White Tie – Introduction
"White Tie Preferred"
"White Tie Preferred" means precisely that. If you can dress in white tie, please do. If you can't, black tie is perfectly acceptable.
White Tie
"White Tie" is a simple two-word code for the formality of dress required. For gentlemen, it defines very precisely what is required. For ladies, it usually means a long dress. The latter still seem to have a good grasp of what formal dress means. This document and its various links are therefore restricted to what gentlemen need to know.
Black Tie
Like "White Tie", "Black Tie" is another simple two-word code for the formality of dress required. Even for gentlemen, its definition is now nowhere as strict as it used to be (and as "White Tie" still is). For completeness, a note on black tie is also included.
Bands
Bands are nothing to do with evening dress as such but they are often worn with white tie. Since we have been asked how to tie them, the link has been included here for convenience.
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Last updated St Peter, 2007