Clik here to view.
Burns Night
Burns Night celebrations at Oxford University. (Wojtek Szymczak / Cherwell.org) I received an email this week from a British formalwear retailer promoting plaid bow ties and waistcoats for Burns Night....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Outstation
British Borneo, 1899. The Outstation is a 1924 short story by Somerset Maugham about a self-exiled British gentleman named Warburton in charge of a remote outpost in Borneo. The story opens as his new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Bespoke: The Men’s Style of Savile Row
For those of us who can only dream of patronizing Savile Row’s world-renowned tailoring houses, this book might be the next best thing. Author James Sherwood (who has assisted me with my research...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Suspender / Cummerbund Conundrum
Black Tie Guide visitors occasionally ask me if it’s okay to wear suspenders with cummerbunds. My first thought is “why don’t these people bother reading the Guide before writing?” My second thought...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It Never Hurts to Dress Up
(Peter Litster) This drawing is by a young artist with a longing for the lost days of style and formality. I love how it captures not just the elegance of yesteryear but also a certain youthful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Vaults: Soviet Evening Wear
Part of a series featuring highlights of my recent research at the Library of Congress. In my youth I was always fascinated by the bizarrely Orwellian nature of life in the Soviet Union. An article on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
East Meets West: Japanese Formal Wear
(Japanese Bridal Party by JadeKat-Cosplay) I’m currently editing a new page on Japanese formal wear for the next edition of The Black Tie Guide. Their sartorial customs are a fascinating blend of old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Closeout Sale at Toronto’s Walter Beauchamp Tailors
The closing of Walter Beauchamp Tailors is a real loss for Toronto sartorialists. The company began in 1908 by making military dress uniforms and came to count many of Toronto’s social elite as its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball 2014: The Park
After so many years of writing about the fabled American debut of the dinner jacket at the exclusive Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball it felt surreal to actually participate in the latest incarnation of this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball 2014: The Ball
Tuxedo Park was the epicentre of New York’s social calendar each fall, the highlight of which was the Tuxedo Club’s Autumn Ball. This prestigious affair marked the beginning of debutante season and the...
View Article
