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Black tie. A dress-code designation specifying formal evening attire: for men a tuxedo with bow tie, for women a long gown or formal cocktail dress depending on convention. The convention is universal enough that it is generally not detailed further on invitations; the dress code itself is the instruction.
Where the term comes from
Black tie as a dress code stabilized in late-Victorian and Edwardian English aristocratic dress and was carried into 20th-century American formal culture. The tuxedo (named for Tuxedo Park, New York, in 1886) was originally the less-formal alternative to white tie, designed for dinners without ladies; that distinction has fully reversed, with black tie now the standard formal evening dress and white tie reserved for the rarest occasions.
How it shows up in real life
An invitation to a black-tie wedding reception in late autumn arrives. The guest plans a tuxedo with a black satin bow tie, a pleated white shirt, and black formal shoes; or a long gown in a dark winter palette with a wrap. The choice does not require interpretation. The dress code has been stable long enough that any departure from these defaults is a deliberate statement, not a misreading.
Common misuses
Black tie optional is a softer dress code that allows a dark suit as an alternative to a tuxedo; treating black tie as if it were black tie optional is the most common dress-code error. The other common misuse is wearing a black necktie with a regular suit; that is a black suit with a black tie, not black tie.
