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Creative Holiday Formal

Creative Holiday Formal

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style
Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

I’ve talked before about how dress codes can sometimes be fairly unclear. Black tie is relatively cut and dry, but others like business casual and even semi-formal leave plenty of room for interpretation. And then there are some that don’t seem to make much sense at all. I put ‘Creative Black Tie’ (also known as ‘Black Tie Creative’) into that category. With holiday party season in full swing and New Year’s Eve on the way, it’s entirely possible that you might see this dress code on an invitation in the near future. Maybe you already have. Here’s some inspiration for that situation or any more formal holiday party you might attend.

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

Any dress code that is open-ended in some way gives you creative license in your interpretation. For a normal black tie event I’d be in a black or midnight blue tuxedo, white dinner shirt, and black bow tie, with a crisp white pocket square fold. But for creative black tie all bets are off. Taking the ultimate creative license with the ‘black tie’ portion of the dress code is one way to do it and certainly appropriate for a formal holiday party. A velvet blazer and some richly textured wool pants also lend themselves to a playful and creative interpretation of the dress code.

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

Great details can always make or break an outfit. A silk dinner scarf is the perfect finishing touch for a formal ensemble. Wearing it draped simply around your neck is an easy way to add an element of elegance, class, sophistication, and polish to your look.

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

Velvet Blazer: Black Tie - He Spoke Style

This Look: Black velvet blazer c/o Banana Republic (similar ON SALE here, also check out this slick double-breasted version) – White dinner dress shirt by Reiss – Charcoal plaid topcoat c/o Banana Republic – Charcoal wool pants c/o Banana Republic – Tartan plaid bow tie by Brooks Brothers Black Fleece (not available, similar here) – Black silk dinner scarf by Reiss – Black leather plaque belt by J.Crew – Vintage black and gold pocket square (similar here, also love this one from Alexander McQueen) – Watch with black leather strap by Timex – Black cap toe dress shoes by Cole Haan

Thanks for reading.

Stylishly Yours,

Brian
He Spoke Style

Photography by Rob McIver Photo.