Black Tie Optional March 31, 2000March 25, 2012 How stupid is that — “Black Tie Optional?” It makes everyone uncomfortable, throws everyone into confusion, and makes everyone a loser. If you wear black tie, you feel like a snob. If you don’t, you feel like a slob. Now there’s a successful social convention. Seriously: it’s so dumb. The convention should be either: “Black Tie” . . . meaning, “black tie — period” . . . or else “Black Tie Suggested,” meaning “most people will wear tuxes, so you should, too, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.” Please pass this on to the committee.