Looks worth considering

For: Evening wedding / traditional engagement / any room with a receiving line

A long kaftan over a matching trouser is the most under-used silhouette available to tall men. Nothing else gives you that much line for that little money.

Under 5'9" the tunic must come up to mid-thigh, or the leg disappears entirely.

For: Evening owambe / milestone birthday / late dinner

Burgundy is the colour to reach for when black would be predictable and rust too warm. The long body over a tapered trouser is the most flattering evening shape I know.

Indicative UK market range: £320–£650

Broad builds should keep the armhole deep and the body straight.

For: Evening wedding / milestone birthday / premium party

Relaxed enough to feel contemporary, but the tonal handwork gives it enough presence for a room where everybody has made an effort. Black on black is the safest way to be the most interesting man there.

On a broad frame, keep the coat open and unstructured through the chest — the length does the work, not the shoulder.

For: Premium party / milestone birthday / late supper

The most modern thing on this page. Volume in the trouser, restraint everywhere else — it works because nothing else is competing for attention.

Indicative UK market range: £400–£700

Broad or muscular builds get the most from this: the trouser volume balances the upper body.

For: Black tie / gala / awards dinner

Midnight blue reads blacker than black under photographers' lights. If you own one Western evening piece, this is the one worth spending on — it will outlive three trend cycles.

Muscular through the chest? A one-button front and a lower gorge stop the jacket looking strained.

For: Black tie in a grand room / winter gala

A shawl collar is softer on the face than a peak and easier on a heavy neck. In matte black barathea under chandeliers, it is as correct as evening dress gets.

Broad builds: take the lapel out toward the shoulder and close one button only.

For: Summer black tie / destination gala / a terrace after dark

Ivory over black trousers is the one liberty black tie allows, and it is worth taking once. Mid-weight mohair holds its shape outdoors when linen collapses.

Indicative UK market range: £800–£1,500

Keep the shoulder natural — ivory shows every ounce of padding.

For: Black tie where you are allowed to be interesting

Brown evening tailoring is still rare enough to register and old enough to be correct. Keep the shirt and shoes disciplined and nobody reads it as a costume.

Indicative UK market range: £750–£1,300

On a shorter build, keep the lapel medium width — a wide shawl shortens the torso further.

For: Reception after a ceremonial first look / late supper / a party indoors

An unstructured ivory jacket over a black trouser is the fastest change of register there is. It reads evening without asking you to wear evening dress.

Indicative UK market range: £350–£700

Tall frames should keep the jacket long and the trouser clean at the shoe.

For: Black tie — an awards dinner, a gala, a winter wedding after seven

Midnight blue reads blacker than black under chandeliers, and a silk-faced peak lapel is the one detail worth paying for. This is the correct answer to a black-tie invitation.

Indicative UK market range: £1,400–£2,800

Broad frames want the peak lapel wide and the shoulder left unpadded.

For: Black tie in summer — an outdoor dinner, a destination wedding after dark

An ivory jacket over black trousers is the only real variation black tie allows, and it is for warm evenings only. Matte cloth, shawl collar, and nothing in the buttonhole.

Full-figured frames should keep the quarters open and the lapel narrow.