A dress code is not a rule for its own sake but a help: it tells you what is expected, so you can turn up dressed correctly without guessing. This guide covers the codes a man most often meets, from black tie to weddings and the everyday office, and what each one actually means.

Black tie

Black tie means a tuxedo. That is a black or midnight blue dinner jacket with a silk shawl or peak lapel, black trousers with a silk stripe, a white dress shirt, a black bow tie and black patent shoes. A midnight blue tuxedo often reads darker and more elegant than black under artificial light. Black tie is the most formal code you normally meet, and it belongs to galas, premieres and evening weddings.