How to Create Your Own Prom Tux

When creating a tuxedo for prom, choosing the pants and jacket is only the first step. To create a total tuxedo, you will need to make decisions about what to wear from head to toe in order to pull together a stylish look. Most people choose to rent a tux and accessories, but some smart online shopping can net you a tux to own for years and for little more than the price of renting it for one night.

Things You'll Need

• Pants Jacket Shirt Shoes Accessories

Instructions

1. Pick out the pants and jacket. For a time-honored look, go with black. The color looks good on every guy, and it never goes out of style. While it may seem like fun to hunt down a pastel tux from another decade at a secondhand store, you will likely regret it. Leave the antics for another time. You'll want to look your best on prom night.

2. With your black tux, wear black dress shoes and thin, black socks. Nothing blows a pulled-together look more quickly than shabby shoes and light-colored socks peeking out at your ankles.

3. Decide on a shirt. Most shirts are either white or a variation of white, such as cream, ivory or ecru. Browse through shirts having classic point collars, smaller wing collars and mandarin collars. Shirts having tiny pleats down the front are very popular.

4. Now that you have a classic black-and-white basic tuxedo, you can add some panache with a vest in a myriad of colors and patterns. An alternative to a vest is a cummerbund, which is a wide, pleated band of fabric that straps around your waist and over your stomach.

5. Add a tie. Choose a long, knotted tie or a bow tie. Your tie should match or coordinate with your vest or cummerbund.

6. Accessorize with cufflinks and button covers. Finish off the look with a satin handkerchief square to tuck in your breast pocket.