Children in black tie

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

When an invitation says 'black tie' how should one dress a child? Is an ordinary suit appropriate, or should he wear some sort of waistcoat/bow tie combination?

Comments

[antinomy.livejournal.com]

He can wear whatever you like, just a suit would be fine! We're not trying to make this difficult or stressful on people! Sorry!

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I was guessing that was the case, I just wondered :)

[nassus.livejournal.com]

Does this mean I can come *just* wearing a black tie?
/me ducks

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

If she won't let you, we can have a dinner party of that nature :)

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

That sounds ever so much more appealing in a Montreal summer than it would have when I still lived in Cambridge, on environmental comfort grounds. 30 C with a further eight degrees-equivalent of humidity is like walking through an endless series of hot wet blankets trailing from san endless series of washing lines.

[ Social comfort grounds... goodness knows. Though I suppose if I could cope with damned_colonial's swimsuits-until-10 outdoor hot-tub in the snow party, I could cope with such a dinner party. Anything for a weird life. ]

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Cambridge summer is often rather too hot for me. I'm not very good at wearing clothes a lot of the time, though, so I should be able to cope,socially.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

In the event of it becoming relevant on my next pass through Cambridge, which won't alas be this year, I shall bear that in mind. I can't stand clothes, and the half of the year here when it is hot enough not to need to wear them indoors is a great godsend to me; alas, papersky overheats easily, and is mostly more comfortable in winter. Still, it's not as if there's anywhere else in the world we'd each get half a year of comfort, and winter that is sunny and -20 a great deal of the time and grey and wet only occasionally is a lot better for both of us than the Land Where Water Melts.

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

Cambridge summer is always too hot for me. But I guess people would prefer me to wear clothes.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

And anyway, he'd look adorable in, eg, this:



especially with his new glasses.

[antinomy.livejournal.com]

That is rather fab, but don't feel obliged to buy anything special on our account!

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I think you can get away with most anything.

When zorinth was a small child, he responded to being told "We're dressing up for this wedding" with "I want to dress up asa a Musketeer!" And did, and it went down very well indeed.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

:)

"I need a new suit for antimnomy and p_a_r_a's wedding because they've seen my other one"

We compromised on a new tie, but I might give in anyway.

[antinomy.livejournal.com]

You could get him a natty little bow tie :)

[fellcat.livejournal.com]

Bowties are good, especially the ones one ties oneself.

[tamborine.livejournal.com]

I think it depents on the occassion and the hosts. You can't go wrong by overdressing him in this situation - but if your hosts are okay with a suit then there is nothing wrong with that.

[fellcat.livejournal.com]

Surely black tie means a bowtie, wingtip collar, dinner jacket, and trousers with shiny stripes down the legs? It's what I wear when I'm guesting with other bands anyway.

I tend to think that children at adult functions should wear a smaller version of the appropriate adult clothing, unless cost prohibits this; how can one expect children to behave like adults if they are dressed unlike adults? If there's going to be bouncy castles or similar, take something like a t-shirt and shorts for the child to change into so that the good clothes don't get ruined (this also allows dress-wearing children to go on the bouncy castle).

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I tend to agree with you, but sadly children's clothing mnufcturers tend to disagree. Especially for boys.

[antinomy.livejournal.com]

Just so you don't worry, there is no chance of a bouncy-castle or similar... I'm afraid there will be few children, and the occasion isn't adapted for them particularly :)

[fellcat.livejournal.com]

Obviously Benet needs a long ball dress then :)

[badriya.livejournal.com]

What do females wear?

[ceb.livejournal.com]

Full black-tie penguin suit, in my case. Dunno otherwise. Posh ballgown type thing?

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

ballgown/evening dress or same as men. I intend to wear a dark green evening dress.