I was under the impression that prior to WWII, today's "black tie" was informal while today's "white tie" was formal. I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the past 60 years "semiformal" came to be a term used for black tie, though I haven't seen it used as such. The steady degradation of dress codes has really led to a great deal of confusion, particularly since they degrade at different rates in different places.

In this century it would seem that "formal", in the United States, can be interpreted as "no sandals allowed"...


Quote Originally Posted by CMcG View Post
Truthfully, I don't really need white tie attire at this point in my life, but depending on which university I end up at once I get my PhD, I hear that it might become more necessary for some official functions and ceremonies. It doesn't hurt to be prepared and at least I know I can also wear my new doublet for black tie too. Besides, it leads to interesting discussions on Xmarks
It's just like MacLowlife pointed out above - if you don't have it, you won't attend such an event - but if you do, you're likely to find an event to suit your wardrobe.