black tie do..what to wear

[Aloreth]

Always amazes me that people don't posses their own suits.

I know people don't use them regularly, but having a suit fitted is a great experience, so much better then buying/renting one off the shelf. It's not overly expensive, and if chosen properly a good tailors can be a good experience.

Store them properly and they'll last years.Haha, so true. I'm still not very good at tying my bow-tie and I wear it an awful lot .

When you say 'its not overly expensive' what do you mean? I doubt you could get a half decent tailored suit for less than £400 (I imagine most people would pay significantly more.

If you wear a suit to work then fine, I agree its a decent investment however a tux? Spending hundreds of pounds on something that im going to wear twice a year doesnt make a lot of sense to me. Also bear in mind the fact that most of the time you wear a tux there is a fairly good chance youre going to spill drink over it..... (lets face it, its one of those nights)

 

[semi-pro waster]

You are, of course, rather more likely to attend such occasions than the vast majority of OcUK I'd hazard a guess. Mainly due to your location and that you also studied there the opportunities will be significantly greater (you also mentioned it in another thread recently I believe) so while for you £600 is a worthwhile investment, it would not be so for me at present. That and I'd be wanting to wear a kilt for any semi formal occasion anyway if I had any choice in the matter.

 

[platypus]

When you say 'its not overly expensive' what do you mean? I doubt you could get a half decent tailored suit for less than £400 (I imagine most people would pay significantly more.

If you wear a suit to work then fine, I agree its a decent investment however a tux? Spending hundreds of pounds on something that im going to wear twice a year doesnt make a lot of sense to me. Also bear in mind the fact that most of the time you wear a tux there is a fairly good chance youre going to spill drink over it..... (lets face it, its one of those nights)

Indeed, I've spent a lot more on my suits.

I've never spilled anything on either of my dinner suits, how hard is it to do that?

You are, of course, rather more likely to attend such occasions than the vast majority of OcUK I'd hazard a guess. Mainly due to your location and that you also studied there the opportunities will be significantly greater (you also mentioned it in another thread recently I believe) so while for you £600 is a worthwhile investment, it would not be so for me at present. That and I'd be wanting to wear a kilt for any semi formal occasion anyway if I had any choice in the matter.

You're right, I do get a lot more mileage from my formal gear.

I'm half tempted to get a kilt .

 

[Dj_Jestar]

OcUK is so funny at times. On one hand we have salary threads where people all moan about getting paid £14.50 per year for their helpdesk job, then on the other whenever a "spec me" thread comes along we have people saying things like this

It's rarely the same people replying to both..

 

[semi-pro waster]

I'm half tempted to get a kilt .

Go for it, one of my flatmates is English and loves it when he gets a chance to wear a kilt. It can be quite pricey if you go for the full Prince Charlie but not hugely more so than a decent dinner jacket or just get a kilt and build up from there if you like it, bearing in mind that a good quality kilt will outlast most other items of clothing by years. The feeling of freedom alone makes it worthwhile, my only advice is to take care when sitting down and watch out for women trying to lift the kilt to see if you're a true Scotsman (it might appeal to you but it is usually middle-aged women for some unknown reason).

 

[Lopéz]

£35 at ASDA:
http://direct.asda.com/george/mens-...=ASDADirectGeorge-_-Homepage-_-Panel1-_-Area1

I needed a cheap dinner suit for a one off do last year - as it was only going to be used once I was not going to spend very much on it.

I looked at the Asda one and it was quite poor, so I tried the usual suspects (Burton/Next/etc) and eventually settled on one from M+S. I think it was £50 for the jacket and trousers, and about £12 for a winged collar shirt and another few quid for a clip on tie - don't bother getting a "real" bow tie unless you can be bothered to learn how to tie it, it'll look awful.

If I was buying a buying a business suit I don't think I'd ever recommend spending as little £50 unless it's for a court appearance D) but for a black tie night you just need to blend in and look like everyone else - it's a uniform.

 

[CliffyBiro]

A black tie would be a good start,

 

[GingerNinja1989]

Jeez, I'm a 19 year old student and I own two suits and a tux! Lol.

What you want is a tux, wing-collar shirt, bow tie and a cummerbund. Sorted!

 

[Jez]

few quid for a clip on tie - don't bother getting a "real" bow tie unless you can be bothered to learn how to tie it, it'll look awful.

On the contrary i would advise getting both, what i do is wear the clip on with the real one in my pocket, then a couple of hours in take the clip on off and drape the real one around my neck as per the crowd. Win win

 

[Begbie]

Hazarding a guess, but a black tie.

 

[Lopéz]

On the contrary i would advise getting both, what i do is wear the clip on with the real one in my pocket, then a couple of hours in take the clip on off and drape the real one around my neck as per the crowd. Win win

Ahh yes, I'd forgotton about the "****** as a fart therefore have tie draped over one shoulder" look

 

[Jez]

Ahh yes, I'd forgotton about the "****** as a fart therefore have tie draped over one shoulder" look

The only stage at which i enjoy these types of events

 

[platypus]

Go for it, one of my flatmates is English and loves it when he gets a chance to wear a kilt.

Well, we actually have a family Tartan and all that jazz, so could in theory justify it.. .

 

[ChroniC]

If you have a black suit, then why not just geta black bow tie and wear a white shirt. Job done??

 

[Scuzi]

If you have a black suit, then why not just geta black bow tie and wear a white shirt. Job done??

A dinner jacket and trousers are very different to a standard suit.

 

[platypus]

If you have a black suit, then why not just geta black bow tie and wear a white shirt. Job done??

As Scuzi said. A dinner suit is nothing like a 'black suit'.

 

[ChroniC]

I didn't imply that it was, so you are being very presumptuous, and quite pedantic to the rules of black tie, which having been to many only require at least a black suits and black tie or bow tie.

 

[Scuzi]

I didn't imply that it was, so you are being very presumptuous, and quite pedantic to the rules of black tie, which having been to many only require at least a black suits and black tie or bow tie.

By posting the suggestion, you did imply that a black lounge or business suit would be suitable. Any black tie function I have attended has required a dinner jacket unless it specifically states on the invitation that lounge suits are also welcome.

The rules of black tie are black and white (ho ho) so there's nothing to be pedantic about. It's either acceptable or it isn't and a black suit is not unless otherwise stated.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

If its work xmas do It very unlikley that anything is 'unacceptable'

I went to mine last year with a GREY bow tie, go me! I was there due to paying £20 for a full 3 course meal, entertainment and an open bar the fact people were in DJ's and some were in shirts and trousers didnt really bother anybody. I imagine the event you have been invited to is a similar situation.