. It’s fine if you don’t feel like spending money for shoes you’ll rarely wear.
Don’t misunderstand. I personally wouldn’t wear anything else. But a Brit asking a Yank for advice on a matter like this is totally counterintuitive. Style is dying most places, but the USA is way in the lead.
I was going to correct you on the jacket and trousers thing until I looked up “black tie” in Wiki. Seems it’s different for Brits than it is here in the US:
No- “black tie” means the same thing here; the difference is that in the US, black tie = super-formal, while in Britain black tie = semi-formal. We don’t have an equivalent of white tie.
Patent shoes are hideous and tacky. Wear highly polished Oxfords (or formal boots- even better, if you can find them) or the like.
Patent shoes are neither hideous, nor tacky. They are appropriate footwear with black tie. My father and one brother prefer pumps, the other brother prefers laceups. Choose whatever you are most comfortable with.
For the record, I’ve been to several white tie events in the US. It’s not solely a british thing.
Patent leather pumps would be the most traditional choice. Don’t balme you if you don’t want to go there, though – I don’t like them either.
Equally appropriate – and far more common and becoming – are patent leather laceups. If you are going to wear evening wear at all often, you should get you a pair of patent laceups.
Third choice (and probably smartest, if you don’t wear evening clothes very frequently) would be plain black leather laceups. No toecaps, and polish them as shiny as you can manage.
Well, my brother’s wedding was black tie, as the groom, he was in white tie. I was a debutante; the deb ball was white tie for fathers and escorts, black tie for guests. My grandparents are Philadelphia “high society”, so I definitely went to a white tie event or two when I was younger. Finally, my father and brothers belong to a men’s club in New York City which holds a few white tie events every year (a christmas ball and a spring ball I think).
also, we have to agree to disagree on the “hideous and tacky” bit. I will grant that patent leather shoes are hideous and tacky when worn with anything other than black or white tie. but with black or white tie, they are WHAT YOU WEAR. hence, they aren’t tacky at all. tacky = lacking style or good taste. if you are wearing appropriate shoes, you can’t say you are lacking good taste or style.
White tie events are by their very nature exclusive. Unless he is a musician or performer, wearing white tie is the most outspoken display of luxury allowed a gentleman. In a democratic society, choosing to wear white tie in an open, public context is an act of the highest pretension.
White tie should be limited (and typically is limited) to private functions of pre-existing social groups, such as clubs or the diplomatic corps, where the public need not concern itself. The deb ball rule of white tie for fathers and escorts only is a good one.
Ideally, white tie should not be something you ever choose to wear. It either must be worn or it must not.
No one is saying black tie isn’t an acceptable choice. Although these days, the situations where a man (especially) can dress up at all without causing awkwardness are more and more limited.
It’s just that white tie is a red flag that way. It’s never appropriate except where it’s universal.
And what is “appropriate”? It’s what doesn’t make other people feel awkward, insulted, or uncomfortable. Nothing to do with class distinctions, really; it just shakes out that way due to tradition.
I dress as well as I care to - I’m not big on sweats - but I’m judicious about it. I know the signals it can send.
Isn’t that what my cite said? You would not want to show up at a black tie event in England wearing a tux. You wouldn’t fit in. Likewise for the reverse. They’re called the same thing but they’re very different looks.
