White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most
formal in traditional evening
western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black
tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a white
dress shirt with a starched or pique bib, white
piqué waistcoat and the
eponymous white
bow tie worn around a standing
wing collar. Mid or high-waisted black
trousers with ''
galon'', a braid of trim consisting of two silk stripes to conceal the outer seams of the trousers, along with
court shoes complete the outfit.
Orders
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
, decorations and
medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
s may be worn. Acceptable accessories include a black
top hat, white
gloves, a white
scarf
A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of diff ...
, a
pocket watch
A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist.
They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwa ...
, a white pocket square, and a
boutonnière. Women wear full-length
ball or
evening gowns with
evening gloves
Ladies' evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow.
Ladies' gloves for formal and semi-formal wear come in three lengths for women: wrist, elbow, and opera or full-length (over the elbow, usually ...
and, optionally,
tiaras,
jewellery
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...
, and a small
handbag.
The dress code's origins can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. New fully black-coloured
justaucorps
A justacorps or justaucorps () is a knee-length coat worn by men in the latter half of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century. The garment is of French origin, and was introduced in England as a component of a three-piece ensemble, which ...
styles emerged around the
Age of Revolution, notably adopted by the
bourgeois
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. ...
third estate of the
Estates General of the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
. Increasingly following the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, high society men abandoned the richly decorated justaucorps coats for more austere cutaway
dress coat
A tailcoat is a knee-length coat characterised by a rear section of the skirt, known as the ''tails'', with the front of the skirt cut away.
The tailcoat shares its historical origins in clothes cut for convenient horse riding in the Early Mode ...
s in dark colours, with cuts perhaps further inspired by the
frocks and
riding coat
A riding coat or jacket is a garment originally designed as an outerwear for horseback riding. It protects the wearer's upper clothes from dirt and wear and might provide additional protection in the case of falls.
History East Asia
The Manchu ...
s of country gentlemen. Gradually replacing also
breeches,
lacy
Lacy may refer to any of the following:
People Surname
* Alan J. Lacy (born 1953), American businessman
* Antonio Lacy (born 1957), Spanish doctor and surgeon
* Arthur J. Lacy (1876–1975), American politician and lawyer
* Benjamin W. Lac ...
dress shirts and
jabots with plain white
dress shirts, shorter waistcoats, white
cravats and
pantaloons
Pantaloon (from Italian Pantalone), is a traditional greedy merchant character in 16th-century Italian Commedia dell'arte.
Pantaloon or Pantaloons may also refer to:
Theatre
* Pantaloon, a character in the ''Harlequinade''
** Pantaloons, a style ...
, this became known as
directoire style
Directoire style () was a period in the decorative arts, fashion, and especially furniture design in France concurrent with the Directory (November 2, 1795–November 10, 1799), the later part of the French Revolution. The style uses Neoclassica ...
. By the early 19th-century
Regency era
The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, ...
, dark dress tailcoats with light trousers became standard daywear, while black and white became the standard colours for evening wear. Although the directoire style was replaced for daytime by black
frock coats and bowties by mid-19th century, cutaway black dress tailcoats with white bowtie has remained established for formal evening wear ever since.
Despite the emergence of the shorter
dinner jacket (or tuxedo) in the 1880s as a less formal but more comfortable alternative, full evening dress tailcoats remained the staple. Towards the end of the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...
, white bow ties and waistcoats became the standard for full evening dress, known as white tie, contrasting with black bow ties and waistcoats for the dinner jacket, an ensemble which became known as semi-formal
black tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...
.
Following the social changes after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and especially with the
counterculture of the 1960s, white tie was increasingly replaced by black tie as default evening wear for more formal events. Since the late 20th century, white tie tends to be reserved for the most formal evening occasions, such as
state dinners and
audiences, in addition to formal
balls and
galas In Greek mythology, Galas (; Ancient Greek: Γάλας ''Gálas'') was the eponymous founder of the Gauls. He was the son of Polyphemos and Galatea and the brother of Illyrius and Celtus
In Greek mythology, Celtus (; grc, Κέλτος ''Kel ...
such as the
Vienna Opera Ball in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
banquet in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
,
Mardi Gras balls in New Orleans, and the
Al Smith Memorial Dinner in
New York. White tie still also occurs at traditional
weddings and church celebrations, at certain
societies and
fraternities, as well as occasionally around some traditional
European universities and colleges.
History
19th century: origins and development
Throughout the
Early Modern period, western European male courtiers and aristocrats donned elaborate clothing at ceremonies and dinners: coats (often richly decorated), frilly and lacy shirts and breeches formed the backbone of their most formal attire. As the 18th century drew to a close, high society began adopting more austere clothing which drew inspiration from the dark hues and simpler designs adopted by country gentlemen.
By the end of the 18th century, two forms of tail coat were in common use by upper-class men in Britain and continental Europe: the more formal dress coat (cut away horizontally at the front) and the less formal
morning coat, which curved back from the front to the tails. From around 1815, a knee-length garment called the
frock coat became increasingly popular and was eventually established, along with the morning coat, as smart daywear in Victorian England. The dress coat, meanwhile, became reserved for wear in the evening. The
dandy Beau Brummell
George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...
adopted a minimalistic approach to evening wear—a white waistcoat, dark blue tailcoat, black pantaloons and striped stockings. Although Brummell felt black an ugly colour for evening dress coats, it was adopted by other dandies, like
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fr ...
, and black and white had become the standard colours by the 1840s.
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.
The styles evolved and evening dress consisted of a black dress coat and trousers, white or black waistcoat, and a bow tie by the 1870s. The
dinner jacket (black tie/tuxedo) emerged as a less formal and more comfortable alternative to full evening dress in the 1880s.
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. Despite its growing popularity, the dinner jacket remained the reserve of family dinners and gentlemen's clubs during the late Victorian period.
20th century
By the turn of the 20th century, full evening dress consisted of a black tailcoat made of heavy fabric weighing . 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. 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; 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.
According to ''
The Delineator'', the years after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
saw white tie "almost abandoned".
The Delineator
', vol. 128 (1936), p. 57 But it did still have a place: the American etiquette writer
Emily Post
Emily Post ( Price; October 27, 1872 – September 25, 1960) was an American author, novelist, and socialite, famous for writing about etiquette.
Early life
Post was born Emily Bruce Price in Baltimore, Maryland, possibly in October 1872. Th ...
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."
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. 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. The late 1920s and 1930s witnessed a resurgence in the dress code's popularity,
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". It was the dress code for the
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
's
Mansion House dinner until 1996.
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
audiences,
weddings,
balls, and a select group of other social events in some countries.
Notable international recurrent white tie events include the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
ceremony in Sweden and the
Vienna Opera Ball in Austria.
In
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
and the Netherlands, white tie is the traditional attire for
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' l ...
conferments and is prescribed at some Swedish and Finnish universities, where it is worn with a
top hat variant called a
doctoral hat
A doctoral hat ( fi, tohtorinhattu, sv, doktorshatt) is a major part of Nordic academic dress of Ph.D. recipients in Finland and Sweden and differs from the square academic cap found in other parts of the world. It is a silken top hat with a s ...
. In Sweden and Finland, a black waistcoat is worn with white tie for academic occasions in the daytime. In the Netherlands, the attendants of the graduate student, called
paranymphs, will also wear white tie.
Some
fraternities such as
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
s and
Odd Fellows wear dress coats to their meetings.
United Kingdom
In Britain, it is worn at certain formal occasions such as
state banquets, City of London livery dinners and certain balls at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
Durham, and
St Andrews universities. White tie is also seen as part of a few public schools' uniform, such as
Harrow School
Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...
where the Head Boy is allowed to wear white tie to special events. The President and Officers of the
Oxford Union are still required to wear white tie at every debate but since the 1930s, other speakers are only required to wear black tie.
United States
A few state dinners at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
apply white tie, such as the one held for
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in 2007. Other notable examples include the
Gridiron Club Dinner in
Washington, D.C., the
Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, in additions to a few
debutante balls
A debutante ball, sometimes called a coming-out party, is a formal ball that includes presenting debutantes during the season, usually during the spring or summer. Debutante balls may require prior instruction in social etiquette and appropriate ...
such as the
International Debutante Ball in New York City, and the
Veiled Prophet Ball in
St. Louis.
In the southern United States, white tie is sometimes referred to as "costume de rigueur", adapted from
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
due to the historical background of
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
. It is sometimes used in invitations to
masquerade balls and
Mardi Gras celebrations, such as the
Mardi Gras in Mobile in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
,
[
"Mardi Gras Terminology", Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors
Bureau, 2009, webpage:
]
MG-terms
.
["Le Krewe de Bienville", KrewedeBienville.com, 2011, web:
]
. or
New Orleans Mardi Gras in
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
, emphasising the white tie expectations for men and full-length
evening gowns for ladies.
[
When the ]Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
's Costume Institute Gala
The Met Gala, or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It is popularly r ...
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.
Composition
According to the British etiquette guide '' Debrett's'', the central components of full evening dress for men are a white marcella shirt with a wing collar and single cuffs, fastened with studs and cufflinks; the eponymous white marcella bow tie is worn around the collar, while a low-cut marcella waistcoat is worn over the shirt. Over this is worn a black double-breasted barathea wool or ultrafine herringbone tailcoat with silk faced peak lapels. The trousers have two galon down the outside of both legs. The correct shoes are patent leather court shoes. Although a white scarf and evening overcoat remains popular in winter, the traditional white gloves, top hats, canes and cloaks are now rare. Women wear a full-length evening dress, with the option of jewellery, a tiara, a pashmina, coat or wrap, and long white gloves.
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 GQ magazine summarises "The simple rule of thumb is that you should only ever see black and white not black, white and black again". While ''Debrett's'' accepts double cuffs for shirts worn with white tie, most tailors and merchants suggest that single, linked cuffs are the most traditional and formal variation acceptable under the dress code. Double cuffs are not frequently worn or recommended with white tie. Decorations may also be worn and, unlike ''Debrett's'', Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
's '' Varsity'' student newspaper suggests a top hat, opera cloak and silver-topped cane are acceptable accessories.
Gallery
File:Astaire,_Fred_-_Never_Get_Rich.jpg, Fred Astaire portrait for film '' You'll Never Get Rich'' (1941)
File:Emperor Showa & Empress Kojun 1956-11.jpg, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
of Japan (c. 1956)
File:Portrait officiel de Habib Bourguiba.png, Habib Bourguiba (1903–2000), President of Tunisia (1960)
File:Kennedy 1962 state dinner.jpg, President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A p ...
with President Félix Houphouët-Boigny and Madame Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny of the Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...
(1962)
File:Nixon_and_the_Windsors.jpg, President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
with the Duchess of Windsor alongside the Duke of Windsor in 1970.
File:Ford and Emperor1975.jpg, President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
, First Lady Betty Ford, Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
during a state dinner, 1975
File:First family and Elizabeth II 2007 (outside).jpg, President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and Mrs. Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...
welcome Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
, upon their arrival to the White House for a state dinner (2007)
File:Formal dinner in honour of King Juan Carlos 2.jpg, King Juan Carlos I and President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2009).
File:Thomas-Schmidt-Dirigent-2013.jpg, Conductor Thomas Schmidt with white tie
File:Manfred Obrecht Dirigent.jpg, Conductor with white tie (2016).
References
Citations
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.
* O. E. Schoeffler (1973). ''Esquire's encyclopedia of 20th century men's fashions''. New York: McGraw-Hill
* Rosalind H. Williams (1982).
Dream Worlds: Mass Consumption in Late Nineteenth-century France
'. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
External links
White Tie Do's and Don'ts
{{Clothing
19th-century fashion
20th-century fashion
Formal wear
21st-century fashion