How to Wear a Tuxedo

Video Transcript

"Hello, I'm image consultant Susan Bigsby at SusanBigsby.com. In this clip I'm going to show you how to wear a tuxedo properly. Now there are many, many kinds of tuxedos that you can buy and levels of quality, but if you think you're going to be wearing a tuxedo more than once a year I would suggest investing in your own tuxedo. If you've ever worn a rental, you know how polyester can be, and it can be excruciatingly hot and uncomfortable so you may want to choose a better fabric and something of your own that's going to be tailored to your body and it's going to be a lot more comfortable for you to wear through your event. And we know men like to be comfortable, right Steve? Absolutely. The first thing we want to look for when you're purchasing a tuxedo is to make sure that you're buying the correct size. More than likely, you're going to have a tailor on the premises who will guide you to that right size and fit you right then and there for the best look and the best style for yourself. The main thing you want to look for is the best fit in the shoulders, the proper fit and length in the sleeve and the best body styles through your particular body shape and style. When you're buying a shirt you want that shirt to fit nice and close around the neck so that there isn't any gaping here in between the collar and your neck. You also want to make sure that bow tie is tied so that it's right next to that shirt and it's, there isn't any gaping at the top of the collar. Now this happens to be a clip-on bow tie that looks quite nice but preferred bow ties are those that you tie yourself, though they can be quite tricky. The tie, the formal, the formal shirt can have tucks in it, it can be plain, there are many, many, many styles of formal shirts. This particular one has more of a dress shirt collar as opposed to the tab collar. And Steve has opted to use braces as opposed to the traditional cummerbund because, and they can add a little bit more jazz to your outfit and when you take your jacket off, they're a little bit more spunky. This is an example of a cummerbund. Now you wouldn't wear both the cummerbund and the braces together, you would choose one or the other. And many times you can purchase kits so that the tie and the cummerbund match and many men opt to do that and it makes for a little bit more variety in your look. The pants should be perfectly tailored and hemmed so that there's a break above the shoe and the shoes, gentlemen, should always be patent leather, as that is a formal shoe to wear with a tuxedo. Do not wear your work shoes with a tuxedo. This is Susan Bigsby, thank you for watching."