There is one immutable law of evening wear: a man never looks good in a rented tux. He knows this and it affects his confidence and therefore his enjoyment of the event. What could be a delightful occasion (not to mention a useful opportunity for networking) becomes something he dreads and even seeks to avoid.
But if you swallow deep and invest in a tuxedo of your own, everything suddenly changes. You know you look great. You start to look forward to opportunities that call for evening dress and you end up going to more and more. It’s an important part of a gentleman’s life to attend charity galas and openings, tribute evenings, even formal weddings – and your significant other enjoys them too. A tuxedo lasts for many years, especially if you choose one in a timeless style – for example, a one-button, single-breasted jacket with a peaked lapel.
The classic look
There are several origins claimed for the tuxedo. Americans are convinced it was first worn by Griswold Lorillard on October 10, 1886, at the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York. Mr. Lorillard astonished the members (all of whom were in white tie and tails) but the revolution caught on. Certain Englishmen, however, point out that the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) sported a similar dinner jacket as early as 1865. Whatever the truth, the tuxedo and its accoutrements have been established for well over a century as one of a man’s most elegant and stylistically stable outfits.
The classic tuxedo outfit consists of the following: a tuxedo jacket and pants in black (or midnight blue); a white French-cuffed formal shirt with a pleated or piqué front; a bow tie and cummerbund (the folds in a cummerbund open upwards); black patent shoes (smart black dress shoes are acceptable); plain black socks; formal suspenders; matching studs and cufflinks; a white silk or cotton pocket square.
Graduate work
For men who go to more than five or six black-tie events a year, or who simply enjoy ringing the changes, there are many options to basic formal wear. It may be something as simple as a coloured silk pocket square instead of a white one, or a waistcoat instead of a cummerbund. Many of our customers own more than one tuxedo – perhaps a double-breasted alternative or a jacket with a shawl collar. A dark velvet jacket can look most distinguished, as can a white or écru dinner jacket for outdoor evening parties or on a cruise (change the jacket but not the rest of the outfit).
As we have seen from watching the Academy Awards and other red-carpet affairs, some fashionable men undertake more radical experiments, swapping their bow tie for a regular tie in silver or black, even choosing a shirt that does not need a tie at all. Mercifully, the ’90s trend of wearing sneakers with a tuxedo has now been relegated to the high school prom.
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