Tuxes: The Value Behind the Price Tag
Tuxedos – How to Invest in the Best Formalwear
When a man gets dressed up, he should look in the mirror and feel like he's Clark Gable or Frank Sinatra in a black tux and white shirt. You'd never see (George) Clooney wearing a red shirt under a tuxedo.
— Stylist Joshua Seth
You're in a panic. Your best friend's wedding is coming up, you don't own a tuxedo, and the most "formal" things in your closet are a pair of ancient khakis and some scuffed black shoes. When it comes to wearing a tux, the most important part is to choose a style and price that's right for you.
It's Black and White
The first thing to know about men's formal wear is there's no place for something different or wacky. As a general rule, conservative and chic -- black tux, white shirt, black bow tie -- is best.
Celebrity stylist Joshua Seth is emphatic on this point, saying every man should aim to look classically smart in his formalwear.
"It's when people try and get too creative that things go wrong," Seth said. "When a man gets dressed up, he should look in the mirror and feel like he's Clark Gable or Frank Sinatra in a black tux and white shirt. You'd never see (George) Clooney wearing a red shirt under a tuxedo."
Seth says that a tux shows respect for the event itself, and the simple lines of a tux should complement rather than detract from his date's look.
"If the men get too creative, that distraction can be a problem because the black tie dress code imposes a much stricter dress code on men than on women," he said.
Yossi Samimi, Owner of Elite Tuxedo, has 37 years of experience fitting formal wear to movie stars in Los Angeles. He agrees that black is best.
"For awards shows, conservative black is the safe choice," he said. "If people want to make a statement, they could have a different color like a royal blue tie for example. But, most people wear black."
Jacket and Tie
When it comes to jackets, Samimi said tuxedos are getting slimmer and simpler in shape.
"The trend is heavily toward a two-button jacket with a narrower lapel," he said. "The lapel is usually the type with a notch these days -- that’s a little ‘V’ on the top portion of the lapel. The majority go with that style; however, some like a bit of a yesteryear look and they look for a pointed peaked lapel. But in both cases lapels are much narrower than they used to be a few years ago."
With ties, a ready-made bow-tie is something of a no-no. A hand-tied version is the most formal, glamorous choice.
"For those people who struggle making a knot in the tie, the ready-made tie is the answer," Samimi said. "However, normally the quality of ready-made ties is nowhere the quality of the regular, hand-tied tie. I advise clients to go with a hand-tied tie. It’s more chic, the knot is cleane, and it’s a silk, quality fabric with quality fusing inside it. The pre-tied ties are usually polyester, polysatin or some other synthetic fabric."
Seth agrees the tie should be a quality hand-tied version. However, he said you can adjust the design and shape to make a chic statement as long as the tie is black.
"The tie is an area where you can get a little more creative," he said. "For example, I know that Dsquared makes a bow tie where the silhouette comes to more of a point. But I think the tie should definitely be black, no crazy polka-dots or florals. It's a really easy look to do well, but it's also a really easy look to mess up and make unwearable."
As for the shirt, simple and white will do.
"Mostly people choose a plain-fronted shirt with a laid-down pointed collar and 99 percent of the time it’s white," Samimi said.
Pants and Shoes
Like the jacket, formal pants have also slimmed down their silhouette.
"The trend now is for a more fitted, slimmer style, not only for the jacket but very much for the pants too," Samimi said." Most people want the pants as fitted as possible, with slim legs and plain-fronted with no pleats."
Seth agrees that slim is in. However, compared with the skinny pants a lot of people are wearing for casual clothing, even slim tuxedo trousers will seem shockingly wide on the first try.
"The biggest problem most guys have is the pants will seem baggy to them," Seth said. "The classic tux does have a wider legged pant but designers have scaled that back a lot to the point where we're seeing a lot more slim-fit pants."
As far as length goes, short is popular now, especially with a slimmer-cut leg.
"Sometimes it's even to the point where you can see a tad bit of the sock even when they're standing up," Seth said. "But that's something we saw on the runway with all pants for spring. It gives a younger, edgier feel, so if you're in that age range and you want to go for it, great.
"But beware, you really have to be young and skinny and edgy to wear a runway look like this. Even someone like Brad Pitt or David Beckham would look weird wearing that at this point in their lives. If you're older, broader or (muscular), I would stay away from the trendy stuff."
Samimi said the pants should always be tried for length while the man is wearing shoes. The pants should be at the correct level of the waist before any alterations are made, and rest on the top of the heel of the shoe at the back.
He advises watching out for overly long pants with a slim-cut leg. This can leave excess material bunched above the shoe in the front.
"Nowadays, no one is wearing them really long," he said. "The pants are really slim and if they’re too long in the back, the leg won't go over the shoe in front, so you'll get a lot of fabric gathered in the front. "
For shoes, leather is really the way forward, although this can be very pricey. Style-wise there are more options for formal footwear these days.
"(Shoes) used to have to be patent leather, but depending on the tux now, you may want to go with more of a matte leather," Seth said. "I also personally prefer lace-up shoes for a tux, rather than loafers."
Choosing the right shoe can depend on the finish of the tuxedo fabric too.
"Some tuxedos have a little shine to the fabric, and if your tuxedo's a little flashy, you can wear a matte shoe with it," Seth said. "It really just depends on how you want your look to come across."
Finally, it's really a case of classic is best in all areas of men's formalwear. Think simple, clean lines and you'll look like a million bucks.
"You can't go wrong with a classic tux," Seth said. "You will never be worst dressed if you're in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. There's really no room for error if you're careful."
- Photo Credit iStock Photo Getty Images
