Buttons are either faced in the same fabric as the waistcoat or made from mother of pearl. Most white tie waistcoats have an open back. The right formal dress shirt is just as important as the tailcoat.
The formal white tie shirt is always white in color and most commonly made from fine broadcloth fabric. Unlike black tie dress shirts, the white tie shirt is minimal in decoration but it does have a bib-like also known as bosom front that has a stiffened cotton pique or fine linen facing.
For more information on shirt collars I also suggest you read my dress shirt collar guide. High quality shirts have a loop sown to the back of the collar that is meant to keep the bow tie loop in place. Most common is the formal barrel cuff that is secured with mother of pearl cufflinks matching the button studs at the front of the dress shirt. The bow tie must be white in color and be made from cotton pique matching the fabric of the waistcoat. Only the self-tied bow tie is acceptable as pre-tied bow ties are considered tacky and insulting to the formal nature of white tie.
Most common are batwing and butterfly bow ties. Keep in mind that the bow tie is worn outside of the wings of the collars. Need help in tying a bow tie? Then have a look at my tutorial about How to Tie a Bow Tie. Only the finest and most elegant footwear is suited for formal white tie dress.
Thus, pumps made from fine and shiny patent leather are preferred. Most formal pumps are decorated with a silk grosgrain bow. However, for thoroughness, we list both types. Since the latter has two sub-types, there are in fact three forms of bow-tie to choose from ignoring so-called single-ended ties. For the sake of completeness, here is what is meant by Morning Dress.
There are three main elements:. Shoes should be black, and socks either black or grey depending on the colour of the trousers. The safest colour of shirt is white. Choice of tie depends on the occasion: a funeral or memorial service clearly requires black; a wedding or some other celebration offers an opportunity for something brighter. Contrary to popular myth, it is not difficult to tie a bow tie. In fact, if you can tie a pair of shoe laces, you can already do it.
The trick, if there is one, is to do it neatly. A slight extra complication is that the knot is at your neck and not at the end of your leg so you will need to use a mirror… but is using a mirror that difficult? In any case, there are already numerous web sites which explain the mechanics of tying a bow tie. This page will therefore address the question of how to produce a bow so neat that people will accuse you of wearing a made-up tie.
The diagrams below show what you will see in a mirror if you follow the instructions. Obviously, the tie can also be tied if you consistently exchange right for left and vice versa in everything that follows.
Drape the tie around the neck with one end — the left in this set of instructions — about an inch and a half longer than the other. One end has to be longer because it will contribute the material which forms the centre part of the bow between the two wings.
Tie a simple knot. A better final effect is produced if you make the longer end do all the work and wrap it around the shorter, passive end. Hold the longer end with your thumb and forefinger up by your face so that it is out of the way. However, point your middle finger down towards the bow — it will come in useful as a hook in a moment. With your other hand, form the passive end into a bow this will be the front. It is at this point that you can use that middle finger as a hook.
Your hands will now change roles. Your right hand should be holding one end of the tie out of the way. Let that end now fall down over the front of the bow and with your right hand grasp the bow which you have just formed. The job of your right hand is now to hold that bow in position throughout the rest of the operation. The end that has fallen down will form the material between the two wings. It should be vertical.
Grasp the hanging end with the thumb and middle finger of your left hand and make sure that it is vertical where it crosses the bow. Use the middle finger of your left hand to force the middle of the hanging end through the gap which is behind the bow from your right-hand side.
Once you think it is far enough through so that you can release it, do so. Having pushed the bow through from the right-hand side, you can now pull from the left-hand side. However, be careful as you tighten it — see Stage 7. The diagram shows what you would see if you had a camera mounted underneath your mouth and pointing at the tie.
There are six layers of material emerging from the central knot. By juggling with these three mechanisms and remembering that the red arrow stages cannot be reversed i. Scientists especially those who have had dealings with pulleys may spot that when a loose end for example is pulled black arrow , the loose end lengthens at twice the rate at which the other end shortens because the loose end is one layer of material whereas the other end is two layers.
When deciding which piece of tie to tug, you should bear this in mind! One particular point to note is that if the back part of the tie is rather skew and it often is just after it has been pushed through in Stage 6 , twist it so it is horizontal just before tightening. Thin material will produce a small tight knot.
In this case, the longer arm of the tie Stage 1 should be only an inch say longer than the shorter one. Shiny material will produce a simple knot Stage 3 that will slip almost as soon as it is tied. Pull the pin out as you tighten the bow. Use this technique, however, at your peril! Bands are a form of neckwear used by members of universities, those in holy orders and members of the legal profession. There are several ways to hold them in place and consequently they are made up in different ways.
One way is to include a loop of elastic. The loop is pulled on over the head and the bands adjusted so that they hang at the throat. This is clearly a simple technique but the bands easily twist and the elastic no longer remains hidden. The method we give here uses bands that have a long tape extending from either side. It also assumes they are going to be worn with a white bow tie and a stiff wing collar secured by collar studs.
The basic technique is to wind each tape around the back of the neck and bring it back to the front of the throat again. The two tapes both now back at the front of the throat are tied and the bands thus secured. As with many methods used in formal dress, however, the trick is to get it right - in this case so that bands are secured and the tapes hidden from view. The rest of this page tells you how to achieve this. The bands should be clean and ironed. A top hat is optional, which really means definitely get a top hat , because when else are you going to wear one?
Just one tip, make sure it fits well. White gloves are also optional, just resist the temptation to glove slap someone into duelling you. Finally, and most bizarrely in the modern age, there is the option of a dress cane. However, you will probably be looking far more formal than most people and if it's black tie optional, remember some people may even be wearing T-shirts. So be prepared for that contrast.
With the high formality of white tie, there is a risk of out-dressing your host, which is considered quite rude. So there is no need to start again. There is one slight leniency: if you want to wear a normal tuxedo jacket, as opposed to tails, this would be more acceptable at a white wedding than other formal occasions unless the people getting married are titled.
The fit of the outfit is a major pitfall at white tie events. If your suit, whether it be hired or your own, fits well and looks in proportion, you will look more elegant and therefore more formal. If you keep your suit nicely fitted, follow our guide and if in any doubt go to the most formal iteration. Then piecing together your white-tie outfit will be a veritable breeze. Look at him! When dressing for a white-tie event, your trousers should be formal.
They should be in black to match the color and cloth of your tailcoat and be perfectly tailored to you. As with a traditional tuxedo, your trousers should feature a grosgrain or satin side stripe on the outseam, waistband and pocket piping. When it comes to formal shirting, you should be wearing a formal white shirt, not a sport shirt or dress shirt. These would be shirts that you would traditionally wear with a tuxedo.
Your shirt must be stark white as off whites and creams can make you look out of place. The cloth can be plain or textured. A white pique is one of the common selections. Common dressy selections are silver with a white mother of pearl stone, black onyx or solid sterling.
Wearing a waist coast is an essential part of a white-tie dress code. Your waistcoat should be stark white and match the shade of white and cloth of your shirt. White-tie is not called this for no reason. Wearing a white bow tie is an essential component of your white-tie outfit. When choosing a white bow tie, remember to keep it simple and classic. Avoid getting a bowtie in any other color and pattern. We recommend getting a solid white bowtie in the same material and color as your shirt and waistcoat.
Having the most formal dress code demands the most formal level of footwear. For white-tie, we suggest sticking to patent black leather lace-up dress shoes.
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