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musings on men's formal wear from the creator of The Black Tie Guide
Browsing All Posts filed under »Contemporary Black Tie«
Daniel Craig at Skyfall Premiere
A number of comments have been made in recent postings about the tuxedo worn by Daniel Craig to the British premiere of Skyfall so I thought I should post a picture for everyone to see what the chatter is about. Mr. Craig is wearing a midnight (navy?) blue evening jacket in place of the usual […]
Brooks Brothers Fall 2012 Catalogue
September 11, 2012
I received the Brooks Brothers fall catalogue this week and was happy to see their tuxedos featured so prominently. Modeled by the members of indie band Passion Pit, they are described from left to right as: 1818 Fitzgerald one-button tuxedo 327K Made in the USA. Non-iron Golden Fleece tuxedo shirt with Tennis collar and French […]
Skyfall DJ Preview II
September 5, 2012
A recently released set of posters for Skyfall provides a closer look at Bond’s next dinner suit. According to GQ.com it is a Tom Ford “O’Connor” tuxedo, the same one Craig wore as Bond in the Olympics opening ceremony (and which Bradley Cooper wore to the most recent Oscars). It will no doubt be a […]
The Velvet Bow Tie
July 9, 2012
I’m a big fan of the black velvet bow tie that’s become a popular alternative on the red carpet as of late. Its pitch-black appearance and prominent placement under the face add a dramatic punctuation to Black Tie without degrading the outfit’s refined minimalism. It’s this adroit balance of flair and understatement that makes it […]
All the Trimmings
June 18, 2012
Most people are familiar with the use of lapel facings to add flair to a tuxedo but likely few are aware that the jacket’s collar and cuffs can be used for this purpose as well. The history of formalwear trimmings can be traced back to the first evening tailcoats produced during the English Regency. They […]
2012 Cannes Red Carpet
June 3, 2012
I’ve finally had some time to compile photos of the latest Cannes film festival and I found that the trends in black tie seem much the same as with the recent Hollywood awards ceremonies. Namely, conservative interpretations continue to dominate as does the absence of waist coverings (and the resulting abundance of shirt navels peeking […]
Up Close: Pleasing Pleats
May 7, 2012
I find that pleated shirt fronts often look better on the shelf than they do on the body because pleats only lie perfectly flat when the shirt lies perfectly flat. When the shirt is curving to your body shape and bunching with your body movements then the pleats have a tendency to stand up and […]
2012 Golden Globes Red Carpet
January 24, 2012
Awards season is upon us again and the premiere ceremony, the Golden Globes, suggests that conservative interpretations of black tie will dominate the red carpet once more this year. (Hallelujah.) Among tuxedos, there was an overwhelming preference for the slightly modern two-button jacket. Lapels seemed to be split between the similarly modern notch or the […]
Simply Elegant: The Fly-Front Shirt
January 9, 2012
Of all the attempts to improve black tie since its heyday in the 1930s there is only one innovation I would endorse unconditionally: the fly-front shirt. Post-thirties creations first suffered from the addition of excessive flair to the original garments (coloured jackets and ruffled shirts of the ’60s and ’70s) then departed too radically from […]
Rapper Pitbull Promotes Classic Black Tie
January 1, 2012
Like many other North Americans I watched parts of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve special during last night’s festivities. The highlight for me was seeing Pitbull (the rapper behind the hit “Give Me Everything”) perform not just in a tuxedo but in classic black tie. Friends assumed I would be perturbed by his untied bow […]
November 7, 2012
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