Wedding Tailoring
Dinner suit and black tie: the complete guide
- Written by
- The Roomten tailors
- Published
- 2026-09-04
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-04
- Reading time
- 6 min
- dinner suit
- black tie
- tuxedo
- evening wear
- guide
In short
Black tie means a midnight blue or black dinner suit with silk-faced lapels, braided trousers with no turn-ups, a white dress shirt, a black self-tied bow tie and a waist covering. Black patent or highly polished oxfords finish it.
The jacket
Single-breasted with a peak lapel or a shawl collar, one button, faced in grosgrain or satin silk, and never vented in the strictest reading. Midnight blue looks blacker than black under evening light and is the traditional choice.
Trousers, shirt and tie
- Trousers — a single silk braid down the outside seam, no belt loops, no turn-ups, worn with side adjusters or braces.
- Shirt — white, with a marcella or pleated front and a turndown collar; double cuffs and dress studs.
- Bow tie — black silk, self-tied. A pre-tied bow tie is the single most common giveaway.
The waist covering
A cummerbund or a low-cut evening waistcoat covers the waistband, which is the point of it. If the jacket is double-breasted and stays fastened, you can do without.
Where you can move
Velvet jackets in deep colours, a shawl collar instead of a peak, and black tie for a wedding rather than a formal dinner all read as considered rather than wrong. What does not work is a business suit with a bow tie.