CHEAP BLACK TIE

but according to the rules this is black tie:

* Short or medium jacket with grosgrain or satin facings
* Trousers with silk braids matching the lapels
* A black cummerbund or a low-cut waistcoat
* A white dress shirt with either a marcella, stiff, or pleated front
* A black silk bow tie
* Black dress socks, usually silk
* Black shoes in patent or highly polished leather, or patent leather pumps

but whatever, rules

what if it was a highly structured cardigan
with satin on it

but i mean, everyone will be wearing a jacket and it wld feel weird to not be wearing a jacket

I think cardigan would work best with Captain Crunch style fringed epaulets.

i've done the cardigan look for a "festive" dress code, but i was working so i had to look formal, and it looked good.

I like that gr80s rfi begins with the word CHEAP and is answered by the suggestion of cashmere sweater over tailored shirt with cufflinks

im not sure like, if youre against tuxedos in general or just as rentals because obv u can get a pretty decent used tuxedo at vintage/consingment shops for CHEAP.

maybe this is reactionary but the point of black tie is the rules and the formality and the subtlety of minor variations and wearing a cardigan (!) seems kind of disrespectful to the spirit of the thing. "oh, i see you went to the trouble of getting all dressed-up. yes, i'm wearing a sweater. do you like it?" um like, when an invitation specifies black tie i never think here's an opportunity to expand the parameters of an established convention? where's my bolo tie?

i wish this bord let u edit posts.

dolphin tuxedo wldn't have the same flare with a cardigan that's for sure

i think a lot of people think black tie is a lot more formal than it is, as well as the fact that there are many 'festive black tie' events which encourage variation, but regardless -- it's going to depend ENTIRELY on the individual event. if gr80 is going to dine at an ambassador's house or will be receiving a prestigious award, of COURSE he should wear a full proper tux. but if it's not so formal as that, chances are he'll be able to improvise something suitable out of stuff he already owns + a few new versatile garments.

and whoever said to look for tuxedos at the thrift has a good idea, though most of the vintage tuxes i've seen are hideous 70s deals.

if i had it online, this is where i would post a picture of my dad in a red glen tartan tuxedo with lapels & oversized bowtie in velvet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_wear
interesting!

xxpost

that was me before the idea of wearing a cardigan to a formal event drove me crazy. but yeah, the only times i've had BLACK TIE specified on the invitation was a couple of things for work or some schmancy charity events and those were not encouraging ppl to get creative. i'm def not familiar w/informal black tie. or less formal.

i dk where gr80 is but i got my tuxedo at a consingment shop in SF i can recommend places to look if u live there.

next time im in asia i will get us all dolphin tuxes custom tailored - send me yr measurements!

gr80 is in hawaii!

i think a lot of people think black tie is a lot more formal than it is, as well as the fact that there are many 'festive black tie' events which encourage variation, but regardless -- it's going to depend ENTIRELY on the individual event. if gr80 is going to dine at an ambassador's house or will be receiving a prestigious award, of COURSE he should wear a full proper tux. but if it's not so formal as that, chances are he'll be able to improvise something suitable out of stuff he already owns + a few new versatile garments.

-- elmo argonaut, Tuesday, August 26, 2008 10:51 AM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i agree and i also dislike the formality of black tie for men. even though i've been lucky enough to go to "festive black tie" events for the most part, even if it were a bit more stringent i'd be tempted to fuck the haters and experiment.

"festive black tie" is a dire phrase

even though i've been lucky enough to go to "festive black tie" events for the most part, even if it were a bit more stringent i'd be tempted to fuck the haters and experiment.

lab coat is the new cardigan?

well i think festive at a lot of places means "festive black tie"

it does where i work. you say festive, but half the crowd shows up like they're at the met. the other half fuck around a little.

lab coats otm

see, our gala was 'festive' which meant brightly colored dresses and suits, but no tuxes.

though i reckon that has something to do w/ the diff btw B4M and B¢B¢

leather jacket

surmounter just because it says 'festive black tie' doesnt mean that you can go around having sex with haters

lolll

yeah teh maybe you're right, maybe it's mostly suits. black tie doesn't have to mean tux does it?

to be a woman and slip into a black dress, oy

Pre-Tied Bowties: Why Not Just Wear Sweatpants?

imo black tie usually means going around having sex with waiters. or catereres. hollinghurst otm.

i think it generally does.

what becomes difficult is interpreting festive for women! or even black tie. does this mean cocktail or gown? i once went to this law dinner that was black tie, but was told it was not really a gown event. so i showed up in a very nice, but definitely not super formal lbd, and all the women were wearing gowns. i felt silly.

or festive: does this mean cocktail dress or a fancy sundress? surm, you don't know how easy men have it!

brocade silk smoking jacket

good point, i never thought about the potential for confusion there. well when ppl call and ask me what festive means, i generally say cocktail. but there are always the women in gowns

black bath robe, samurai sword

puffy ski vest

fwiw it looks like there are plenty of reasonably affordable tuxes on ebay

leotard, gold medal

YES

black swimsuit, white beach towel

though to consider it for a moment, most of these ebay tuxes are probably formal rental inventory

diamond choker

FAKE DIAMOND

skin of downstairs neighbor, bow tie

black leather harness, clerical collar

last feels more business casual tbh

sweatsuit, tap shoes, 'scream' mask

hello sydney!

accountants visor, lavender speedo

beekeeper's suit, spats

dinner jacket is a good look

not always appropriate tho

tear-away track bottoms, arm in a cast

guys i've come a long way in 4 years but still i am wondering:

pre-tied adjustable bow ties: tacky or no?

because i have one i gotta tie myself, but the pre-tied ones look soooo much more neat+crisp.

it depend on if you are wearing it with a cardigan.

i maintain my firm stance against pre-tied bows

fwiw i still don't think a cardigan is a capital black tie offense (in the absence of other options)

The less out-of-the-box-ness of a real tied tie is part of its appeal, grad.

Not that you should slack on trying to be precise and stuff but just like of course it's not EXACT.

I want to master Bayard Rustin's DGAF knot

http://i.imgur.com/wOAR5vM.jpg?1

well that doesn't seem like it would be very hard