Unfortunately, “black tie” is an often misunderstood dress code, leading men to end up looking more like Lloyd and Harry in Dumb and Dumber than 007.

 

You can thank rental outlets and high school proms for a lot of the misconceptions.

When you’re in the business of renting tuxedos, you want people to believe that they are appropriate for all kinds of events, and that means they can sometimes be turned into a novelty item.

Fun for the whole family and good for some laughs, no doubt — but it’s certainly not the refined elegance needed for a true black tie event.

While seeing “Black Tie” on an event invitation can be intimidating, the good news is that getting black tie right isn’t hard!

In fact, the strictness of the dress code makes it one of the easiest outfits you’ll ever plan.

If you’ve got a clear, straightforward guide (like this one), figuring the whole thing out is a project of less than an hour.