Dressing With Success Is All in the Details

Here are some tips, taken from men’s fashion expert Alan Flusser and other sources, that you should consider before buying or renting a tux. Remember: The details are important.

The jacket: Single- and double-breasted jackets are correct. The single-breasted model is worn unbuttoned, requiring a cummerbund or dress vest. A double-breasted coat is never worn with a vest or cummerbund underneath. The peaked lapel is the dressiest design for dinner jackets, but the shawl lapel is also correct and debonair. (Style note: Flusser calls a dinner jacket with notched lapels a “sartorial oxymoron,” but many tux vendors are showing notched lapels.) Ventless jackets are more slimming, while side vents provide easier access to the trouser pockets and are more comfortable to sit in. As far as color, black is the norm, although midnight blue is acceptable. An off-white or tan dinner jacket is worn only in the summer.

The trousers: Tuxedo trousers are never cuffed. They have one vertical stripe that matches the facing of the jacket lapels. Pleated trousers are compatible with a cummerbund or waistcoat.

The shirt: The wing-collar shirt, with pleated front and studs, is a classic that goes particularly well with peaked-lapel dinner jackets, since the wings of the collar complement the shape of the lapels. A wing collar sits high under the chin, giving stature and definition to the face and chin. Catalogs are also showing tuxes paired with point-collar shirts with plain or pleated fronts.

The bow tie: The butterfly bow tie, in black, is the classic choice. The bow’s color and texture are governed strictly by the jacket’s lapel facings--satin for satin trimmings and a ribbed or pebble-weave variation for grosgrain facings. Bow ties are always worn in front of the wing collar.

The cummerbund: Cummerbunds should always be worn with single-breasted dinner jackets. Always have the pleats facing upward.

The shoes: A tux requires elegant, formal footwear. The ne plus ultra in evening shoes for men is the black calfskin pump with black grosgrain bows. Less dandified but no less becoming is a plain patent dress oxford.