By Daniel Hakimi in eveningwear — Dec 13, 2021

Eveningwear Part One: Classic Black Tie

Eveningwear makes me happy. It's tailoring that's exclusively for parties. No business: just weddings, galas, holiday parties, fancy dinner parties... It's a symbol of celebration, and here, I'm going to celebrate it. This is the first album, and the simplest—classic black tie.

Flycatcher by Fab Gorjian

I've collected a fair bit, and I'm not going to stop soon. So I've decided to share it in three distinct portions, increasingly creative as I go. This is the first album, and the simplest—classic black tie.

Simple doesn't mean boring. You'll see interesting cuts below. Wonderful wool and silk and velvet. Peak and shawl lapels. Black and midnight blue. Shirts with different plackets, some with pleats. Pumps, slippers, oxfords, and maybe even a couple of pairs of loafers. I'll provide commentary, of course, but this isn't too complicated—I'm sure you can spot some patterns on your own.

Saman Amel makes sleek, simple, beautiful suits. So take this as a start. Patent leather pumps with a grosgrain bow are the most classic option for footwear, and although you might think they're a little effeminate... so is eveningwear, all around. Don't try and hide from it. Beauty is something to embrace.

Ralph Lauren. Left: Blake Gray in Velvet. Right: Spring 2021 model in a glorious DB Peak.

Jonathan in his profile as one of the Rakes of the Year

Left: Sean Connery as James Bond in a midnight blue shawl collar tuxedo. This is the first outfit shown in Dr. No, the first Eon film in the series. Right: Daniel Craig in a similar tuxedo in Skyfall. Is Craig's too tight? Yes. Still iconic.

Again, Craig as Bond. Is the character a symbol of toxic masculinity? Yes. Still iconic.

Eric Cotecson. This was one of his earlier outfits... You'll see more of him in parts 2 and 3.

@littlefatyaa in his wedding tux, by The Anthology. Gotta love that shawl.

A portrait of Jay Fielden by Neleman Sebastian

Jack Donaghy. It's after six. What is he, a farmer?

Andreas Larsson of Berg and Berg on his wedding day, shot by Milad Abedi

A Sartoria Dalcoure tux, shot for The Rake

Will in one of the only three-piece tuxes I have here. I'm not generally a huge fan of waistcoats, but I believe they look best with single-breasted jackets worn open. The hint of a waistcoat under a buttoned jacket feels like an unnecessary layer to me, in contrast to the hint of a scarf, which I love.

Squid Game uses tuxedos to help inform a chilling scene. Without spoilers, it helps to draw a contrast that helps illuminate the desperate class struggle at the heart of the series.

Logan Lee of B&Tailor in *super* sharp peaks.

A double breasted jacket cut by Tiefenbrun in Brooklyn

Nethaniel Asseraf in Morjas Shoes' feature on Holiday Attire. Their pumps, on the right, are, once again, classics.

Jeremy Allen White in a tux from Polo Ralph Lauren, as seen in GQ

Are notch lapels *wrong* with black tie? No. They're just not ideal. (Sockless austerity brogues, flap pockets, and a red bowtie are technically all wrong, but I'll forgive it for the Polo bear).

Further Reading

Part two of my series will cover simple variations, such as white dinner jackets, colored velvet, and other separates. Part three will cover more creative interpretations of eveningwear.

The Armoury's Guides

Other Guides

Note that I won't be going over white tie... because I don't really care about it.