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musings on men's formal wear from the creator of The Black Tie Guide
Justin Timberlake: (Dinner) Suit & Tie
Justin Timberlake released his first new single in six years last Monday and although it’s called “Suit & Tie” the associated promotional materials feature a tuxedo. Considering the massive scope of this marketing campaign and its target demographic, one can only hope that multitudes of young men will discover the inherent elegance of the traditional […]
Posted in: Popular Culture
2013 Golden Globes Red Carpet
January 14, 2013
The 2013 awards season began with a bang last night, sartorially speaking. The conservative styling of the 2012 season returned in force as did shawl collars, bow ties, shirts with turndown collars and fly fronts, square-fold pocket squares and, sadly, exposed shirt navels due to absent waist coverings. There were some new variations though. Midnight blue surged […]
Posted in: Red Carpet Black Tie
Reader Role Models: Flamenco Flair
January 10, 2013
Antonio is a professional Spanish guitarist who owns five tuxedos which he describes as his “work clothes”. He has been playing flamenco guitar on stage and television in the United States for over 40 years and is influenced by movies from the 1930s as well as iconic dressers such as Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and […]
Posted in: Reader Role Models
Return of the Downton DJ
January 9, 2013
The third season of Downton Abbey premiered on PBS last Sunday with a record audience of nearly eight million viewers. While there was much talk about changing times at the dawn of the 1920s it was evident that life at Downton is still firmly rooted in the past. Two amusing examples are the negative reactions […]
Posted in: Formalwear History, Popular Culture
Reader Role Models: Vancouver Verve
January 7, 2013
It is always rewarding to hear from readers who say that The Black Tie Guide has been instrumental in assembling their proper formal outfit. Even more satisfying is seeing pictures of the final results. I want to start sharing some of these real-life stories as an inspiration to others. They are irrefutable proof that a […]
Posted in: Reader Role Models
50 Years of Bond Tuxedos
January 3, 2013
While writing recently about the James Bond design exhibit and the unorthodox notched lapels featured in Goldfinger I started wondering about Bond tuxedos as a whole. Curious to see how they evolved over time I rented the entire series on DVD and have produced a timeline that highlights key developments. For those who are interested […]
Posted in: Formalwear History, Popular Culture
Bond’s Goldfinger Notched Lapel
December 30, 2012
Inspired by an exhibit I attended with my 17-year-old nephew that showcased the design of the James Bond films, I recently rented Goldfinger to show him what the original Bond was all about. Many notched-lapel dinner jacket apologists point to the appearance of the model in this 1964 movie as a validation of its legitimacy […]
Posted in: Formalwear History
January 16, 2013
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