Dressed for the Invitation: An Event Etiquette Guide

A dress code is not a restriction. It is the host telling you the part you have been invited to play. Reading it well is a form of respect; playing it well is a form of style.

Black tie asks for a dinner jacket — and rewards those who understand its quiet variations: ivory jackets for warm evenings, midnight blue that photographs richer than black, velvet for the confident.

When in doubt, dress one notch above the code and remove one element on arrival if needed. A tie can leave; it cannot appear.