Black Tie Dress Code for Men: What to Wear, Rule by Rule

By Randy Willard

Black tie means a tuxedo. For a man, that's a single-breasted jacket with one button or a double-breasted one, a bow tie you tie yourself, a French-cuff shirt with cufflinks, trousers with a plain bottom and a high-gloss formal shoe. I prefer pleated trousers and a lace-up. If the invitation says black tie optional, a basic black suit that you dress up is the alternative.

I hear it from clients all the time: I don't really dress up for black tie anymore. Let me tell you something. The reason you don't go to those events, and don't look like a million dollars when you do, is because you don't own it.

Randy's rule: Black tie is man's finest hour. You can cut corners with your suits and sport jackets. With black tie, stay true to the look.

What does black tie mean for men?

Black tie is the formal evening dress code, and for a man it means a tuxedo. It isn't just for a wedding or the Academy Awards. Award ceremonies, black tie evenings, winter events where dressing up means putting on your best: if you're living an active life, they're popping up everywhere.

When I wear black tie that isn't all black, someone always says, that's not true black tie. There's a time and a place for each. A party atmosphere is where you can wear a formal look with some personality, an entertainment look in black tie form. The very formal, Academy Awards kind of night is where you want to be in an all-black tuxedo.

The black tie checklist

Here's the whole look, detail by detail.

The jacket: one button, or double-breasted

With black tie, stay traditional. I want to be looked at as the quintessential gentleman in a tuxedo, and that starts with the jacket.

Choose a single-breasted jacket with one button, not two. Two buttons is for a sport jacket; for a tuxedo, one button. Or go double-breasted, like the one I'm wearing above. It's more modern today, and it gives you a little stronger look.

Like any jacket, it has to fit at the shoulders and collar first. My free Perfect Suit Checklist gives you the eight points I check on every suit.

The bow tie: tie it yourself

Start at the top. Your bow tie should be manually tied, not pre-tied like the ones you can buy at department stores. A hand-tied bow tie has a more irregular shape, and because of that it offers more character to your look.

With a tuxedo, wear the bow tie. A dressy necktie belongs with the black suit at a black tie optional event, which I'll get to below.

Cummerbund, waistband or suspenders?

Do you need a cummerbund? Not necessarily. I prefer not to. I like to roll out a two-inch waistband, a more modern classic look, and leave the cummerbund in another place.

Suspenders are the same story. Some guys prefer them. I don't need them; I think they're just a little bit too much. I prefer a really clean finish to my tuxedo.

Trousers: pleats, and never a cuff

I prefer a pleated trouser with a tuxedo. It offers a little more room, and it shows off the more modern way tuxedos are being worn today.

The question I get from men who aren't used to wearing one: should I have a cuff bottom or a plain bottom? Always a plain bottom. You never put a cuff on a tuxedo trouser.

Shirt, cufflinks and pocket square

Don't leave out the appropriate things to wear. A French cuff in your shirt, a pocket square, and a cufflink that says I'm elegant. They're the embellishments that finish your look for the evening or that special event.

Shoes: high gloss, laced

Every man needs a formal shoe for his tuxedo: a high-gloss, plain-toe lace-up, worn only for those dressy black tie occasions. You can swap it for a slip-on in the same gloss, but I prefer the lace-up. It's the more gentlemanly approach and a finer evening look.

Black tie vs. black tie optional

We're often invited to gala events where it's black tie optional. That's exactly what the basic black suit is for.

Can you wear a black suit to a black tie event?

To a black tie optional event, yes. The basic black suit is for the moment when black tie isn't required. Dress it up however you want, with a bow tie, a regular tie or just an open collar, whatever is going to turn your screws. When the invitation says black tie, wear the tuxedo. The same goes for a wedding: if it's black tie, wear black tie.

When I wear the black suit, I keep it simple. I don't mix and match it the way I do my other suits. Always a French cuff under the jacket, cufflinks to dress it up, and a white pocket square in what I call a presidential fold. It's more of a James Bond approach, because you don't wear a black suit that often. Then finish with the right shoe.

If you're leaning toward the open collar, I cover when it works in Can You Wear a Suit Without a Tie?

When you don't have to be formal: the entertainment jacket

Not every dressy evening calls for a tuxedo. A winter festive party, a gathering, a gala where you want to be spiffy and cool but don't have to be formal: that's where the entertainment jacket earns its place. In most closets I walk into, it's missing.

For winter, an off-white jacket is very handsome and elegant. It's formal, but you can give it a casual spin. Mine has a herringbone running through it, which breaks up the color and makes it a little less formal than a solid ivory or white dinner jacket. The details should be fun and expressive; the pattern and the design shouldn't be anything you'd see on a normal sport jacket.

Own the tuxedo

When I build a wardrobe, black tie comes before the suits. It's also the biggest stumbling block. Clients look me in the eye and say, I don't really need that, I need suits. But if you're trying to create a CEO wardrobe, a wardrobe that's meaningful for your life, it starts with black tie.

If you have it there, you're going to wear it. Perhaps you don't have a tuxedo in your closet yet. You need to put that there. For the suits that come after black tie, watch my free CEO Masterclass, where I walk through the five suits every CEO needs.

Keep it clean, keep it formal, keep it interesting, and you will discover man's best moments. I cover black tie, and the suits that follow it, in Module 2 of The CEO Wardrobe.

Frequently asked questions

What does black tie mean for men?
A tuxedo: a single-breasted one-button or a double-breasted jacket, a hand-tied bow tie, a French-cuff shirt with cufflinks, trousers with a plain bottom and a high-gloss formal shoe.

Can I wear a black suit to a black tie event?
To a black tie optional event, yes, dressed up with a bow tie, a regular tie or an open collar. When the invitation says black tie, wear a tuxedo.

What does black tie optional mean for men?
A tuxedo is welcome but not required. A basic black suit with French cuffs, cufflinks and a white pocket square is the alternative.

Do you need a cummerbund with a tuxedo?
No. A cummerbund is optional. I prefer a two-inch waistband for a cleaner, more modern look.

Should tuxedo pants have cuffs?
Never. Tuxedo trousers always have a plain bottom.

Should a tuxedo jacket have one button or two?
One. Two buttons belong on a sport jacket. A double-breasted tuxedo is the modern alternative.

Is a pre-tied bow tie okay?
Tie your own. A hand-tied bow tie has a slightly irregular shape that gives your look more character.

What shoes do you wear with a tuxedo?
A high-gloss, plain-toe lace-up. A slip-on in the same gloss also works, but the lace-up looks finer in the evening.

What should a man wear to a black tie wedding?
A tuxedo. If the invitation says black tie, wear black tie; dressing for the occasion is how you respect the couple.

Should I rent or buy a tuxedo?
Own one. When clients tell me they don't go to black tie events anymore, the reason is usually that they don't own a tuxedo. If it's in your closet, you'll wear it.