The actor wore a straight tie with his dinner jacket when he attended the European Premiere of "Creed II" in London this week.
- Michael B. Jordan just broke one of the golden rules of tuxedo-wearing.
- The actor wore a straight tie with his dinner jacket when he attended the European Premiere of "Creed II" in London this week.
- Despite some moaning from tuxedo traditionalists, the straight tie and tux look is becoming increasingly accepted as part of eveningwear canon.
- Jordan showed exactly how to pull off the look right.
Michael B. Jordan can pretty much get away with anything these days.
The "Creed II" star is one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood and has stars like Nicki Minaj shamelessly flirting with him.
Read more: Nicki Minaj shamelessly flirted with Michael B. Jordan during her People's Choice Awards speech
It makes sense then that Jordan was the one to break one of the golden rules of tuxedo-wearing when he attended the European Premiere of his latest in the "Rocky" franchise in London this week.
The 31-year-old wore a straight, black tie with his navy tuxedo.
The choice would have many tuxedo conservatives tutting and shaking their heads as, of course, the traditional tuxedo should be worn with a bow tie and nothing else.
Celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati told the Wall Street Journal that wearing a straight tie with a tux comes off as "'I'm not really committing to this.'"
"If you're going to wear a tux, own it and do the bow tie," she said.
Likewise, Tyler Mitchell, owner of San Francisco department store Wilkes Bashford, told the Post: "You'll see [a celebrity] every year wearing a laydown tie. I just don't think that makes it right."
According to British etiquette bible Debrett's, gentlemen adhering to black tie dress code should wear: a dinner jacket (not a dinner suit), black trousers with a natural taper, a white evening shirt, highly polished or patent lace-up shoes, and, of course, the all-important hand-tied bow tie — the size of which should be proportionate to the size of the wearer.
These traditional laws of black tie are becoming increasingly stretched and broken, though, by fashionistas like Jordan, to the point where it is now perfectly acceptable to wear a straight tie with a tux provided you wear it right.
Fellow actor Christian Bale has been championing this look for some time.
Urbinati conceded that the look was "not inappropriate" and still falls within the parameters of black tie.
In order to pull the more daring look off, there are a number of things you can learn from Jordan's outfit here.
First off, Jordan is wearing a slightly thicker tie to those normally worn with a regular suit these days. Because of the wide lapels on dinner jackets, a skinny tie won't look right at all, so match it with something a bit more robust.
Secondly, look closely and you'll notice some finer details and patterning on the actor's tie, which adds texture and character to the overall look without being jarring. He could also have opted for a plain black silk tie, matching his lapels.
Jordan topped off the look with a pair of polished cocktail dress shoes and a Piaget watch tucked under his sleeve — truly a masterclass in mixing up sartorial style.