The report: Hosts with the most

While MR PORTER is always looking for a reason to get dressed up (and once enjoyed excellent service in an Italian restaurant while dressed in a dinner jacket) it's the big occasions that call for a tux. Occasions don't come bigger than the kind of balls Mr Colin McDowell talks about in these four films, the like of which may never be seen again, as he explains.

From Don Carlos de Beistegui's 1951 Le Bal oriental in Venice's Palazzo Labia, to Mr Truman Capote's Black and White Ball in New York in 1966, these legendary parties set a standard for grandeur and elegance that few guys are in a position to emulate. However, from the outfits to the venues, the guests to the invitations, these are the parties of one's dreams, and so a source of inspiration to anyone hosting a soiree this season.