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already think of as a strict dress code.
    Resist any temptation to play around with this one. Most men will never wear it, and if you find yourself called upon to do so, stick to the classic standards:
An evening tailcoat -- double-breasted but worn unbuttoned, with peak lapels faced in satin or grosgrain. Black and midnight blue are the only appropriate colors, and the cutaway is straight rather than angled or swooped.
Formal trousers that match the material of the tailcoat, with stripes along the seam made from the same material as the lapel facings. Only suspenders are appropriate; formal and semiformal attire should never include a belt.
A waistcoat made of white pique, single- or double-breasted with oblong lapels and long enough to cover the trouser waist fully.
A wing-collared formal shirt with a stiff front placket, single cuffs fastened with links, and only one or two front studs (sometimes three for very tall men)
A white bowtie , generally made of pique to match the waistcoat. Either batwing or butterfly shapes are acceptable, but should always be hand-tied.
Black dress pumps , a formal type of slip-on shoe. Plain black oxfords can be substituted in a pinch, ideally ones made from patent leather. If plain calf oxfords are your only option, polish them to a very high shine for white tie wear.
    Cultural Alternatives
    Some countries may have their own native alternative to morning dress and white tie for a man's most formal clothing option.
    Famous examples include Scottish formal dress (which includes a kilt and sporran for men), the Icelandic hátíðarbúningur , and the Philippine barong Tagalog.
    Traditional cultural garments are also sometimes made in more elaborate forms to create a de facto formalwear, such as the decorated dhoti and kimono sometimes worn at Indian and Japanese formal events.
    If you belong to a culture that acknowledges an alternative to morning dress, you are of course free to wear it (even outside its native country). Men who are not native to the culture, however, should be wary of unwanted appropriation, and only wear such garments when expressly invited to, or when given them as gifts in preparation for a specific event.
    There are also a few situations where uniforms may be worn in place of white tie or morning dress. High-formality military balls sometimes request dress uniforms of active servicemen and servicewomen, and formal dress of all other attendees.
    Apart from those exceptions, however, formal dress is a strict standard and should be treated as such. On the rare occasion that a man is invited to a formal affair, he should either have proper attire made for him, or else he should arrange a high-quality rental well in advance.
     

C HAPTER 11: S EMIFORMAL D RESS ( S TROLLERS AND B LACK T IE/ T UXEDO)
    In the previous chapter, we discussed true formal dress.
    That's an extremely high standard that men are rarely called upon to wear anymore. Most men go their whole lives without ever needing to put on morning dress or white tie attire.
    Semi-formal occasions are a little more common. Black tie is a popular enough wedding attire that many men end up at least renting a tuxedo once or twice in their lives.
    Unfortunately, that's also led to some dilution of the standard, especially at large commercial rental outlets. These days, simply being labeled as a "tuxedo" doesn't necessarily make an outfit black tie.
    Additionally, like formal wear, semiformal wear has a daytime standard as well as a nighttime standard, making black tie inappropriate before around 5:00 in the evening (give or take -- the general rule of thumb is, if the event will end after dark, you can wear a tuxedo even if the sun is still up at the start of the event).
    If you're going to dress for a semiformal event, take the time to do it right. Wear the appropriate attire for the time of day, and stick to the standard rather than branching out into something that's more of a costume based on formalwear than true