Dressing to impress at the Black and White Ball
For those interested in gentlemen’s fashion, one of the best opportunities to show off your taste and class to everyone, or just that special someone, is just around the corner.
On March 24. at 7 p.m., the Saint Joseph’s University 10th Annual Black and White Ball will be held, at a location not yet announced, and will require all attendees to dress their best. But for those new to men’s fashion, I thought it would be useful to provide a crash course to get yourself ready for the big night.
The Color: It’s a black and white ball, so your color scheme option is pretty restricted, but that doesn’t mean you have to pull the cookie cutter black jacket and tie with a white shirt. Your jacket and pants always have to match, and if they are black, the shoes have to be too. With that established, there are three main areas to consider for color: the jacket, the shirt, and the tie. Starting with the latter; traditionally a tie is darker than your dress shirt, and lighter or the same as your jacket. You could try for a “John Wick” look with a straight black or white look or go tie optional. But if you’re feeling more traditional, try to keep to the rule.
The Tie: A few recent trends have popped up where tie-optional is becoming more acceptable. If you choose this route, be wary of looking too casual and have an idea on what to do with the top button. An undone top button looks more formal if the button and its notch go upwards more than out, and looks more casual otherwise. If you choose to fasten the top button, there’s the risk of feeling and looking stuffy. For more traditional ties, stick with a Windsor or half Windsor and try to fill the space in the collar meant for a tie.
The Extra: Unless you’re wearing suspenders, you’ll need a belt and you need it to match your shoe color. Keep in mind the buckle of the belt will be prominent when the jacket is off. A personal suggestion is a clamp style belt buckle that makes it easier to keep the buckle centered without giving the belt too much tail. More importantly though, keep the belt buckle simple; ornate designs can seem gaudy or tacky. Furthermore, the watch is another important detail to keep in mind. Make sure it slides around on your wrist as little as possible and that’s its analog is not digital. The watch band should match with the watch itself. A smaller detail that can really help show some class is a tie clip. It’s small, easy to put on, and keeps your tie from blowing in the wind or coming off center. Clip it around your sternum, and if it’s possible, try and keep all your metal matching. Silver is usually the common theme for buckle, watch, clip, and any rings or necklaces that works quite well and is an acceptable way to break the monochrome color scheme. Last but not least, I have purposefully excluded hats from this a) because they’re tricky and b) because the dance will take place inside where a hat would be inappropriate.
Now that you’ve finished this crash course in men’s fashion, you’re a little more prepared for the Black and White Ball this year. Hopefully Mom will be happy now that you can dress yourself.
