Black Tie

The tuxedo is formal evening wear worn on occasions where ‘black tie’, ‘formal evening dress’, or ‘cravate noire’ is the dress code. In German-speaking countries, this suit is known as ‘smoking’. In the United States, they call it a tuxedo, and in England, it is called a ‘dinner jacket’ when referring to this formal suit.

As with all formal suits, you must wear the tuxedo according to certain etiquette. GENTS therefore explains in detail what the exact black tie etiquette is.

Two- or three-piece suit

Let's start broadly. According to black tie etiquette, a tuxedo is a two- or three-piece suit. A tuxedo consists of a tuxedo jacket, tuxedo trousers, and of course the tuxedo shirt.

Specific rules apply to each individual garment regarding black tie etiquette. Additionally, there are various accessories that are absolutely allowed or not allowed. Before we go deeper into that, we first cover black tie etiquette per garment. Then we explain the importance of the right accessories. We also briefly discuss an exception to the rule.

Tuxedo jacket

With a tuxedo, you are supposed to wear a tuxedo jacket, also known as a dinner jacket. According to black tie etiquette, this is a black jacket with satin lapels. It is important that the tuxedo jacket is made of high-quality material. The jacket is the centerpiece of the suit.

In line with black tie etiquette, the tuxedo jacket is available in two styles. The difference lies in the way the collar is cut. There is the shawl collar, which has a classic cut with a thicker collar. Additionally, there is the variant where the collar tapers to a point.

Because the collar is always made of satin, it immediately stands out that you have a tuxedo jacket in hand.

Tuxedo shirt

Under a tuxedo jacket, you wear a matching shirt according to black tie etiquette. Not every shirt is suitable. With a tuxedo, you wear a traditional white tuxedo shirt in line with black tie etiquette.

You can easily recognize such a special shirt for a tuxedo by a few characteristic features. For example, a tuxedo shirt has double cuffs with cufflinks, a pleated front, and optionally a concealed placket.

The tuxedo shirt is available with a flat collar, spread collar, or a wingtip collar. Naturally, you wear a tuxedo shirt fully in line with black tie etiquette on tuxedo trousers.

Tuxedo trouser

Not every pair of black pants can be worn under a tuxedo shirt and dinner jacket. A tuxedo trouser is specially designed for this formal suit. When you need to dress according to black tie etiquette, you need tuxedo pants.

A genuine tuxedo trouser is easy to recognize by the outer seam. It is finished with a single satin stripe. A satin stripe is essentially a narrow strip of satin visible from the side view of the trousers.

Furthermore, it is important that you always wear black socks under a tuxedo. This prevents any skin from showing when you sit down. After all, that is not allowed according to black tie etiquette.

You are also not allowed to wear a belt. If you do need support for an optimal fit of the trousers, black tie etiquette permits wearing suspenders, provided they are not visible.

Tuxedo accessories

A formal suit includes specially designed garments as well as distinctive accessories. For example, black tie etiquette requires you to wear a black bow tie, complete with matching cufflinks and a white pocket square.

If you want to perfect every detail, you can wear a cummerbund made from the same material as the jacket and bow tie. However, this is not mandatory according to black tie etiquette.

On the other hand, it is required to wear black patent leather shoes with a tuxedo. All these tuxedo accessories together create an impressive effect.

Black tie etiquette outdoors

If you are invited to a formal outdoor event with a ‘black tie’ dress code, you need to be careful which tuxedo jacket you wear. There is an exception to the black tie etiquette for the dinner jacket.

In the evening during formal outdoor occasions, you must wear a white tuxedo jacket. This jacket must be truly white or ecru, otherwise you break the black tie etiquette.