Aren’t you just sick of celebrities turning up to the Oscars in a four-in-hand tie? A black tie event demands a bow tie. A long tie may be trendier, but this is an outfit steeped in history. History and tradition demand a bow tie. Right?
Wrong. The four-in-hand was designed by Washington Tremlett, in 1892, for an American called Wright. He first wore it to the opera, and indeed it was originally designed as an unusual evening tie.
In an age where most men wore a bow tie or a shorter form of collar tie, the four-in-hand was fussier and less ordinary. Quite the opposite of how it is seen today.
It was seen as fussier because of its length. If you think about it, a long tie is less neat and more ornate than a bow tie. It is less practical and more likely to get in your way.
It was designed as evening wear and evening wear is what Harrison Ford and Leonardo DiCaprio are wearing it as in these photos. They don’t know its tradition; they’re wearing it because it seems trendy or less fussy. But they are still correct, if only by accident.
Contrast that with the men that insist on wearing a red, purple or other coloured bow tie. Perhaps with a matching cummerbund. These men are, in my limited experience (and apologies to Americans everywhere), largely from the US. And they couldn’t be less correct. It’s a black tie event. You’d think that would be a clue.
Black tie is constructed to highlight contrast of black and white: to create sharp and striking lines under the dim lights of evening. It is about shade and texture. Patent shoes, corded silk lapels and sliver shirt studs provide the highlights in texture, shiny out from the matte black elsewhere. There is no need of colour.
The only exceptions are a red boutonniere or, possibly, handkerchief. But these are eccentricities for the dandies in the room. The basic uniform is not in doubt.
Nicholas Storey puts it well: “Novelty, coloured evening ties and matching cummerbunds made an appearance with dinner jackets; this was a brief encounter with sartorial solecism exemplified by the British actor Trevor Howard in a couple of his gruff, crusty film roles. Coloured evening ties may safely be consigned to the annals of history, and tagged ‘experiment: interesting but unsuccessful’.”
2 Guest Comments »
1.
Because one man wore one in 1892 that makes it a tradition and correct?
Comment by David V — February 9, 2009 #
2.
Love the blog but I have to disagree on this one. Well, maybe not disagree because I don’t think it matters which is better. They are both horrible. Black tie means black bow tie. Anything else is an error.
Comment by Jim O’Donovan — February 9, 2009 #
I have to stick to your reasoning on this one, Simon. I never thought of a long tie as fussier and more ornate, but even a brief reflection will show that you’re correct. With a four in hand, however, what use does one have for a set of dress studs to fasten a black-tie formal dress shirt? I might prefer the four in hand option as I would rather not drop a thousand dollars on a set of dress studs, content with silver cufflinks, but would the lack of such a set demean one in such formal company?
I wouldn’t necessarily say so, AP, no.
Black tie is all about gradations, from the most formal to the least. A wing collar is more formal, as is a stiff-fronted shirt, as is a waistcoat, as are shirt studs. But you don’t need any of them. A soft-fronted shirt is fine with ruffles and a placket hiding the buttons.
I wear a velvet jacket. That is less formal but still fine. I prefer a black silk scarf as a cummerbund, but a waistcoat would be more formal.
Do consider the function of things though. So a stiff fronted shirt is designed to only have the stiff part showing – it needs a waistcoat, cummerbund or high-waisted trousers to cover the part below the stiff front. Equally, shirt studs would be pointless with a four-in-hand.
Simon
This is an area where our host’s views appear to be in the minority. I’m hardly a pro, but, based on what I have gathered from watching old movies (and more recent ones set in the appropriate era), as well as the detailed information at Black Tie Guide, I believe Jim O’Donovan is correct: black tie means black bow tie. After all, black tie is essentially a less formal version of white tie–which also means a bow tie.
“Correct” means “what the tradition is.” I am certain that Simon is right about the origins of the four-in-hand, but I am more certain that since the tuxedo was invented in the 1860s, the mainstream neckwear has been a bow tie, therefore making it “correct.”
To put it another way, Fred Astaire never wore a long necktie with a tuxedo–and we shouldn’t, either. (He also never let his waist go uncovered, unlike Harrison Ford.)
“Black tie is constructed to highlight contrast of black and white: to create sharp and striking lines under the dim lights of evening.”
Absolutely. The wearing of a long tie instead of a bow tie reduces that contrast be reducing the amount of white.
Simon has already indicated that he prefers his non-traditional take on black tie, and I’d say that you can only bend–or break–the rules once you know what they are. I believe he matches that description. (But he does wear a bow tie as his black tie!)
Horatio, AP and others,
Many thanks for your comments. Wearing a four-in-hand with black tie is not correct. Neither is it traditional, and I will never wear one. The post merely points out that it is less objectionable than one may think.
And that it is ironic that wearing a long tie to the oscars is the most commented upon sin, yet that is what it was originally designed for (even if it is no longer correct).
Simon
Am I incorrect in seeing that all three gentleman pictured are wearing notch lapels on their jackets?
Well, nobody’s perfect.
Dear Simon
living in Zurich I have the advantage of beeing in Milano in three hours. I have not only bought traditional Marinella ties but also more modern ones from AD56. The shop owner wears them very casually, the thin end hanging well below the belt. I’m not sure, where the thin end of the tie belongs: stuck in the trousers or loose in the air? Or are these ties simply too long for me with 178cm height?
Tobi