White tie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White tie (also known as evening dress or full evening dress in the United Kingdom) is the most formal dress code that exists for civilians today in the United Kingdom.[1]
There exists a less formal counterpart known as black tie and a formal day time equivalent known as morning dress. See Formal wear for a complete listing and definition of formal dress codes.
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[edit] Elements
Formal evening dress is more strictly regulated than other forms of dress, and properly consists of:
- Black tailcoat with silk (ribbed or satin) facings, sharply cut-away at the front
- Black trousers with a single stripe of satin or braid in the US or two stripes in Europe
- White stiff-fronted shirt, with cotton pique dickie, boiled or heavily starched
- White stiff wing collar (attached to the shirt with collar buttons)
- White bow tie (usually cotton pique)
- White low-cut waistcoat (usually cotton pique, matching the bow tie and dickie)
- Black silk stockings
- Black patent leather pumps or shoes
At some state and heraldic occasions, knee-breeches, silk stockings and black buckled pumps are worn instead of trousers. This is particularly necessary where the garter of the Order of the Garter is intended to be worn.
Shirts, waistcoats and bow ties are now usually made of cotton marcella, although plain linen shirts and white or off-white silk ties and waistcoats are sometimes worn. Shirt studs and cufflinks should be silver or white. A white handkerchief and flower may be worn. At occasions of state, and in the presence of royalty, state decorations are worn by those who have been awarded them: miniature medals plus up to four breast stars, a narrow neck riband and a broad riband (sash). If a Knight of the Garter wears breeches, he wears his garter under his left knee. Ladies of the Garter wear theirs above their left elbow.
Outdoors a black silk top hat is appropriate, with an opera cloak or overcoat, even during the summer. White gloves, scarf and cane are optional extras.
[edit] Variations
Military mess dress or hunt uniform may also be seen at a White Tie event.
[edit] National Dress
National costume may also be worn to white tie functions[1].
[edit] Scottish Highlands dress
As a specific example of national dress, Scottish Highlands dress may also be worn at white tie events.
The traditional white tie version of Highland dress consists of:
- Black coatee - Prince Charlie, Montrose and Sheriffmuir jackets are suitable
- Black or white waistcoat
- Kilt
- White pique shirt and vest with white studs and cufflinks
- Black or white bow tie or white lace jabot
- Black Ghillie brogues
- Tartan or red and white, red and black or blue and white diced kilt hose
- Flashes
- Sporran - formal type with a silver-mounted cantle-top and fur pouch or a full fur and animal mask type
See also: Scottish apparel
[edit] Appropriate occasions
Like black tie, evening dress is generally only worn after 6 p.m. (see note 1 for an exception). Occasions include:
- State dinners (e.g. dinners with visiting heads of state)
- Some Commemoration balls and May balls at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the June Ball of University College Durham
- Hunt balls
- Some balls during the London Season
- Graduation ceremonies at some universities
- the Lord Mayor of London's Mansion House Banquet (though current Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown famously ignores the dress code)
The situation is similar in the United States, however for many formal occassions (such as weddings and the Academy Awards, for example) the white-tie-and-tail suit (which was sometimes informally known as the "soup-and-fish" suit), was replaced by the standard black-tie tuxedo, after the 1950's.
- State dinners
- Balls and cotillions
- Weddings
- Artistic premiers or the opening of an art season in large cities, such as the Opera or Ballet.
In Austria and elsewhere in Continental Europe there are many balls where white tie is worn; a notable example is the Vienna Opera Ball. In Finland, Sweden as well as The Netherlands many academic traditions still require white tie. In Sweden many weddings are white tie as is the Nobel Prize ceremony and dinner occasions with the royal family.
In Japan for school graduation ceremonies, white tie is reserved for the "special dignitaries" such as the school principal and the teachers of the graduating students.
Conductors and members of an orchestra or symphony playing classical music often are dressed in white tie.
[edit] Related forms of dress
White ties were historically worn by clerics and in the professions that formerly were filled by priests and minor clerics. In various forms they are still worn as part of:
- Clerical dress (by persons in Holy Orders)
- Clerical dress (by clerks etc. in Parliament)
- Court dress (in courts of law)
- Court dress (in the Royal court)
- Academic dress (in the older universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews and Durham)
White ties are not usually worn with military mess dress, where black ties are most often worn even with the most formal variants. In the Royal Navy, mess dress (as opposed to mess undress) requires a white waistcoat but a black tie.
[edit] Note
- ^ In the United Kingdom civilian day court dress (in the Royal court) is similar to white tie, but nowadays white tie is worn in its place to the most formal state occasions, e.g. by foreign ambassadors at the State Opening of Parliament. This is the case even though such occasions occur during the day.
[edit] External links
- Definition of white tie
- Formal working dress of Attendants of the German Parliament
- Living Gentlemanly (the details of wearing White tie)
