What Is Men's Formal Wear?

Men's formal wear has changed rather significantly over the past century. In the early part of the 1900s, formal wear for a man was quite an involved process that often required a dresser to help a man change. Changes in fashion is only one cause behind the relaxation of the term formal wear. Another, perhaps even more important cause, is the decline of venues where a man is required to wear formal wear. Formal attire was required for many dining and entertainment establishments in the 1920s and even through the 1940s, but today most men seen wearing formal attire are likely headed to a wedding or some other very special social occasion.

Black tie

Many wedding invitations as well as invitations to other social events will indicate that dress is black tie. A black tie request is technically considered semi-formal, but most people today would consider it to be a formal occasion. Black tie refers to the black bow tie that is worn with this attire. Essentially, black tie means you need to buy or rent a tuxedo for the event.

White Tie

Any invitation requesting white tie means that you are going to be attending in the most formal attire possible. The white tie again refers to a bow tie, only this time the color is white. It is easy to recognize a white tie event when you see it--the men are not just dressed in tuxedos, but in long waistcoats with tails. The shirt is white, stiff and usually features a winged collar. White tie formal is the kind of formal event given by the White House to a distinguished foreign visitor and at weddings for the super-rich, although it can trickle down to the middle classes.

Tuxedo

The tux is the premier suit for formal wear. There are many different kinds of tuxedos and the type you should choose will often depend on the event. A double-breasted tuxedo indicates a more formal event, but not formal enough to require white tie indication. For standard formality, a single-breasted tux that is simple and elegant will do. Proms are perhaps the only place left for the outlandish colors and frilly shirts that come with some tuxedos.

Color Matching

One of the lesser known rules of formal wear is that shoes and belts should always match in color. That means if you are wearing a brown belt then you should wear brown shoes and if you are wearing black shoes then you should wear a black belt.

Shoes

Although it has become acceptable to wear athletic shoes with business attire in some circles, that circle has not yet been expanded to include formal attire. Formal wear requires formal shoes, although the definition of formal shoes has changed over the years. When renting formal clothing, it is usually possible to also rent shoes that specifically go with that tux. In general, formal shoes are what you might think of as Sunday best shoes. A formal event is not the place to wear outlandish footwear unless you know the occasion is going to be outlandish.

Cummerbund

One of the continuing mysteries about formal wear is the cummerbund. The original purpose of the cummerbund was a place to hold ticket stubs and catch food crumbs. While this purposes is largely obsolete today as the cummerbund has become mere decoration, it does answer the question of how to situate a cummerbund. Place it around your waist so the pleats are positioned so that they could catch crumbs or hold ticket stubs.