The Wm Brown Affair, An Opera in Seven Acts

Figuring out white tie and attending the Vienna Opera Ball

Act 1

It all started with an invite to the Vienna Opera Ball and a stay at the Sacher Hotel, one of my favorites, which I hadn’t been to in over 20 years. Our friend Fallon who handles Sacher’s pr, had told us to save the date at least six months prior, and I made sure we did. This was, after all, going to be my first white tie event. Since white tie is such a complicated kit, most people end up renting, but there was no way in hell I was going to rent. So I got in contact with my friends Douglas Cordeaux at Fox to provide the cloth, Albini for a length of pique for the waist coat and tie, and Jake of J. Mueser to make the suiting. All agreed to donate their materials and skills to get this done. Just to fill you in, white tie consists of a jacket with tails, trousers that sit high on the waist and are usually decked out with a dual stripe along the side of the leg, a white pique waist coat with matching tie (you can use a poplin tie here as well, I’ve learned), a wing-tipped shirt (often a traditional complicated one that requires an attachable collar), patent leather opera pumps are a must, white kid gloves are optional, wrist watches are discouraged (which makes for a great opportunity to find a pocket watch.) In a casual conversation with my friend Poppy at Budd, she mentioned that if I ran into a shirting or accessories emergency, to please give her a call, because they have a complete line of white tie shirting and accessories. I kept this in my back pocket for the time being, as it seemed like everything was sorted out. 

How you want to look in white tie…

Act 2

Several days before departing for Vienna, the J. Mueser black tie that was being made in Naples had not arrived in Rome. This prompted a flurry of frantic texts and calls, as I was in a panic wondering where my ensemble was. Enter Nicola Radano, who works with Jake and the atelier, and lives conveniently in Naples. A text from him arrives that says “I have your jacket, when are you leaving?” I nervously tell him “tomorrow”, and he advises me that the pant/waistcoat/bow tie/shirts have been sent to Rome, and that he would be driving the jacket up from Naples. Big sigh of relief. Grazie Nicola!

Act 3

Nicola and the package arrive at the apartment in Rome. The pants and jacket are flawless. The waist coat—and here’s the tricky part—was too long. You see, with white tie, if you’re a purist, the waist coast should not be longer than the front of your jacket. Most people who dress in white tie, presidents and celebrities included, don’t wear it correctly. This meant a quick trip to my Roman tailor Amedeo, who made the adjustment immediately. The shirt and tie were problematic (long story), however, and I needed to find a solution immediately. Enter Poppy from Budd. After receiving a frantic text from me, she calmly told me that a shirt with proper detachable collar and studs was on the way, and for good measure, she put in a waist coat and tie, just in case. Considering the Neopolitan bow tie was below my expectations and standards, I wanted to double down, and contacted my ace-in-the-hole Mickael from La Bowtique, the master of handmade and bespoke bowties. He assured me that a white piqué tie made to my neck size was going to be immediately dispatched to the Sacher in Vienna.

Act 4

I arrived at the Sacher, relieved to find the La Bowtique package in my room, but very anxious as my delivery from Budd was being held up by Austrian customs. After several non-reassuring calls with the DHL office, the Sacher concierge and I knew that we had to act quickly. We put a game plan in place that I could activate in the morning, should the package not be released from customs by the morning of the ball. He gave me a list of stores within walking distance of the hotel, that would have shirting solutions. At that point, I texted my friend Thierry Moralli, who has GREAT style and lives in Vienna, and asked him where he would go. Without hesitation he replied Knize, which was at the top of the Sacher’s list as well. (A quick little background on Knize–they’re most famous for their cologne, Knize 10–but they happen to be an incredible men’s shop that also is a white tie specialist–called a frack in German–and has been around since the 19th century.) So off I went. I was greeted by a lovely woman named Laura who measured me, and luckily they had a shirt in my size. It was a linen and cotton number, with a very stiff bib that required studs and a collar stud, but was thankfully all one piece (not a separate collar). She instructed me how to wear it–attaching the studs is kind of tricky–hence the slit at the rib that allows you to put your hand behind the big to screw the stud in. I thought it was a mistake at first. After some muscling and instruction, I got the shirt on, and it was perfect. *Style note: white tie cuffs should always be single-barreled cuffs, not French. The shirt along with mother of pearl studs and collar stud came in at a whopping $700, with VAT return. 

Act 5

Everyone says to  give yourself plenty of time to put this outfit together. There’s nothing worse than stressing out because of time. I even took the time for a bow-tieing refresher course brilliantly produced and highly recommended, on the La Bowtique Youtube. First up: silk socks check. Next up–trousers with braces, followed by the shirt. At this point, I made a call to Laura, to explain the tab in front which turns out is meant to be buttoned to the trouser button in order to keep it flat and straight while wearing it. My mother-of-pearl vintage cuff links required some persuasion to get through the aggressively starched cuffs. Next was the shirt studding–thank god for the slit at the ribs which made screwing in the studs much easier. The collar stud required Yolanda’s help, and then I meticulously and slowly tied the perfect bow tie. The waist coat came next, followed by the jacket, and a slip-on of my vintage patent leather Belgian loafer opera pumps. Yolanda confirmed everything was looking good.

Act 6

All of that stressful dressing required a cocktail. I met up with my new friend, the Sacher’s general manager Andreas Keese, at the Blue Bar. With all the shirting fiasco, I had completely forgotten about the most important accessory–the pocket watch. I don’t own one, and suddenly had a need for one–and was kicking myself. With all these amazing shops in town that had beautiful pocket watches, I didn’t think about it, because I was so distracted by the shirt. I couldn’t stop thinking about how many perfect options I’d seen online or at the Rome flea market. Sensing my anxiety (yes, first world problems for sure), Andreas sprung into action, calling a friend for a very special loaner. One martini down, and the most beautiful vintage Audemars Freres gold pocket watch, complete with fob arrived. The look was complete. And surprisingly, once all the parts were sorted, the ensemble was actually very comfortable.

Act 7

We were seated for an early pre-game dinner at the Sacher, which had a surprisingly unstuffy, great food/wine and very fun vibe. And then it was off to the ball, at the Opera House just across the street. It’s quite a scene–everyone dressed to the nines–all the men looking incredible in white tie, and all the women in their floor length gowns. There’s basically a debutante ball, where 400 young people all do synchronized waltzing…and then the whole opera house turns into a dance party–with different djs and music on every floor. With all my best intentions to follow the tradition of a late night bratwurst at the wurstel stand, my twerking fatigue (and G&Ts) got the best of me, and I turned in just before 2am at the Sacher. Getting my clothes off was a lot easier than getting my clothes on. 

Epilogue

I’m very much hoping to be invited back to next year’s Opera Ball, or any of the 400 that happen during the winter ball season in Vienna. But I’m also very much available for all invitations for all white tie events, now that I have my kit dialed in. Thank you all for making this happen, you know who you are!