What to Wear to Black Tie Events

Many men spend a lot of time struggling over the choice of what to wear to black tie events. In truth, it is completely unnecessary to spend any time debating over this choice. The answer has been with you the whole time, but you just haven’t known where to look for it. The event invitation itself spells out exactly what you should wear. You just need to know the wording to look for when reading it. So go grab your black tie event invitation and compare it to some of the following phrases, and see if you can’t determine what to wear simply based on the invitation.

If the invitation simply states that it is a black tie event, you should assume that it will be standard fare for men to be looking their best in tuxedoes. Your attire at this event should not be constrained at all. Spend whatever it takes to get a nice tuxedo that fits you properly, so that you can feel comfortable amongst the rest of the people present.

The invitation may be phrased in a way that includes the word “preferred”. This means that the dress code is more relaxed than normal. It is a good idea to wear a nice tuxedo, but if you don’t have one immediately available then it is also acceptable to resort to other types of dress suits. On the other hand, it might say that black tie attire is “optional” or “invited”. This means that you won’t look silly showing up decked out in a nice tuxedo, but you certainly aren’t required to wear one.

Semi-formal or white tie events give you many more options when picking out an outfit to wear. You can choose any type of jacket or tuxedo to wear to one of these events. However, the scope is usually a lot wider, and most of the time the attendees will all dress fairly similarly. You will have to use common sense and consider what kind of event you are attending, and what kind of clothes everyone else will be wearing. If you know someone that will be attending as well, you should get in touch with them and find out what they will be wearing to serve as a guide for yourself.