Just found out the **** BBQ dinner thing I have been press ganged into going to by the SO is black tie. Why the hell would an evening BBQ be black tie. Balls and arse. I hate black tie. What the hell is the point of it.

Where shall I hire black tie in Manchester this week? Or shall I just MTFU and buy one for all the other pretencious **** do’s that i’ll surely be forced to go to in my life.

I love black tie. Nice to dress up occasionally. Though I agree with you about it being a silly idea for a BBQ – that really is pretentious.

Black tie BBQ? DJ, cowboy boots and Stetson required?

Full lot from Moss Bros, suit, shirt and tie is about £130. X

Stupid idea for a BBQ… you’ll need to wash it to get the smell of the smoke out.

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Evening-Occasion-Suits-Suits-Mens/b/673943031

By a vintage / secondhand suit. Pre war prefered. 60s possible Meet the code but look different.

I got my DJ from a charity shop. Mind you the charity shops in Cambridge do have a rather better selection of DJs than I’d imagine they do most other places.

I do appear to be getting cocktail dresses advertised at 50% off over there if that’s any help?

Best £45 I ever spent (ASDA)

Is been all over and not always with me

Aracer – the closest thing to a suit in Pompey is a shell suit!

Moss bros have got good deals on at the moment. Most hire places sell off old stuff too if that’s of help.

I quite like black tie stuff as I like dressing up every now and again. Was meant to have a do next month but not allowed to go now

Just picked up a very reasonable dinner suit for £150 as we have a black tie May ball coming up. I also didn’t like black tie events but have finally decided to embrace them and now really looking forward to it. 🙂

funnily enough I have been through the same thing today – Matalan is your friend here, the full set for about 50 quid, and nicer than the ones in the supermarkets

oh yeah, it was the matalan at manchester fort

black tie BBQ? you may enjoy it more than you think, you get to choose your own booze, this is the bit you should take seriously 😉 not the outfit

Matalan is your friend here, the full set for about 50 quid, and nicer than the ones in the supermarkets

I don’t really know what to say here. Does this mean that Matalan hasn’t got the worst clothes in the world in it? There is something worse? I would suggest not wearing such an outfit near a naked flame – you will probably melt. It is probably veeeeeeeeeery shiny to start with.

I have some old friends who insist on dressing up for all birthdays etc. Including events like a fireworks ball on the beach on Nov where they dress in ball gowns etc and drink champagne.

Needless to say that’s why they are old friends, I refuse to join in with their toffy games.

make sure you set aside plenty of time for learning how to tie a bow tie…

Don’t do it you don’t want to.

I hate black tie, and my wife refuses to wear dresses. We turned down a wedding invite one time simply because neither of us could face a whole day of being dressed in a way we detested. The frined who’d invited us got very upset, and tried the “if we were real friends you’d do this for me” routine. My response, that if we were real friends you’d not be asking me to dress in a way I detested, fell on deaf ears.

Are they BBQing a Swan? I’d dress up for that…otherwise it would have to be boardshorts, flip flops and maybe a tux jacket, if I could find one cheap in an Oxfam or something.

Though nickf seems a bit of an OTT reaaction to a reasonable request to wear a shirt and trousers to a wedding. I take it you weren’t very close friends?

Don’t go? Grow a pair and tell the partner no? Just a couple of thoughts like 😉

Black tie’s no big deal, go if you want, don’t if you don’t. Getting all upset about having to (or being “expected” to) dress smart once in a while just strikes me as the bahaviour of toddlers, not “grown ups”.

😎

I got mine from m&s. about £80 all in.

Wow, clothing seems to have some quite strong emotions attached to it. Surely if you appreciate the value of your friends’ company and wish to be involved in their social events then a dress code that doesn’t particularly suit you (s’cuse the pun) is a small price to pay?

To be honest I reckon a suit and a dinner jacket is worth keeping in a wardrobe for occasions that demand it. They don’t have to cost too much and, provided you don’t eat too many pies, can last a long time.

nickf that’s particularly sociopathic behaviour even for STW, and it’s only Monday 🙂

We turned down a wedding invite one time simply because my friend had only gone and arranged it in a church. He knows i’m an atheist and my wife is a devil-worshipper so she’s none to fond of them either. The frend who’d invited us got very upset, and tried the old “if we were real friends you’d do this for me” routine (Blimey, how many times have I heard that spiel). My response, that if we were real friends he’d arrange his wedding doen the local registrar’s office, fell on deaf ears, but that’s royalty for you.

black tie events are great

the uniform helps to distinguish the drunken idiots (attendees) from the sober idiots (the crew/me)

one is drunkenly trying to finger their secretary the other is sat bored wishing they could afford a secretary to fiddle with.

i’ll be attending one this evening in fact.

Why don’t you get one of those t-shirts with a waistcoat and bow tie printed on it. Denim shorts and sandals, job done, everyone happy.

It would never occur to me not to go to a friends wedding because of the dress code. You can subvert anything with some effort, wear what you want. A friend of mine was told she had to wear a hat to a relative’s wedding so she wore a witches hat. Met lots of new people that day.

I mean, who has bouncers at weddings ??

nickf that’s particularly sociopathic behaviour even for STW, and it’s only Monday

Maybe so; at the time I had no money and really couldn’t afford to hire/buy a DJ for the event, and it would have meant Mrs Nickf buying a dress as well. Total cost would have been not far short of £150, which, at the time, would have been a real stretch. No-one mentioned until the invite arrived a month before the wedding that it was black tie.

It’s not like I wouldn’t have worn a perfectly respectable suit for the occasion, but they were insistent that it had to be pukka black tie.

At the end of the day I’ve lost no sleep over it. If that makes me a sociopath, so be it.