Tuxedo/Black-Tie

                                            

                Tuxedo or Black tie is a semi-formal dress code for evening wear.In British English,the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element for men,dinner suit or dinner jacket.In American English Tuxedo is common.

HISTORY:

                 According to research,Tuxedo burst on the scene in 1865,as the trendsetter was Edward VII.Through other attribute the creator of tuxedo was wealthy American aristocrat Pierre Lorillard,who attended Autumn Ball in Tuxedo Park,New York.But the garment actually dated back to 1865,designed by Prince of Wales and his tailor.

                 Seville Row Tailor Henry Poole & Co,still in business today,fit the Prince for an ensemble that was more formal than a lounge suit,but not without the trimming of a tailcoat(it was something a Prince could wear in the dinner room and informal settings). At that time,the jacket was usually black,peak lapels and accompanied by white accessories.They drew inspiration from British Military uniform at that time.

                 Most likely,the dinner jacket was brought to America in 1886 by millionaire James Brown Potter and his wife Cora,who were introduced to Prince of Wales during a trip to British. The Prince sent Potter to be fitted for the popular new jacket and Potter later wore it to the Autumn Ball of a private country club in Tuxedo Park,New York.There the American moniker of the suit was popularized.This was the time where two origins met.

                 By the early 20^th century,the dinner jacket had risen in popularity and was accepted in formal situations.Black accessories and peak lapel were de rigueur.

                 While in 1930s,black tie came in roaring,mostly unchanged,before the World War I;it was the de facto evening wear,relegating white-tie to special events.The midnight blue tuxedo was all the rage and in 1935, there were more mills churning out wool, tuxedo wool than black tuxedo wool.

                 The Double breasted tuxedo jacket variant,previously considered too informal,also exploded in popularity during this time.For warmer climates and seasons,the white tuxedo jacket(contrasted by black trousers) became an acceptable alternative.

                 World War II brought a time of informality to America.Tuxedo became rarity, an exception instead of norm.Men wore suits instead of tuxedo when they went out at night.White-tie (then known as full dress) would never truly recover from this period.

                 As in 1950s, the tuxedo was black it was renewed by few changes:more “Space Age” fabrics,more intricate shirt patterns and designs,more shorter and fitted jacket.Colourful variations on black-tie began to appear during this period,but it was the exception rather than the rule.

                 In 1970s,tuxedo was completely remade in disco’s images.A young revolutionary generation looked tuxedo as old fashioned and threw it back,only keeping the vague silhouette.Huge floppy bow ties, colourful patterned jackets,shirt with ruffles and lace and trousers that looked more like bell-bottoms became much more prevalent.The typical tuxedo,in 70's usually had at least two of these elements.

                By the 1980s,a return to classic styling had re-emerged and tuxedos started looking more conservative.

                 

                In late 2000s,dress codes became diluted and misunderstood,formal-wear took another hit. Business-casual was the predominate dress code of the work place and shiny black suits with matching ties had nearly supplanted traditional black-tie.Coloured dress shirt also began to trend in this era.Those who continued to wear traditional tuxedo made it as simple as possible.

                From 2010,tuxedo entered a golden age.More and more young generation adopted the black-tie styles of the 30’s and 40’s.Midnight blue tuxedo have even made a comeback.Most of the dramas and films are somehow the reason for this shift.

                For most of the men Tuxedo/black-tie is the most formal dress they might wear,unlike in modern day wear it is dictated by rules which we will cover step by step:

JACKET: 

                  It seems like a very simple black one,however it has very distinguish features as the fabric is a black wool barathea,which is a little more matte and alternatively you can choose for something navy or Persian blue/dark blue,may be with a herringbone weave,some people even go for fine twill weave or a plain weave.In terms of styling the most classic one is single buttoned jacket with wing-tip/peak lapel, alternative can have shawl lapel with single button or you can wear double breasted jacket with shawl lapel,typically it is a four button jacket just buttoned one and you can also have it with peaked lapels. Wing-tips and shawl lapels are the only option for black tie.

VENTS:

              The most traditional jackets has no vents,which is unusual today because most jackets have either side vents or center vents.People go for vents because of comfort but for evening wear you must go for ultimate look and the vent less is best because it gives a perfect fitted silhouette to your body.

POCKET STYLE:

             The most traditional style is jetted pockets.One on right and one on left no ticket pocket. Sometimes men wear flap pockets,however it’s a detailed day wear,not suits to evening wear.

BUTTONS:

             Jacket is stitched with black matching buttons that are either covered in the same fabric as the tuxedo or silk or can have contrasting black buttons with some decorations.Stay clear from contrasting plastic buttons or horn buttons or buttons in different colours really stand out.

LAPELS:

           Wing-tips are not ordinary peak(British English) lapels they are faced with silk, the most classic option is to go with satin but you can also have Rab silk,grosgrain,barathea silk or any other kind. Ideally suit must have a button hole in the peaked(American English) lapel,so men can have a boutonniere which is particularly suited for evening wear.

POCKET SQUARE:

           Of course you need a chest pocket for the pocket square,if you wear a boutonniere go for a simple plain white Lenin pocket square otherwise you can have solid colours may be red,yellow,purple or magenta for your pocket square in silk.

WHAT TO AVOID IN TUXEDO JACKET:

• Don’t use flannel material.

• Avoid notched lapels.

• Avoid two button or three button single breasted jackets.

• Avoid side vents and center vents.

• Avoid flaps on the pockets and not go for angled pockets.

TROUSERS:

                There must be a matching material to the jacket in the same colour. A special hallmark of the black tie trouser is a strip of satin fabric or a decorative braid on the side which is also called gallon.Trousers are never worn with belt,as belt is not suited for evening wear,either you have suspenders or braces or side adjusters.

VEST:

            When it comes to evening vest,they are very different from day vest.They have a much deeper cut-out so more of your front shirt can be seen and the studs on your shirt front.

CUMMERBUND:

              When you wear cummerbund,make sure that the pleats face upwards not downwards and originally it must be of dress colour.

TUXEDO SHIRT:

               It is made of white fabric usually poplin or twill and it always has an insert.It can either be in Marcella or pique cotton insert,it may be include a pleated front or sometimes just a finely woven pattern.

BLACK BOW TIE:

              Bow Tie is acceptable in black colour with different shapes and textures.Neck tie is undesired to wear with tuxedo.

SHOES:

              Traditionally men wear patterned leather shoes which are shiny black leather.Only there are two options,cap-less Oxford shoes that are laced or opera pumps also known as court shoes with a deep cut and bow in front.

SOCKS:

             Black silk socks were worn over the calf.

CUFF-LINKS:

              Usually cuff-links are black such as onyx or abalone;sometimes they would come as a matching set with your shirt style.In my opinion,sometimes to give a change,you can wear white mother of pearls studs or dull stainless steel because it just provides a different observation to ordinance.

                  If you fetch your sight at any red carpet event or dinner parties in this day and age, you will find a lot of tuxedo styles drawn from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. This is due to some designer’s and TV shows who reinstated Black-tie,which really dictated original tuxedo again as a fashion trends.