over doing the bling?

[Lyle1]

We all have our own views about what is "gilding the lily" and whether or not we like plaids or "dreadful ghillies" (as English Bloke so charmingly puts it ) or not.

But with white tie affairs being as rare as rocking horse do dos for the vast majority of us we make the choices of what we feel good in, not what others think we should feel good in at the more common, though still relatively infrequent, black tie events.

I agree, and I think that much depends on where the black tie event is being held. Local custom varies a great deal, and what would seem askance at one black tie event would be acceptable at another (someone has already mentioned blue jeans with a tux jacket which I do not understand at all, but...). It also depends on the particular item of clothing under discussion; for example, the variety of evening slippers worn by men at formal events ranges from rather plain to very flashy (think red velvet with gold embroidery).

In the end, I worry more about feeling comfortable with what I am wearing than what other people are wearing.