A Touch of Red

After looking at dozens of photographs of dinner jackets last week for the San Francisco Ballet post, it occurs to me that many of the men would have benefited from a touch of red.

Boutonniere, pocket square, hose or in the pattern on a waistcoat, a touch of red (or purple, for that matter) adds just the right amount of color to otherwise unadorned black tie.

Monotony is less of a problem with white tie (not that many of us have much occasion to wear it) because a man can, and should, wear his medals with white tie. But black tie can be so, well, black.

So try a touch of red. But please, not the bowtie. That should never be colored.

Formal Dressing in San Francisco

The recent Diamond Jubille of the San Francisco ballet was as formal as affairs usually get in the United States. The black-tie event and fundraiser included a $1,000 per seat (and up) dinner in City Hall, a performance by America’s oldest professional ballet company, and a party after the performance. There were more than a thousand people seated for dinner and three thousand at the ballet itself.


The attendees included hundreds of formally dressed women but only a few men turned out in white tie. They got my vote for best dressed.


A large contingent wore classic black tie. A few men, like the gentleman in the photo, dressed it up in appropriate fashion.

And of course, too many attendees wore ordinary suits, some without so much as a necktie. But they were better dressed than a few others, whose quest to be different didn't earn them any style points.

I will not grace this site with their photos but among the worst dressed was one man whose dinner jacket sleeves fell to his knuckles. Most people noticed only his orange four in hand necktie.

Worst of all was the dinner jacket accompanied by a gray and black four in hand and matching vest. They were worn above black vinyl trousers. The horror.

Photographs are courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Wear A Buttonhole Tonight

If you're wearing black tie tonight, and I certainly hope you are, remember to wear a boutonniere. A red carnation is the customary choice.

Though it's said to be a symbol of friendship in the U.S., perhaps a young and very serious looking Prince Michael of Kent is aware that in Germany a yellow rose is a sign of jealousy and infidelity.

Have a great evening!

Reader Questions

From Koenraad
"How do you suggrest combining mobile phones with the wardrobe? Some fashion houses (Prada, Armani) have recently come with their own phone designs. Are there more options, including bespoke phones? How does one go about finding the right phone with one's outfit?"

I recommend you find one phone that suits your self-image. Unlike an accessory such as sun glasses, a cell phone is not something to be matched to the day's clothes. The address book and other content of a phone is too time-consuming (and important) to maintain in several devices.

Great phones look good, have features such as cameras built in and may offer extensive service packages for mobile lifestyles. For example, Vertu offers a line of very expensive phones (starting about $6,000 USD) made from beautiful materials that include a high level of service. One of the services is a concierge service called "Vertu Concierge". It is accessed through a "Concierge key" at the side of every phone. The service comprises a team of assistants to help the owner, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Comes in handy when you miss your plane in Vienna.

Or, consider an Apple iPhone.

From Jon

"Is there a proper way to wear the tuxedo? I dug mine out the other night for a party and decided to scrap the vest as the button stance is relatively high on the jacket. This was fine when I was walking but left an expanse of shirt between my waist and my neck when I was sitting. Is a vest or cummerbund customary? And if one is wearing a vest does he follow the same logic as for a three piece suit and leave the jacket unbuttoned?"

The single breasted dinner jacket is often worn unbuttoned, which is why a vest or a cummerbund is integral to the look.

Reader Questions

From Chris
"I need a new set of dinner clothes and I've decided to bespeak one. What do I need to ask to ensure that I'm getting true bespoke and not "custom" or made to measure?"

I suggest you focus on the tailor's reputation and whether you like the work rather than the technical details. MTM with a hand sewn collar and shoulders is often a better product than the machine sewn bespoke I see coming out of some small tailor shops in the United States.


From Michael
"Is there a specific type of brush you recommend for suit care?"

In my opinion, the double sided Kent CC20 is the most useful brush for suits. £29.50 (about $60) directly from the maker.

Summer Evening Dress

Two of the things I like best about summer are the sweet smell of a lady's gardenia and dancing under the stars on a Saturday night (or, once or twice every lifetime, at a prom). And when the ladies are wearing evening clothes it's appropriate to break out a white dinner jacket like the one worn by actor Patrick Stewart in the photo.

Now the white dinner jacket is often misunderstood. Unlike black and midnight blue jackets that are always correct, it's not a general purpose semi-formal coat. It should be worn only at outdoor evening events in the summertime, or aboard ship. Originally seen single breasted and shawl collared on Englishmen in Nassau, the white linen jacket with self faced lapels has had its principal popularity in the United States. It can be worn by men with a variety of figures and that helped it replace the short-lived mess jacket, a tailcoat without tails that could only be worn by men with washboard stomachs, in the 1930's.

The popularity of the white DJ was driven by its comfortable weight and linen's better-than-worsted air circulation, and in keeping with that theme men accompany it with a cummerbund instead of a waistcoat. Introduced to America during the 1920's, the cummerbund was originally nothing more than a black silk or satin sash wrapped two or three times around the waist. It's popularity has since waxed and waned with other dinner clothes (and I think it not as good a choice as a waistcoat with a dark jacket), but in black, midnight blue or patterned madras it remains the standard with a white dinner jacket.

Young men who visit tuxedo rental shops for their prom garb should resist the temptation of colored coats in light blue, lilac or tan. Black and midnight blue are always correct, but white and cream are the colors of summer evenings. Add a pink carnation for extra style points.