White Tie Etiquette

[figheadair]

I’ve heard it claimed that black tie kilt outfits are suitable and proper for otherwise white tie occasions.

But honestly that always felt off to me – that looks a lot more fitting.

I agree, and it's nice to have the opportunity to wear White Tie.

Here's the (slightly tongue-in-cheek) guidance from the organisation at which I was a guest.

Can I wear black tie/dinner Jacket at a white tie event?

At xxx White Tie events, we sometimes say “Dinner Jacket Permissible”. By this, we mean that if your White Tie has been eaten by your pet lion, destroyed by the dry cleaner, borrowed by an errant offspring, or beamed up by Scottie, we’d prefer that you turned up in Black Tie rather than be deprived of your conversation. No other reason is wholly acceptable, although guests are more easily forgiven.