How to wear a tuxedo, and why

When I tell people that I just bought my first dinner suit, they do not ask me “double breasted or single?” They do not ask me “peak lapel or shawl collar?” They do not ask me “black or midnight blue?”

Instead, I always get the same question: “And when will you wear it?”

No word of a lie, but within two weeks of deciding on my first tuxedo, I had three invitations to black tie optional events: a veterans’ fundraiser, a New Year’s Eve party and a Max Raabe concert. As the #menswear maxim goes, as soon as you own a dinner suit you will have occasion to wear one. The truth is more like: as soon as you own a tuxedo you will look for opportunities to wear one.

But that doesn’t explain why I did it in the first place. As someone who loves dressing well, I’ve long dreamed of owning a tuxedo because it is the pinnacle of a gentleman’s wardrobe. Outside of white tie – which is on the verge of being relegated to history – black tie is the ultimate and universal in formal wear, the very best way a man can dress. My wardrobe felt incomplete without it, like a hockey card collection without a Gretzky.

A relatively faithful reproduction of my logo, itself taken from a 1920s tailoring book.

I have been designing the perfect dinner suit in my mind for years – single breasted, peak lapels, swoop-front vest, high-backed pants – but that will remain a dream for now. An opportunity came to own a new tuxedo at a very good price so I jumped at it, even though the design was second on my list. Earlier this fall, as Walter Beauchamp Tailors were closing their retail shop – before joining Holt Renfrew Men – they had a massive sale on all stock. The double breasted tuxedo pictured above, although not “current”, just felt right. It buttons rather low and is fuller than contemporary suits, but I liked the way it looked on me, and that’s all that really counts.

Full dress shirt, featuring stiff piqué front, detachable collar and side access for inserting studs.

As part of the sale, I was also able to pick up an English handmade full dress shirt, with stiff bib and detached collar. While I know this is a more old fashioned look, coming right out of white tie, I couldn’t help indulge in a bit of Downton Abbey cosplay. I also picked up a modern shirt with pleated front and turn-down collar, as a backup option.

I am less pleased with my footwear. I did not take my own advice of “Spend more to get the best quality”. Instead I thought, “I’m not going to wear black shoes that often, so I’ll just get something that does the job.” The Florsheims I bought in haste certainly do the job – they are black and relatively uncluttered – but they have no flair. Their shape is uninspired and the leather so ordinary that no matter how much elbow grease, I cannot bring up a decent shine. I hope that the silk ribbon laces I added at least push them in the right direction.

How to wear Black Tie

The rules and protocol of dressing well all but disappeared until recently and that is especially true of black tie. Many men think “black tie” just means a black suit. But there is a history and a meaning behind every element, every choice that is part of the black tie ensemble. What I have learned has been gleamed from many hours of reading The Black Tie Guide and smoking cigars with its writer, Peter Marshall.

Some Black Tie recommendations: 1) peak or shawl lapel; 2) self-tie black bow tie; 3) stiff-front shirt with detachable wing collar and black studs; 4) white linen pocket square

The protocol of black tie is not intended to be fussy and antiquated. It developed over centuries and in my mind focus on one simple idea: black tie is not work wear. It is simplicity and elegance. Almost anything that can be associated with “work”, including many elements of the business suit, are not appropriate for black tie. Thus, no notch lapels. No long neck ties. No flaps on your pockets. No wrist watches and no colour.

Black tie variations: 1) single breasted or double breasted; 2) sorry, always a black self-tie bow tie; 3) soft pleated-front shirt with turn-down collars; 4) white silk pocket square

Should you choose to venture into this world, I highly recommend spending as much time as you can at Peter’s site. He even has, on his auxiliary blog, his own guide to Toronto’s tuxedo tailors so you can shop local.

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