Black Tie

What's the consensus on straight ties worn with tuxedos?
To my eye, a straight tie defeats the "special" significance of wearing a
tuxedo, and makes the wearer look something of a fashion victim. When I
attended our state's inaugural ball reently, I was appalled to see a
fairly large number of men who really should no better who'd opted for
the straight black tie in lieu of an appropriate bow tie. I couldn't
figure out why they didn't simply wear a dark suit if they didn't like
the bow tie.
To make matters worse, I noticed (my son was one of the offenders) that
the black ties they'd opted for weren't even real ties. Apparently,
formal wear rental companies have decided that American men are unable
to tie a simple knot, and the ties were faux ties that fasten around the
neck with a black clasp.
All of this raises a couple of questions in my mind;
1) What's wrong with a bow tie on a tux?
2) If you must wear a straight tie, why not simply a black suit?
3) If, for some reason, it must be a straight tie with a black suit, why
must it be black? After all, if you're bucking tradition, why not be a
*real* individualist and wear something that makes a better fashion
statement than "I saw Brad Pitt wear this and he looked cool"?
On an related note, I live 300 miles from the state capitol, and didn't
get a chance to pick up my tux until the day I was leaving for the
inauguration. When I was getting dressed, I discovered that the tailor
apparently believed my waistline is 6" larger than it is, while he
thought my arms were 4" shorter than they are. Fortunately, I'd packed
my black suit for another event on the trip, and was able to attend the
ball in appropriate attire (black tie is interpreted loosely at the
inaugural – lots of college boys and lobbyists in charcoal suits or blue
blazers).
The moral? ALWAYS pack a spare!
––
use...@yahoo.com
www.rpcc.org

Userb3 wrote:
Hate 'em. They're bad enough on movie stars, but when people wear them
in real life they look completely ridiculous. Men should, as you
suggest, either wear a classic bow tie with their evening clothes or
simply wear a business suit. Wearing a business tie with a formal suit
simply looks mismatched.
Even on movie stars, I prefer a collarless shirt with a dinner jacket
(a/k/a Tuxedo) to a four–in–hand tie. The first is openly "informal",
whereas the second just looks like a half–witted compromise.
T.

Userb3 wrote:
I cannot give my views the full vehemence they warrant, seeing as how this is a
family newsgroup. Suffice it to say they are ample warning the barbarians have
moved past the gate.
–Joe in SoFla
"Avanti, Commendatore, la vittoria e nostra!"