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About Tuxedos
When you wear a tuxedo, you want to look your best and express your individual taste. It is important to feel comfortable and confident in the look you have chosen. |
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Tuxedo Rental Tips |
Choosing the Right Tuxedo - When renting a tuxedo, you will have many styles and accessories to choose from. Always choose a tuxedo that compliments your style and your body. What's "in" may not be your taste or what looks best on you. The first rule is to choose a tux style you like, keeping in mind the formality of the event you are attending.
The Classic Look - If you prefer a classic formal look, try to stay with 1, 2, or 3 button tuxedos with traditional colored accessories. A black or silver vest/tie or cummerbund/tie set is appropriate.
Keeping In-Style - For a more "in-style" or "fashion forward" look, choose 4-button, 5-button or other fashion tuxedo. Color always adds to a fashion statement. There are also many tuxedo accessories that you may select to complete your look: top hats, ascots, and pocket squares to name a few.
Looking For a Tuxedo For a Wedding - Traditionally there were guidelines regarding when to wear tails, and what style is best for a daytime or evening wedding. However, recently brides and grooms have chosen formal wear styles based on their personal preferences.
Daytime Tuxedos - For a traditional very formal daytime wedding, the groom can wear a "morning suit", which consists of a cutaway coat, striped trousers, a white wing shirt, gray vest, and an ascot of four-in-hand tie.
Other jacket styles include Single Breasted, Double Breasted, Shall Collars, Cutaways and Tails etc
Whatever tuxedo you choose will depend on your unique preferences and the occasion for which you will wear it. For a wedding or prom, you may want to coordinate with the bridesmaids or your date, for a black-tie event you are attending on your own, you are free to choose the style and look you want.
Whatever tuxedo you choose, be sure the formal wear shop custom fits the tux to your precise measurements. A well fitted tuxedo should be comfortable and make you look your best. |
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More About Tuxedos |
About Tuxedos - Tuxedo Terms
It is important to understand all the different terms used in association with formal events and the options that you will be faced with when renting or purchasing a tuxedo. |
For information on some of the terms you may come across on your search for perfect formal wear, see our glossary listed below.
- Ascot » A kind of necktie or scarf with very broad ends hanging from the knot, one upon the other.
- Black Tie » It is requested you wear a tuxedo to the event.
- Black Tie Optional » You have the option of wearing a tuxedo or a dark suit.
- Black Tie Preferred » Your host prefers you to wear a tuxedo instead of a dark suit.
- Bow Tie » A small necktie tied in a bowknot.
- Cufflinks » Jewelry that is worn to keep the shirt cuff closed.
- Cuffs » Something tuxedo pants should never have.
- Cummerbund » A wide sash worn as a waistband for formal dress.
- Cutaway Jacket » A coat with the front of the skirt cut so as to curve back to the tails.
- Double Breasted Jacket » Having a double row of buttons in the front of the jacket.
- Four-in-Hand-Tie » A necktie tied in a slipknot with the ends left hanging.
- French Cuffs » A double cuff on the sleeve of a shirt that is turned back on itself and fastened with a cufflink.
- Inseam » The measurement of the inside pant seam to where the pant falls on the shoe.
- Lay Down Collar » A traditional men's dress shirt collar.
- Morning Suit » Consists of a cutaway coat, striped trousers, a white wing shirt, gray vest, and an ascot or four-in-hand tie.
- Notch Lapel » A "V" cutout in the lapel where it meets the top collar.
- Peak Lapel » A lapel that points upward and extends beyond the top collar.
- Pique » A firmly woven cotton fabric with ribbed, corded or ridged wales.
- Pocket Square » A fancy handkerchief worn with points up in the breast pocket of tuxedo coat.
- Shawl Collar » A sloping rounded wide lapel with no notches.
- Single Breasted Jacket » A jacket with a single row of buttons.
- Stroller Jacket » Semi-Formal Suit Jacket.
- Tails » Very formal tuxedo coat with long tails in the back.
- Top Hat » A very formal traditional hat. Sometimes accessorized with a cane as well.
- White Tie Event » An ultra-formal evening event that you should wear tails to.
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About Tuxedos - Best Style For My Body Type
Like any other type of clothing, some styles will naturally look better on some people than others. Most of the time it is dependent on your body structure and size. |
There are different lapel styles, coat lengths, coat colors, silhouettes and button counts, plus many other variations of style.
Below is a guide on what may look best on your particular body type. |
Short, Larger Frame Grooms:
If you have more of an athletic or muscular body type, you will probably look best in a tuxedo jacket with a slim shawl collar. The top button should fall at the small of the waist to give your upper body a slimmer appearance. Also, choose jackets with a natural shoulder line and avoid the more broad European styles. Don't wear anything with an accentuated shoulder. It will only make you appear wider on top. When choosing pants, reverse double-pleated trousers with pleats extending toward the pockets will probably give you the best comfort and style. Pants should extend as low as possible on the foot, angled slightly in the back to elongate the leg. Be sure to avoid too much of a break on the foot, otherwise the pant will look sloppy.
Short, Smaller Frame Grooms:
If this best describes your body type, you should try a single-breasted jacket with long lines, a low button stance, which elongates the body, and wide peak lapels. In contrast, you can also try a cropped jacket, which sometimes elongates the body of a shorter man.
If you want something with a little more flair, you could try wearing a double-breasted tuxedo jacket or finely patterned vest and tie.
Selecting the right pant style is important as well. A reverse double-pleated pant leg should always break slightly on top of the shoe and angle a bit downward in the back. Pants that are too short will make you appear even shorter, and will direct the eye downward.
Tall, Bigger Frame Grooms:
Men with broad shoulders and muscular frames look best in shawl collar tuxedos or double breasted jackets.
Make sure the jacket length reaches to the tips of your fingers when you are in a nice relaxed stance. Also, your shirt cuffs should extend at least one half inch beyond the jacket sleeve. This will give your body a longer, leaner look.
Again, make sure you are comfortable in the jacket. It should not feel restrictive or pull anywhere under the arms, front or back.
If you have a large neck and wider face, you should avoid ties that are very narrow or wing tip collars that look constrictive. The better choice for you would be to choose a lay-down collar and a fuller bow tie.
Again, pants should have a small break slightly on top of the shoe and angle a bit downward in the back. And do make sure the pant leg has ample room for comfort.
Tall, Slender Grooms:
If this is your body type you have many styles to choose from. Fortunately, you will look good in just about every tuxedo style. However, an especially good choice is a double-breasted tuxedo with slightly broad shoulders and a suppressed waist.
Jacket buttons, which are higher up on the waistline, are a good choice and a high shoulder line is better than a natural one.
The tuxedo should fit you well, with no pulling or binding. It should feel comfortable but fitted, enabling the suit to follow the lines of the body. The pants should have a higher-rise with a bit more of a break in the pant.
If you want to add some more accessories to your tux, you can add vests, ties, and cummerbunds in a variety of colors and designs.
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About Tuxedos - Best Style For My Event
Whether you are wearing a tuxedo for a formal evening wedding, a morning wedding, a prom or a cruise, contemporary advice says to wear what suits your style and taste. |
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Cruises and Corporate Events - If you are renting a tuxedo for a cruise or corporate event, the guidelines remain mostly the same. Read the invitation carefully and wear a tuxedo that best suits your body type and the formality of the event. Wearing a traditional black tuxedo with white shirt will usually be a safe choice. The most important thing to remember is to ensure the store fits you properly and the style is comfortable so you can enjoy yourself and feel great about how you look.
For a traditional evening wedding that is very formal, - the groom may select a full dress coat with tails, a white pique shirt and vest with matching white bow tie. All the men in the wedding party including the fathers of the bride and groom should wear the same attire as the groom. This is usually the most formal wedding. Invitations may read "white tie", inviting the guests to also wear formal tuxedos to the event.
For an evening contemporary wedding, - the groom may select a traditional black tuxedo, white shirt and vest, cummerbund, and tie that coordinate with the bridesmaids' dresses.
Formality and Style - Even though some fashions come in and out of style, traditional attire has remained somewhat constant over the years. So, if you are trying to be a bit more traditional in your approach, you can read further to learn more about the accepted traditional styles for your particular event.
Proms - Tuxedos for proms have seen many style changes over the years. The best choice is to select a style and accessories that personify you and your date's preferences. Coordinating colors with your date is always a recommended. If your date is wearing ivory, choose an ivory shirt instead of white. Tails or traditional, select the tuxedo that you feel comfortable in and makes you look your best.
The traditional dress for a formal noon ceremony - is a black or gray cutaway coat and the appropriate striped trousers in black and gray or black and white. Usually the shirt is a white wing shirt, gray vest and a four-in-hand tie. The groomsmen and the groom should all be dressed the same, however the groom may opt to have a different color tie (black, gray, or white) from his groomsmen to distinguish him from the rest of the party. If you decide to wear a cutaway suit or stroller (semi-formal suit jacket), wear black pants without the satin stripe going down the sides, or even gray or gray and black pinstriped pants.
Wedding Tuxedos - Weddings have long been an affair where tuxedo style has been determined by the time of the wedding and the formality of the event.
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About Tuxedos - Wedding Tuxedo FAQs
If you have never rented a tuxedo before, it is important to get some specific information from the tuxedo shop and also know what to expect when renting a tuxedo. |
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Q: Not all my Groomsmen live nearby, how do they get their tuxes?
A: Have them go to a tuxedo shop to get professionally measured. They can send their measurements to you and you can give them to the shop.
Q: How far in advance should I go to the shop for my tuxedo?
A: Go to the store three to five months before the wedding to ensure yourself the best selection and experience. The earlier the better is a great rule of thumb, especially if you are reserving a number of tuxedos for the wedding party.
Q: Why do I (we) need to get professionally measured?
A: A tuxedo must be fitted perfectly to the body. It is very important that a professional measure the groom and everyone in the wedding party.
Q: Do all the men in the Wedding Party have to have the exact same tux?
A: That depends on the bride and groom. Traditionally all the members of the wedding party should be identical in their attire. However, if you have selected a traditional black tux and a member of the party owns a very similar tux, you may allow him to wear his own. Often times, the bride and groom also choose to distinguish the groom with a slightly varied accessory.
Q: Can I wear a black tux for a daytime wedding?
A: In a very traditional wedding, gray is the choice color for tuxedos. However, it is a personal choice and many brides and grooms are choosing black for any time of day.
Q: Do I have to rent the shoes? Should everyone have the same shoes?
A: Absolutely. The shoes should all match for the wedding party. Patent leather shoes are the most traditional and appropriate choice.
Q: Who else is expected to wear a tuxedo?
A: That depends on the wedding. Traditionally, the groom and groomsmen and the fathers of the bride and groom wear tuxedos. If there is a ring bearer, he would also wear a tux. For a more contemporary or relaxed wedding, the fathers and the ring bearer are not required to wear tuxedos.
Q: Should I have another fitting anytime before the wedding?
A: Yes, about a week before, you should go to the shop for a final fitting.
Q: When should I pick up my tuxedo?
A: Usually the day before the wedding, the groom and the groomsmen will come in to try on the tuxes one more time and then take them. It is best to do this earlier in the day, just in case there is a last minute emergency!
Q: Who returns the tuxedos to the store?
A: Usually, there is a person assigned to collect all the tuxes and bring them back to the store. Sometimes it is one of the groomsmen and other times it is a relative or good friend. Check with the store, so you know the times the store is open and when they expect the tuxes returned.
Q: Who usually pays for the tuxedos?
A: Again, traditionally all the individuals who are renting tuxes are responsible for paying for the tuxedos. If the bride and groom choose to pay for any of the tuxes, that is their individual choice.
Q: How much should I budget for a tuxedo?
A: You should budget between $100 and $200 depending on what you choose.
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About Tuxedos - Designers
Choosing a designer is a personal choice. Most top tuxedo designers produce a high quality product that will last a lifetime. |
You may discover that some designers specialize in one certain area of formal wear such as a vest line or shoes line; whereas other designers offer a complete line of formal wear items including tuxedos, shirts, vests, shoes, jewelry, etc.
Below we have listed many of the top designers for tuxedos. This is not a complete list of course, but it offers you some names to become familiar with. |
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