President and First-Lady Obama attended a glamorous state dinner at Buckingham palace on May 24. For this rare, white-tie event the president wore a classic white bow tie, white waistcoat and a tailcoat with an American flag lapel pin.

Just as he did for his white-tie inauguration, Obama abandoned the traditional wing tip collared shirt for a lay-down collar. Looking closely it appears that his shirt studs are gold, silver and blue stars, which is a nice and subtle way to show some patriotic colors. President Obama now has a reputation for not following traditional formal dress code. But, style is about individual choice, and nobody would claim the president is deficient in style.