White Tie

White tie is the most formal Western dress code, reserved for state banquets, royal occasions, and grand balls. It requires a black evening tailcoat, matching high-waisted trousers with double silk braid, a white piqué waistcoat, a white piqué bow tie, and a formal dress shirt.

White tie has no room for personal expression — it is a uniform of the highest order. Its correctness is its point. A man in white tie is not dressing for himself; he is dressing for the occasion.