Go All Black

Reiss

Fancy channelling your inner Bond villain? You’ll require an all-black look complete with roll neck and fancy velvet slippers (a furry white cat is optional).

The ideal look for posh dinners or your work Christmas party, it’s both comfortable and incredibly easy to wear. There’s no fussing around with shirt studs and you won’t have to spend hours in front of the mirror learning how to tie a bow tie, but you will be just as elegant – especially if you match the velvet of your jacket with your shoes.

Lightweight Knitwear Is Your Friend

Zara

You may be starting to notice the versatility of the velvet jacket by now. The difference between this one and the top two though? The lapels – these are notch lapels cut in the same fabric as the jacket, whereas the top two are shawl lapels cut in silk, making them far more formal and as a result more difficult to style.

This ‘bog standard’ version then is perhaps the most versatile. It can easily be dressed up with a shirt and bow tie, or, in this case, worn more casually with a merino knit crew neck, chinos and chukka boots.

Statement Jacket

Gieves & Hawkes

Want to mix up your black tie look but still hark back to tradition? Keep the old school details but freshen up the dinner jacket itself.

Part of the reason black tie can be so boring is because every man in the room looks the same. It’s the evening equivalent to the sea of blue suits you’ll see outside of every major office block in London or New York. Mix it up. Go bold with a silk jacquard blazer – with a natty paisley or geometric print – which is both a welcome break from the norm and an incredibly stylish conversation starter.

What’s more, this kind of look is slowly increasing in demand, as Harrison notes: “We have moved away from all black to lighter shades, colour and texture. Pastel silks with subtle foliage weaves for example. Customers are opting for more interesting pieces and the move to a more individual garment is ever increasing.”