White tie
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White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most
The dress code's origins can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. New fully black-coloured
Despite the emergence of the more comfortable semi-formal black tie dress code in the 1880s, full evening dress tailcoats remained the staple. Towards the end of the Victorian era, white bow ties and waistcoats became the standard for full evening dress, contrasting with black bow ties and waistcoats or cummerbunds for black tie.
Following the social changes after the
History
19th century: origins and development
Throughout the
Over the course of the 19th century, the monotone colour scheme became a codified standard for evening events after 6 p.m. in upper class circles.
By the early 20th century, full evening dress meant wearing a white waistcoat and tie with a black tailcoat and trousers; white tie had become distinct from black tie.[8] Despite its growing popularity, the dinner jacket remained the reserve of family dinners and gentlemen's clubs during the late Victorian period.[3]
20th century
By the turn of the 20th century, full evening dress consisted of a black tailcoat made of heavy fabric weighing 500 to 560 grams per metre (16 to 18 oz/yd). Its lapels were medium width and the white shirt worn beneath it had a heavily starched, stiff front, fastened with pearl or black studs and either a winged collar or a type called a "poke", consisting of a high band with a slight curve at the front.[9] After World War I, the dinner jacket became more popular, especially in the US, and informal variations sprang up, like the soft, turn-down collar shirt and later the double-breasted jacket;[10] relaxing social norms in Jazz Age America meant white tie was replaced by black tie as the default evening wear for young men, especially at nightclubs.[3] According to The Delineator, the years after World War I saw white tie "almost abandoned".[11] But it did still have a place: the American etiquette writer Emily Post stated in 1922 that "A gentleman must always be in full dress, tail coat, white waistcoat, white tie and white gloves" when at the opera, yet she called the tuxedo "essential" for any gentleman, writing that "It is worn every evening and nearly everywhere, whereas the tail coat is necessary only at balls, formal dinners, and in a box at the opera."[12]
It also continued to evolve. White tie was worn with slim-cut trousers in the early 1920s; by 1926, wide-lapelled tailcoats and double-breasted waistcoats were in vogue.[13] The Duke of Windsor (then Prince of Wales and later Edward VIII) wore a midnight blue tailcoat, trousers and waistcoat in the 1920s and 1930s both to "soften" the contrast between black and white and allow for photographs to depict the nuances of his tailoring.[14] The late 1920s and 1930s witnessed a resurgence in the dress code's popularity,[11][15] but by 1953, one etiquette writer stressed that "The modern trend is to wear 'tails' only for the most formal and ceremonious functions, such as important formal dinners, balls, elaborate evening weddings, and opening night at the opera".[16] It was the dress code for the Lord Mayor of London's Mansion House dinner until 1996.[17]
The last president to have worn white tie at a United States presidential inauguration was President John F. Kennedy in 1961, who wore morning dress for his inauguration, and a white tie ensemble for his inauguration ball.
21st century
While rare in the early 21st century, it survives as the formal dress code for royal and public ceremonies and
Notable international recurrent white tie events include the Nobel Prize ceremony in Sweden[18] and the Vienna Opera Ball in Austria.[19]
In
Some
United Kingdom
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In Britain, it is worn at certain formal occasions such as
United States
A few state dinners at the
In the southern United States, white tie is sometimes referred to as "costume de rigueur", adapted from
When the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala in New York City announced a white tie dress code in 2014, a number of media outlets pointed out the difficulty and expense of obtaining traditional white tie, even for the celebrity guests.[39][40]
Composition
According to the British etiquette guide
The waistcoat should not be visible below the front of the tailcoat, which necessitates a medium or high waistline and often suspenders (braces) for the trousers. As one style writer for
Gallery
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Official portrait of Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas (1930)
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Fred Astaire portrait for film You'll Never Get Rich (1941)
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PresidentJacqueline Kennedy with President Félix Houphouët-Boigny and Madame Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny of the Ivory Coast(1962)
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PresidentDuchess of Windsor alongside the Duke of Windsorin 1970
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Empress Nagakoduring a state dinner, 1975
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King Juan Carlos I and President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves(2009)
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Swedish diplomat Sven Hirdman in diplomatic uniform with ambassador Jaak Jõerüüt of Estonia in white tie and top hat (2011)
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito (2019)
References
Citations
- ^ "White Tie Dress Code". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "Dress Code For Wedding Guests". infinitybridesmaids.com.au. 16 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Marshall, Peter. "A Field Guide to Tuxedos". Slate. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ Jenkins 2003, p. 886
- ^ Carter 2011
- ^ Williams 1982, p. 122
- ^ Jenkins 2003, p. 887
- ^ Jenkins 2003, pp. 888, 890
- ^ Schoeffler 1973, p. 166
- ^ Schoeffler 1973, p. 168
- ^ a b The Delineator, vol. 128 (1936), p. 57
- ^ Emily Post (1922). Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home Archived 19 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. New York and London: Funk and Wagnalls co. chap. vi, xxxiv
- ^ Schoeffler 1973, pp. 169–170
- ^ "Evening suit". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ Schoeffler 1973, p. 170
- ^ Lillian Eichler Watson (1953). New Standard Book of Etiquette. New York: Garden Publishing Company. p. 358
- ^ Willcock, John (6 June 1996). "A black day for white tie at the Lord Mayor's banquet". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "The Dress Code at the Nobel Banquet". Nobel Prize. Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Make Your Debut At The Vienna Opera Ball-Dresscode". wiener-staatsoper.at. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "Degree conferment celebrations for new PhDs". Uppsala University. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Degree Ceremonies 2006". University of Vaasa. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Miller, Beth (31 August 2010). "A sword, a hat and three unforgettable days in Helsinki". Washington University in St Louis. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ISBN 978-90-230-1381-5.
- ^ "Aalto-yliopisto".
- ^ Approved Masonic Dress, Aprons, Gauntlets, Collars and Jewels of Rank A Publication of the United Grand Lodge of NSW and the ACT, May 2012
- ^ "Freemasons NSW & ACT – Home". www.masons.org.au. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "President Obama hosts star-studded farewell dinner". BBC News. 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ Gammell, Caroline (31 October 2007). "Protests, pomp and a PM in white tie". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Londoners asked 'help fund cost of white tie and tails' for City councillors". The Standard.
- ^ "The Etiquette of City of London and Livery Company Dinners and Banquets". City and Livery.
- ^ "Magdalen Commemoration Ball cancelled". Cherwell. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ Shan, Fred (1 April 2014). "Mr Shan Menswear: on White Tie". The Oxford Student. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Review: White Tie Reeling Ball". The Tab. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/activities/view/reelingclub
- ^ "Academic dress | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (8 May 2007). "A White-Tie Dinner for Queen's White House Visit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Mardi Gras Terminology", Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2009, webpage: MG-terms Archived 9 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b KbD "Le Krewe de Bienville". KrewedeBienville.com. 2011.Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Trebay, Guy (23 April 2014). "At the Met Gala, a Strict Dress Code". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Rothman, Lily (5 May 2014). "The Met Ball Is White Tie This Year – But What Does That Even Mean?". Time. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Johnston, Robert (2 March 2010). "Attire to suit the occasion". GQ. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Evening Tailcoat". Ede & Ravenscroft. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "White Tie", Debrett's, archived from the original on 13 September 2015, retrieved 28 September 2015
- ^ "White tie dress code" Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Savvy Row. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ Sharpe, James (9 May 2011). "Fix Up, Look Sharpe: Dress codes". Varsity. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
Bibliography
- Philip Carter (January 2011). "Brummell, George Bryan (Beau Brummell) (1778–1840)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online ed. (subscription or UK public library membership required). Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- D. T. Jenkins (2003). Cambridge History of Western Textiles, vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521341073
- O. E. Schoeffler (1973). Esquire's encyclopedia of 20th century men's fashions. New York: McGraw-Hill ISBN 978-0070554801
- ISBN 978-0520043558
External links
- White Tie Guide at Gentleman's Gazette
- White Tie DO's & DON'Ts - Tailcoat & Full Fig Dress Code Guide on YouTube