How to Look Your Best in Tuxes by KABBA CUSTOM
Tuxes are always a popular choice, especially for the wedding season but there’s a chance you might be wearing them wrong. Here are four mistakes you should watch out for so you can step out looking your absolute best.
These are four common mistakes that you should watch out for in your black tie attire. Follow these tips to ensure you look your very best at your next formal gathering.
If you are planning to show up in a black suit, please put it down. A Black suit ≠ a tuxedo so you should not show up to a black tie event wearing one. Your jacket lapels should be a shawl wrap around or peaked and have satin, velvet, or grosgrain. You should also ensure (and this is important) that your pants are the same fabric as the jacket. It can optionally feature a stripe on the side in the same accent material as the lapel fabric. Cummerbunds, suspenders, trouser pleats or a waistcoat can be optional accents. What can always be skipped is a belt, *your pants should not have belt loops*. Proper tux pants are fitted at the waist and feature side adjusters instead.
Button cuffs on your shirt cuffs are not appropriate as they’re too casual to wear with something this formal. Further, your shirts should not have buttons on the front except for the collar button and the bottom 1 or 2 buttons. Plan to grab some cufflinks along with some tuxedo studs. Your shirt can also feature pleats or no pleats, the former is traditional the latter contemporary. This is personal preference so pick whichever you like best. A wing collar is traditional as tuxedos are worn with bow ties but a regular straight collar shirt is fine as well.
Ensure your bow tie complements the main color theme of your tux or the satin, velvet, or grosgrain on your lapel and accents. Keep the pocket square white in a simple cotton, linen or satin. If you go for cotton make sure it's a similar shade that matches your shirt. A tuxedo is a conservative garment so it is important to keep it tasteful.
Patent leather shoes are advised as again…tradition, however, opera or ribbon pumps are also acceptable alternatives. If you want to reduce the shine factor then you can do a simple black whole-cut oxford or at most a cap toe. Both should be highly polished. Wingtips or shoes with excessive brouging are not a good choice for tuxedos, they’re instead a better pairing for your day/work suits. You should also get yourself some silk tuxedo socks for both comfort and ease of wear with your tuxedo shoes. Check any major department store.
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