When the invitation reads "Black Tie", "Black Tie Preferred", "Le Smoking", or "Smoking" for an evening semi-formal event or "White Tie" or "Full Dress" for an evening formal event, then your host is providing an elegant affair and expects you to dress according to fit the decor and ambiance of the evening.

When your invitation reads "Black Tie Optional", or "Black Tie Invited", the host is leaving the final decision up to you. Most men will be wearing tuxedos, however if you don’t have one you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in a dark suit.

But why not respect the atmosphere the host is trying to create. The idea of formal attire is to create a "democratic-ceremonial" appearance for the event. For this to work, every male has to participate. This also allows the females to dominate the fashion scene. The addition of "optional" makes for confusion. And who needs more confusion these days?

The same goes for the insolent "Creative Black Tie" which is a request to look like the guys at the Academy Awards who trifle with the classic. Leave the black shirts, bolo ties and band collars to the "movie stars" and review the section on "individual variations"