If you’ve watched The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, or just about any period drama based in the 19th or early-20th century, you’ve seen the white tie dress code. Known as the most formal type of Western dress, the stiff-collared, starched-white suits seem like the epitome of traditional, upper-class stuffiness — like the character we hated in 1997’s Titanic.
Despite these modern connotations, the white tie dress code was initially a simpler, less ostentatious version of evening attire. Until around the end of the 1700s, formal dress for upper-class men was far more decorative, with frilly shirts and adorned coats. Then, around the turn of the century, the Regency-era aristocracy began to adopt a more sombre style which included dark colours and simpler cuts.
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This was the result of a few factors, including cultural and political developments such as The Enlightenment and the French Revolution, which brought with them changing mindsets towards class, masculinity and utilitarianism. This evolution in men’s clothing was coined “The Great Male Renunciation” by psychologist John Flügel in 1930. A particularly important figure in England’s stylistic shift was Beau Brummell, father of dandyism and original fashion influencer.
When we think of white tie, we think of: a black tailcoat and trousers, a white or black waistcoat, and a white shirt and bowtie. This look as we know it didn’t fully emerge until the Victorian era, when the black-and-white colour palette became standard and the bowtie replaced the cravat. By the 1920s and 30s, though, the tailcoat was increasingly being replaced by the shorter dinner jacket and the black tie began to replace the white tie, save for the most formal occasions. (Which is why we have a black tie dress code, which is below white tie in formality.) By the time of the flower power revolution of the 1960s, white tie had almost completely fallen out of fashion.
But that’s enough of the history: it’s 2025, so chances are you won’t be needing to dress in white tie. However, just in case you’ve been invited to the Met Gala or a particularly fancy wedding, we’ve got you covered.
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How to wear white tie for men
You will need a black evening tailcoat jacket with peaked silk lapels and matching black trousers with silk gallon trim. Peaked lapels are more formal than the typical notched lapel, while the gallon trim consists of two silk strips that runs up the side of the leg to cover the seams. The trousers should also be high-waisted.