Black Tie for Men: The Dress Code and the Cummerbund
The black tie dress code for men asks for a dinner jacket with matching trousers, a white dress shirt, a black bow tie and black shoes, with either a cummerbund or a waistcoat at the waist. That is the whole list. The invitation tends to arrive in November, for a Christmas ball, a charity dinner or a New Year party, and most men open it and wonder which of those pieces they actually own.
At a glance
- Dinner jacket and trousers in black or midnight navy.
- White shirt, ideally with a turn-down collar and a pleated or plain front.
- Black bow tie. Not a long tie, not a coloured one.
- Cummerbund or waistcoat. Never both.
- Black shoes, polished or patent.
- What black tie means
- The pieces, one at a time
- How to wear a cummerbund
- Navy, velvet and white
- Buying one and getting it fitted
What the black tie dress code means for men
Black tie is evening formal wear, one step below white tie. It grew up in the late nineteenth century as the relaxed alternative to tails, and the name comes from the bow tie rather than the jacket. In Britain the outfit is called a dinner suit. Americans say tuxedo. They mean the same thing.
The rules are narrow on purpose. Every man in the room wears close to the same outfit, so the clothes stop being a competition and the fit becomes the only thing anyone notices. That is good news if you get the fit right.
Two variations turn up on invitations. Black tie optional means a dinner suit is preferred but a dark lounge suit with a tie is acceptable. Creative black tie gives you licence for a velvet jacket or a coloured bow tie, as long as the shape of the outfit stays formal.
The pieces, one at a time
The jacket has satin or grosgrain facings on the lapels, either a shawl collar or a peak. Notch lapels belong on a business suit, so avoid them here. One button at the front is traditional. The trousers match the jacket and carry a single satin stripe down the outside of the leg, and they are worn with braces or side adjusters rather than a belt.
- Shirt: white, with a turn-down collar and double cuffs for cufflinks
- Bow tie: black, matching the lapel facing, self-tie if you can manage it
- Shoes: black oxfords, highly polished or patent
- Socks: black and long enough that no shin shows when you sit
Pre-tied bow ties are fine, and nobody is checking. A self-tie looks a little less perfect, which is exactly why some men prefer it. Our bow ties include both.
How to wear a cummerbund
A cummerbund is a pleated sash worn around the waist, covering the point where the shirt meets the trousers. The word comes from the Hindi and Persian kamarband, a waist sash that British officers in India adopted in the nineteenth century as a cooler alternative to a waistcoat. It does the same job today: it keeps a tidy line at the waist when the jacket is open.
Wearing one well comes down to four things.
- Pleats face upwards. The old story is that they caught crumbs at dinner, which is as good a way to remember it as any.
- It sits at your natural waist and covers the trouser waistband completely, with no shirt showing above or below.
- The fastening goes at the back, so the front is a clean band of satin.
- It replaces a waistcoat. Wearing both is the one mistake every etiquette guide agrees on.
Black is the classic choice, matched to the bow tie. Our cummerbund and bow tie sets come boxed in duchess satin, handmade in England, and adjust to fit waists from 28 to 44 inches. There are red and white versions too, which suit a creative black tie or a wedding party better than a formal dinner. The full range is in cummerbunds, and the alternative is a suit waistcoat in black.
Navy, velvet and white
Midnight navy is the oldest and most accepted change to black. Under artificial light it can read darker than black itself, and it is correct for any black tie event.
Velvet came from the smoking jacket and now turns up at Christmas parties and as a host's jacket. The Tiesto is navy velvet with a tonal pattern and a satin shawl lapel. Wear it with plain black dinner trousers, a white shirt and a black bow tie, and keep everything else simple.
A white dinner jacket was originally for hot climates and summer evenings, worn with black trousers. Winter white is a bolder move in December, and it works best when you know the room. The Baks 99MM4177 has satin peak lapels and satin-covered buttons in a tailored fit. For a traditional black, the paisley dinner jacket carries a tonal pattern that only shows when the light catches it.
Buying one and getting it fitted
If you go to two or more black tie events a year, owning a dinner suit soon makes more sense than hiring. You get one that fits you rather than the last man who wore it, and it is ready when the next invitation lands.
Fit matters more here than with any other suit. The shoulders should sit flat, the jacket should button without pulling, and the trousers should break just once on the shoe. Our dinner jackets come in short, regular and long fittings, which takes care of most of the sleeve problem before any alteration.
Come into 30 Seamoor Road, Westbourne, and we will put the whole outfit together with you: jacket, trousers, shirt, bow tie and cummerbund. Allow time before the event in case anything needs adjusting.
Frequently asked questions
What does black tie mean for men?
Black tie is a formal evening dress code. For men it means a dinner suit, also called a tuxedo: a black or midnight navy jacket with satin lapels and matching trousers with a satin stripe. It is worn with a white dress shirt, a black bow tie, black polished or patent shoes, and either a cummerbund or a waistcoat. It sits one step below white tie, which calls for a tailcoat, and well above a business suit.
How do you wear a cummerbund?
Wear it at your natural waist so it covers the top of the trousers completely, with the pleats facing upwards and the fastening at the back. It should match your bow tie, which for traditional black tie means black satin. A cummerbund is worn instead of a waistcoat, never with one, and it is only seen when the jacket is open, so it should sit flat without bunching when you sit down.
Can you wear a cummerbund and a waistcoat together?
No. A cummerbund and a waistcoat do the same job, covering the waistband and giving a clean line under an open jacket, so wearing both doubles up. Choose one. A cummerbund is lighter and suits a warm room or a long evening of dancing. A low-cut black waistcoat gives a slightly more traditional look and stays neat when the jacket comes off. Either is correct for black tie.
Is a navy dinner suit acceptable for black tie?
Yes. Midnight navy has been accepted for black tie for about a century, and under evening light it can look richer and darker than black. Keep the rest of the outfit traditional: black satin or grosgrain on the lapels, a white shirt, a black bow tie and black shoes. Brighter blues and patterned jackets suit a creative black tie event better than a formal dinner.
Where can I buy a dinner suit in Bournemouth?
Baks Menswear is at 30 Seamoor Road in Westbourne, a few minutes west of Bournemouth town centre. We stock dinner jackets in black, navy velvet and winter white, with dinner trousers, white dress shirts, bow ties and cummerbund sets, and we fit them in store. The shop is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm, with no appointment needed. Call 01202 751008 if you would like us to check a size first.
