The London Lounge

I would like to commission a pleated shirt for black tie with a covered placket; it would show no studs or buttons. Such a shirt would seem most simple and clean and I think that I would like it. Yet I have not seen this. Would this project appear elegant or strange.

The studded shirtfront is a relic from White Tie, but some people still enjoy it. You could eliminate the studs and even strip the shirt of its pleats for a very simple plain-fronted shirt with covered buttons, it would look elegant and simple, and be correct. Dinner suit is supposed to be semi-formal; the original concept was for it for be soft, unstarched and conducive to languid relaxation, as compared to the very stiff White Tie ensemble. An example of a shirt similar to your objective is given here

Nothing wrong with that!

I go with the studs, but wrestling them into the shirt often puts me in a nasty frame of mind at the precise time I should be at my best.

This is an elegant and simple solution. It also says that you're a self-reliant, unpretentious, unfussy fellow who simply doesn't have the time or inclination to fumble with anything as superfluous or anachronistic as shirt-studs. And always with black tie, the risk is usually of too much, not too little.

There's a story of President Kennedy attempting to start a trend with a white turtleneck under his dinner jacket. I don't know whether that's too much or too little. Never caught on, thank God.

Thank you for your replies. I now plan to order two such shirts, one with pleats,one without,with both having a hidden placket.The first would be strictly for black tie use. The second would seem to be a most versatile shirt. It could be worn with black tie, general business wear,or stroller which I wear as often as the occation permits.