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White tie, also calledfull evening dress or adress suit, is the mostformal eveningWestern dress code.[1] For men, it consists of a blacktail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a whitedress shirt with a starched or piqué bib, whitepiquéwaistcoat and the whitebow tie worn around a standingwing collar. Mid or high-waisted blacktrousers withgalon, a braid of trim consisting of two silk stripes to conceal the outer seams of the trousers, along withcourt shoes (British English) (pumps inAmerican English) complete the outfit.Orders, decorations andmedals in miniature may be worn. Acceptable accessories include a blacktop hat, whitegloves, a whitescarf, apocket watch, a white pocket square, and aboutonnière. Women wear full-lengthball orevening gowns withevening gloves and, optionally,tiaras,jewellery, and a smallhandbag.[2]
The dress code's origins can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. New fully black-colouredjustaucorps styles emerged around theAge of Revolution, notably adopted by thebourgeoisthird estate of theEstates General of theKingdom of France. Increasingly following theFrench Revolution, high society men abandoned the richly decorated justaucorps coats for more austere cutawaydress coats in dark colours, with cuts perhaps further inspired by thefrocks andriding coats of country gentlemen. Gradually replacing alsobreeches,lacy dress shirts andjabots with plain whitedress shirts, shorter waistcoats, whitecravats andpantaloons, this became known asdirectoire style. By the early 19th-centuryRegency era, 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 blackfrock 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 more comfortable semi-formalblack tie dress code in the 1880s, full evening dress tailcoats remained the staple. Towards the end of theVictorian era, white bow ties and waistcoats became the standard for full evening dress, contrasting with black bow ties and waistcoats orcummerbunds for black tie.
Following the social changes after theFirst World War and especially with thecounterculture 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 at banquets followinginvestitures,state dinners andaudiences, in addition to formalballs andgalas such as theVienna Opera Ball inAustria, theNobel Prize banquet inStockholm,Mardi Gras balls in New Orleans,Commemoration balls atOxford andMay balls atCambridge, and theAl Smith Memorial Dinner inNew York. White tie still also occurs at traditionalweddings and church celebrations, at certainsocieties andfraternities, as well as occasionally around some traditionalEuropean universities and colleges.
Throughout theEarly 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.[3] 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 formalmorning coat, which curved back from the front to the tails. From around 1815, a knee-length garment called thefrock 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.[4] ThedandyBeau Brummell adopted a minimalistic approach to evening wear—a white waistcoat, dark blue tailcoat, black pantaloons and striped stockings.[5] Although Brummell felt black an ugly colour for evening dress coats, it was adopted by other dandies, likeCharles Baudelaire, and black and white had become the standard colours by the 1840s.[6][7]
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.[3] 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. Thedinner 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.[8] Despite its growing popularity, the dinner jacket remained the reserve of family dinners and gentlemen's clubs during the late Victorian period.[3]
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 inJazz Age America meant white tie was replaced by black tie as the default evening wear for young men, especially at nightclubs.[3] According toThe Delineator, the years afterWorld War I saw white tie "almost abandoned".[11] But it did still have a place: the American etiquette writerEmily 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] TheDuke of Windsor (then Prince of Wales and later Edward VIII) wore amidnight 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]
The last president to have worn white tie at aUnited States presidential inauguration was PresidentJohn F. Kennedy in 1961, who woremorning dress forhis inauguration, and a white tie ensemble for hisinauguration ball.
While rare in the early 21st century, it survives as the formal dress code for royal and public ceremonies andaudiences,weddings,balls, and a select group of other social events in some countries.
In London, it is still used by ambassadors attending the Christmas ball offered byKing Charles III at Buckingham palace[17] as well as the Lord Mayor dinner at Mansion House.[18]
Notable international recurrent white tie events include theNobel Banquet in Sweden[19] and theVienna Opera Ball in Austria.[20]
InScandinavia and the Netherlands, white tie is the traditional attire fordoctoral conferments and is prescribed at some Swedish and Finnish universities, where it is worn with atop hat variant called adoctoral hat. At the universities inUppsala andLund in Sweden, it is still common for students to wear white tie at formal events. In Sweden and Finland, a black waistcoat is worn with white tie for academic occasions in the daytime.[21][22][23][24][25] In the Netherlands, the attendants of the graduate student, calledparanymphs, will also wear white tie.
Somefraternities such asFreemasons andOdd Fellows wear dress coats to their meetings.[26][27]
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In Britain, it is worn at certain formal occasions such asstate banquets,[28][29] City of London livery dinners[30][31] and certain balls atOxford,Cambridge,Durham,Edinburgh andSt Andrews universities.[32][33][34][35] The president and officers of theOxford Union are still required to wear white tie at every debate but since the 1930s, other speakers are only required to wear black tie.[36]
A few state dinners at theWhite House apply white tie, such as the one held forQueen Elizabeth II in 2007.[37] Notable annual white-tie dinners include theGridiron Club Dinner inWashington, D.C., theAlfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner inNew York City. White tie is also required at a fewdebutante balls such as theViennese Opera Ball in New York and theInternational Debutante Ball inNew York City, and theVeiled Prophet Ball inSt. Louis. Some dance-focused balls require white tie, especially forwaltz orquadrille.[38]
In the southern United States, white tie is sometimes referred to as "costume de rigueur", adapted fromFrench language due to the historical background ofNew France. It is sometimes used in invitations tomasquerade balls andMardi Gras celebrations, such as theMardi Gras in Mobile,Alabama,[39][40] orNew Orleans Mardi Gras,Louisiana, emphasising the white tie expectations for men and full-lengthevening gowns for ladies.[40]
TheMetropolitan Museum of Art'sCostume Institute Gala in New York City has occasionally had a white tie dress code, notably in 2014 for the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" exhibit, and in 2022 for "Gilded Glamour". When it 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.[41][42]
According to the British etiquette guideDebrett's, the central components of full evening dress for men are a whitemarcella shirt with a wingcollar and singlecuffs, fastened with studs andcufflinks; the eponymous white marcellabow tie is worn around the collar, while a low-cut marcellawaistcoat is worn over the shirt. Over this is worn a black double-breastedbarathea wool or ultrafineherringbone tailcoat with silk faced peaklapels. The trousers have two galon down the outside of both legs. The correct shoes arepatent leathercourt shoes.[43][44] 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-lengthevening dress, with the option of jewellery, a tiara, a pashmina, coat or wrap, andlong 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 forGQ magazine summarises "The simple rule of thumb is that you should only ever see black and white not black, white and black again".[45][46] WhileDebrett's accepts double cuffs for shirts worn with white tie,[47] most tailors and merchants suggest that single, linked cuffs are the most traditional and formal variation acceptable under the dress code.[48] Double cuffs are not frequently worn or recommended with white tie. Decorations may also be worn and, unlikeDebrett's,Cambridge University'sVarsity student newspaper suggests a top hat,opera cloak and silver-topped cane are acceptable accessories.[49]
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