Women tend to have more flexibility with a black tie dress code, though Debrett’s advises ladies avoid “tight ‘red-carpet ... your white tie look, wear a thin, white hand-tied bow tie.

According to the G.Q. Style Guide published in 2010, the look comprises a black tailcoat and trousers with a white shirt, vest (generally of piqué cotton), and bow tie. The white shirt has a wing ...