The Alternative to Black Tie

Every year, I have to host four awards ceremonies. Three of these are in March, in quick succession. As a result, I have always hired black tie from the local Moss Bros. It never seemed worth buying my own, given that I would only wear it four times a year and one hire would do for three of them. Plus if I were to buy a new suit, there was always one I would rather have than black tie – one that I would get more use out of.

But this hired outfit was awful. Constructed from a manmade material designed to repel stains, it was stiff, shiny and may even have crinkled. And as it was off-the-rack, it didn’t fit. As men tend to notice more when something is too tight, rather than too loose, the jacket was far too large around the stomach.

To the rescue came Alan Flusser, he of previously recommended book Dressing the Man. In his section on dinner jacket alternatives, he tells us that the odd jacket was perfectly acceptable as black tie, as long as it maintained similar texture and structure to the full suit. The first obvious material was velvet, usually in black and worn with black wool trousers. His illustration shows Douglas Fairbanks escorting the Duchess of Kent in just such a velvet jacket, complete with white handkerchief and monogrammed slippers.

Now I couldn’t get away with monogrammed slippers, but a velvet jacket seemed perfectly possible. And as if to bless the discovery, I already had both black wool and black linen trousers. The black linen, if sufficiently ironed, might do very well at the two events held in hot climates – Hong Kong and Dubai.

So I conducted a short search of the vintage shops in Covent Garden, and discovered a lovely two-button jacket in Rokit. The shoulders fitted perfectly. The waist was far too large and the arms too long, but a quick trip to my tailor solved that.

The jacket itself cost £30, as did the tailoring bill. So for £60, the same price as two hires of a black tie suit from Moss Bros, I had a fully working outfit I could wear to all four events. Plus, I had a black velvet jacket that could be worn to parties, with perhaps dark jeans and a sombre shirt.

I include a photo of me at this year’s event in the ensemble. I think it looks good, but do please be kind with any comments.

(P.S. The other advantage of a velvet jacket is that your outfit is ever-so-slightly different to everyone else’s. There’s a certain satisfaction in that. Plus, the snob in me hopes one day someone will pick me up for not wearing correct black tie, and I can triumphantly quote Mr Flusser to him. For the sake of my humility, I hope that never happens.)