Black Tie, Bent Rules and Polite Society

At the gracious invitation of fellow Bostonian and sometimes commenter Yankee-Whisky-Papa, I was afforded the opportunity to don the full black tie get up and enjoy cocktails at a private Back Bay social club. What a time!

Good thing I didn't sell this monkey suit after all. It fit me perfectly, no alterations. Vintage shantung silk, $12.99, how could I resist? Now that I've worn it once, I'd say that it's paid for itself, so the rest is just frosting from here on out.

Besides being midnight blue, not black, the shawl collar is not faced in satin, thought there is a satin stripe down the side of the trousers. A small touch, but a nice one. I bought that silk satin formal bow tie when I was 16 years old, working at Simon's. Classic things are never out of style.

The first of the evenings slightly bent rules: a formal shirt in Black Watch tartan, with a bib, cuffs and (detachable!) collar in gleaming white pique, the generous gift of Tin Tin. Black formal braces borrowed from dear old Dad, and a $7.oo black satin cummerbund I picked up mere hours before at Keezer's. It's nice to know there's still a place where a fella can run out and grab such a thing as a cummerbund in a pinch.

And if it's a good thing I didn't sell the suit, it's an even better thing none of you bought those shoes from me. Vintage 1960s Italian made patent leather lace ups. Looks like I'll be keeping them after all. Skull and bones socks from J.Crew, the second of the evenings bent rules. I think it works, and anyway I bought these socks to go with this tux in the first place, remember?

Sterling silver and gold cuff links, sort of like mini engine turned belt buckles, generous gift of my Godmother on the occasion of my Catholic Confirmation, also at the tender age of 16. They started me young.

A vintage 1940s Kentucky Derby themed cream silk scarf, generous gift of a good friend for my birthday some years ago. Come to think of it, this may have been the first time I've worn it.

Topped with a Chesterfield coat from the Andover Shop ($9.99),  and finished with black leather gloves, a rolled black umbrella, because of the light snow, and (gasp!) a Black Watch driving cap, the third and most egregiously bent rule of the evening. While I'm well aware of the fact that wearing a driving cap with black tie is a sartorial faux pas worthy of capital punishment, I gotta say I liked it. I felt that in conjunction with the slightly off beat nature of the socks and the shirt, it actually tied everything together in its way. Besides, it was freezing outside, no way I was going out bareheaded. Perhaps some of you think this looks a little silly, but nothing looks sillier than being dressed inappropriately for the weather.

Lest you think I was the only one not strictly adhering to an arcane code of dress, here are some of the better examples (unfortunately no photos, my battery was dead. Take my word for it):

-A nice young fellow named B****** wore a classic understated tux, punctuated nicely by a vintage 1930s monogrammed scarf in cream silk originally belonging to his grandfather

-A nice young fellow named A**** eschewed the black trousers in favor of a pair in red, navy and green tartan on a black ground. Excellent. Further points gained for choosing a Barbour jacket as outerwear.

-My gracious host YWP finished his tux with a pair of socks in purple and black horizontal stripes, $2.00 at Target.

-Best of the evening was a very old gent in a very old tux and black bow, worn with a rumpled white oxford button down with a frayed collar! I know how it sounds, but this old dude had the style to pull it off, mostly because he really didn't care. I want to be like that when I'm old.

Also of note was the very low number of pre-tied bows I saw, even on the young guys. Apparently, rich people still teach their sons how to tie a bow tie, generally speaking. Better still, I only saw one four in hand tie the whole night.

Once more, for good measure and vanity:

The tux "in the wild", amongst the leather furniture, wood panelling and brocade drapes of  an old 19th century Brahmin social club.

Thanks YWP, I had a great time. I owe you one.