Fashion Rant: White Tie
Over the years I have been building a "white tie" ensemble, inspired by Marlene Dietrich and Fred Astaire.
I have a tailored wool tuxedo with tails from the 1920s, an only-worn-by-me black silk Finchley collapsable top hat from the 1920s/1930s, a white pique wing collared shirt, a white silk and a white cotton pique waistcoat (one is from 1865!), silk button-on suspenders, vintage patent leather tuxedo shoes (from a costume shop that was going out of business), vintage men's sock garters, silk dress socks, and only need a few more items: mainly a pique bowtie and a stud/cufflink set for the shirt and waistcoat.
I always try to research new looks or styles before attempting to pull them off--especially formal, traditional, or cultural styles. There are people you may offend, and some things you can't fake. As my best friend Steelee said when discussing the topic with him: "You can't just go putting feathers on your head 'til you done fired off hella arrows. Just showing that you want to educate yourself on something before trying to be a part of it, shows humility. Acting like you can hack it without knowing the history might be a little conceited."
Case in point; how NOT to wear white tie:
No surprise that Bush is once again presenting himself like an idiot, but there are four major things wrong with his outfit (to be fair, Prince Philip is also guilty of one of them):
1. The waistcoat/vest should NEVER extend below the bottom of the coat.
2. Bush is wearing the wrong kind of collar, it should always be a wing collar.
3. The trousers are supposed to be worn at the waist, not hips. This would also prevent the pleats from billowing out, the crotch from looking so low and "stressed", and the bunching at the ankles of the trouser legs.
4. The shirt sleeve is supposed to show at least 3/4", sticking out from the jacket.
Even Young Frankenstein has more class and refinement than Bush, going so far as to find an appropriately large pique bowtie:
I have a tailored wool tuxedo with tails from the 1920s, an only-worn-by-me black silk Finchley collapsable top hat from the 1920s/1930s, a white pique wing collared shirt, a white silk and a white cotton pique waistcoat (one is from 1865!), silk button-on suspenders, vintage patent leather tuxedo shoes (from a costume shop that was going out of business), vintage men's sock garters, silk dress socks, and only need a few more items: mainly a pique bowtie and a stud/cufflink set for the shirt and waistcoat.
I always try to research new looks or styles before attempting to pull them off--especially formal, traditional, or cultural styles. There are people you may offend, and some things you can't fake. As my best friend Steelee said when discussing the topic with him: "You can't just go putting feathers on your head 'til you done fired off hella arrows. Just showing that you want to educate yourself on something before trying to be a part of it, shows humility. Acting like you can hack it without knowing the history might be a little conceited."
Case in point; how NOT to wear white tie:
No surprise that Bush is once again presenting himself like an idiot, but there are four major things wrong with his outfit (to be fair, Prince Philip is also guilty of one of them):
1. The waistcoat/vest should NEVER extend below the bottom of the coat.
2. Bush is wearing the wrong kind of collar, it should always be a wing collar.
3. The trousers are supposed to be worn at the waist, not hips. This would also prevent the pleats from billowing out, the crotch from looking so low and "stressed", and the bunching at the ankles of the trouser legs.
4. The shirt sleeve is supposed to show at least 3/4", sticking out from the jacket.
Even Young Frankenstein has more class and refinement than Bush, going so far as to find an appropriately large pique bowtie: