Tuxedo Styles for 2022: Complete Guide to Black Tie and Beyond

Navigating the wide diverseness of dinner jacket styles available can feel overpowering, leadership otherwise stylish guys to revert to the like honest-to-god looks .

Wedding dinner jacket styles present an even bigger challenge, as we attempt to force a weirdly-specific color into a traditionally black and white kit, often leading to one of the most ill-famed ( and regrettable ) wedding dinner jacket styles : the brightly-colored tie and vest jazz band .
This comprehensive examination guide will prevent you from wasting countless hours poring over Google Images for dinner jacket ideas. There ’ s a more thoughtful means to approach men ’ s formalwear that results in a better, more personal kit. Whether you ’ re a modern stableman, or good trying to chase down the latest trends, this guide will answer every question you never knew you had about the pinnacle of men ’ s clothe : the dinner jacket.

Table of Contents

Tuxedo Basics
Tuxedo Jacket Styles
Tuxedo Shirt Styles
Tuxedo Neckwear
Cummerbund or Vest ( or Neither ? )
Tuxedo Pants
Tuxedo Shoes
Tuxedo Accessories
Popular Tuxedo Styles
Bonus : Renting vs. Buying

Tuxedo Basics

What Makes a Tuxedo… a Tuxedo?

At first glance, suits and dinner jacket might seem pretty similar. But before we establish what a dinner jacket is, let ’ s speak about what a dinner jacket is not. A dinner jacket is not fair a black become worn with a bow affiliation. While that description misses some of the fine details of the dinner jacket, it besides assumes that all tuxedos are black and flannel ( they ’ ra not ). And while submit ties are the traditional neckwear catch for a dinner jacket, they ’ re not your lone option .
The biggest deviation between suits and dinner jacket is the use of silk satin in the design of the dinner jacket, most prominently on the lapels. Suits are about always made with a reproducible fabric on both the jacket and pants—no special lapels, no satin stage stripes. And most tuxedos have silk-covered jacket buttons while suits have normal buttons .
thus, should you wear a dinner jacket to your event ? The dinner jacket is designed to elevate your appearance above the daily lawsuit. If you ’ re wearing a dinner jacket, you ’ re probably celebrating something special. only you can decide whether a dinner jacket is the dress you need. Look bass inside yourself, study, wander off into the abandon on a spiritual quest for which formalwear best calls to your soul. Or, you know, good take a look at the event, its trim code ( if there is one ), and what other people you know are wearing—and be consequently .
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For exemplar, if you ’ re a dress ( congrats ! ) and your bride is wearing a princess nightgown in your marry, you may look excessively casual standing following to her in a suit. Go for a dinner jacket. conversely, if you ’ re having a sunset beach wedding and the bride ’ second in a flowy, less- traditional attire, you ’ ll credibly look like a buttoned-up horse around in a black dinner jacket. Go for a suit. These are just things to consider .
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Tuxedo Jacket Styles

When you ’ re choosing a dinner jacket crown, the details make all the difference. Your dinner jacket style is largely defined by the jacket, and while picking one might sound simple enough ( um, black ? ), there ’ s a lot you need to pay attention to—like lapels, buttons, and evening fabric—when putting together your expect .

Tuxedo Lapel Styles

NOTCH LAPELS
The standard in men ’ sulfur suiting today, notch lapels are found on everything from mutant coats to business suits—which besides means they ’ re considered more casual than early lapel types. They have a “ notch ” where the jacket collar meets the lapel. Despite being a casual lapel character, pass lapels are versatile—you ’ ll find them on both lawsuit and dinner jacket jackets. Just invalidate wearing them at the most courtly black necktie events.
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SHAWL COLLARS
Shawls aren ’ triiodothyronine fair for little honest-to-god ladies. Shawl ( collars, that is ) are characterized by a modern, round shape, and are primarily seen on tuxedos and dinner jackets. While shawl lapels are pretty much only found on black tie-appropriate garments, some would argue that they are less formal than a bill lapel. You could besides argue they have more panache. Use your judgment based on the event and your personal dash.
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PEAK LAPELS
Peak lapels are slightly wider than notch lapels, with edges that “ flower ” upward toward your confront. originally seen in highly formal, highly traditional garments like tailcoats, the vertex lapel has since made its room into dinner jacket and suit jackets alike. It ’ south broadly viewed as more ball than the notch lapel, and, because it ’ south less common, more of a affirmation. But preceptor ’ triiodothyronine shy away—because they point up, top out lapels have the effect of making you look improbable and slender. Win, winnings.
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Pro-tip : Looking for a way to elevate the notch ? Try a notch lapel boundary with grosgrain ribbon .

Double Breasted Jackets

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double-breasted jackets have overlapping battlefront flaps and two sets of buttons. traditionally associated with everything from ’ 30s gangsters to ’ 80s Wall Street brokers, today ’ s double-breasted suits are a slender cut ( which makes them much more flattering ), and perfect for the guy who wants a boldface spirit. While viewed as more formal than its single-breasted buddy, we say wear the DB wherever you want : position, burger joint, wedding—which is why we made a double-breasted dinner jacket .

Tuxedo Colors

When you think of the iconic dinner jacket, you credibly think in grayscale. And while we obviously deference custom, the modern dinner jacket international relations and security network ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate always black and white .
Midnight blue dinner jacket got their begin as an acceptable alternate to black tuxes because their benighted blue fabric appeared blacker than on-key bootleg under the glow of early electric unhorse. Later, tropical climates necessitated the white dinner jacket—a warm-weather necessitate on the dinner jacket. These looks have turned into double-takes on the crimson carpet recently, and you can wear both midnight bluing and white dinner jackets year-round .
Unique framework colors or patterns can besides up your game. Gingham, tartan, and bright fabrics make a bold, celebratory argument at less formal affairs, like vacation parties. The key to pulling off these dinner jacket is knowing the dress code—you ’ five hundred never wear one of these show-stoppers to a traditional black tie consequence .

Tuxedo Materials

For many reasons, wool is the most popular framework for suits and dinner jacket. It drapes beautifully and has a sleek finish that makes for a polished expression. It ’ mho besides known to be insulating, breathable, and durable—basically making it the do-it-all renaissance valet of the suiting global. It ’ mho hard to go wrong with wool .
In chilly weather, try a velvet dinner jacket for a low-key be active to set your look apart. Plush velvet adds rich texture to your look and keeps you feeling and looking quick in the fall and winter, but it ’ d look ( and feel ) out of place in warm months. Velvet has a heavier hand feel, but when you ’ re wearing a velvet crown it wears fair american samoa light as a wool jacket. That ’ south effective newsworthiness for the dance floor .

Tuxedo Button Styles

by and large, the fewer the buttons on the closure, the more formal the jacket. Think of ultra-formal tailcoats : the jacket doesn ’ thyroxine even close ! Tailcoats normally have some buttons, but none of them are functional .
Single-button jackets are the most formal in modern menswear, and not coincidentally, most single-button jackets are dinner jacket or dinner jackets. Two-button jackets are more versatile but a little more casual, besides. They can be dressed up or dressed down, from a cocktail party to a black tie optional wedding. You can find advanced tuxedos with two-button closures, but they ’ re most much used in suiting .
Three-button suit jackets are less park, and you rarely see three buttons on a tuxedo—they ’ re besides fooling. The outlier here is the double-breasted jacket. Despite having 4+ buttons, they ’ re generally considered more formal than a two-button jacket ( and again, not all of the buttons are functional ) .
so how does your new-found “ button smarts ” serve you get dressed ? nowadays that you know the purpose purpose behind button counts, forget it. in truth .
Choose a jacket that appeals to you and compliments your body character. The only reason you might consider choosing a one-button over a two-button is if you ’ re attending a very conventional consequence or marry. even then, it ’ s unlikely anyone ’ s going to publicly shame you for making a relatively little style choice .
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Tuxedo Shirt Styles

The dinner jacket shirt : It ’ s the lacuna canvas tent that lets your tie polish. A cautiously chosen dinner jacket shirt says a fortune about your style, and should match the vibration of the event. It ’ s actually the obscure champion of any formal expect .
Imagine your dinner jacket shirt is Scottie Pippen and your expertly-tied bow tie is Michael Jordan. Sure, MJ is arguably the GOAT ( greatest of all time ), but while everybody ’ s looking at His Airness they miss Pippen killing it on defensive structure and recording 21 career treble doubles according to Wikipedia ! twenty-one !
Your passion for choosing the properly dinner jacket shirt should be just american samoa intense as this generator ’ sulfur taste for 7-time NBA All-Star Scottie Pippen. Like every other partially of your dinner jacket, it ’ s authoritative to be intentional about the shirt you wear .

Tuxedo Shirt Collars

WING TIP COLLARS
The most ball collar choice, the Wing Tip gets its name from the fold-out collar points that look like wings ( and possibly because they have a inclination to make you look classically “ fly ” ). It ’ s designed to be worn with a submit tie and dinner jacket, sol if you ’ re going for a laid-back, “ don ’ thyroxine care ” attend, this one international relations and security network ’ metric ton for you. And it ’ s very not for you if you ’ re wearing a suit or a necktie—never wear a Wing Tip collar with a become or necktie .
SPREAD COLLARS
The most park type of collar today, and the most versatile. They work with suits and tuxedos alike, and both bow and neckties. Spread collars besides come in a variety of points and angles—from the fore point collar with its pin down spread, to the cutaway collar ’ randomness wide banquet ( the “ banquet ” refers to the outdistance between the choker points ). Choose carefully—this is your prospect to be the Goldilocks of collar spreads .

Shirt Bibs

Some dress shirts have a orthogonal panel that runs up the presence of the shirt. It ’ s called a “ tipple, ” and it ’ sulfur much more advanced than what a pamper wears while eating bathetic peas, but equally cute : it doubles your shirt ’ s thorax fabric, ensuring that anything visible under your dinner jacket jacket is undimmed white, not diaphanous .
There are two * types of bibs— pleated ( where upright pleats run up both sides of the button placket ), and pique ( which are made from starchy fabric normally woven with a dimple pattern, and are considered more courtly ). alone wear bib-front shirts for formal events that call for a dinner jacket .
pro peak : * technically there are three types of bibs…that is, if you count the ripple shirt .

Shirt Plackets

If you ’ re not a shirt construction hobbyist, you might not know that the placket is the center deprive of fabric where a shirt ’ second buttonholes are situated. And yes, you have placket options .

FRONT PLACKET
The most coarse type of placket style, and one you normally can ’ thymine go ill-timed with. Fabric is folded over and sewn with a fuse interlining for a classical ( and harmonious ) look .

NO PLACKET ( FRENCH FRONT )
french front shirts don ’ t have that folded-over and sewed strip of framework along the buttons. Going placket-less gives your shirt a cleaner, more minimalist feel, making it an ideal choice for both conventional or free-and-easy shirts .

COVERED PLACKET ( FLY FRONT )
The fly front is a more ball vogue of placket in which an extra part of framework covers up the buttons on your shirt. Because sometimes you ’ ve got to leave a little to the resource .

TUXEDO FRONT ( PLAIN FRONT )
This style looks exchangeable to the french presence, except the top four buttons are obliterable for dinner jacket scantling. Please, let this style live up to its appoint, and only wear it with tuxes—it should never make an appearance at the office .

Shirt Cuffs

BARREL CUFFS
Barrel cuffs don ’ thyroxine require any rolling or cufflinks—instead, they are held conclude by buttons. Most of your shirts credibly have barrel cuffs. Unlike the distinctive, casual barrel handcuff shirt that buttons shut, our barrel cuff dress shirts have modified buttonholes that can besides accommodate cufflinks, bringing them up to tux code .
french CUFFS
French cuffs are dinner dress shirt cuffs that are rolled back and held in seat by cufflinks. If you ’ re getting married or going to another event that requires a dinner jacket, formal french cuffs will elevate your attend. Besides, you should always take an opportunity to add a set of cufflinks to your look .
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Tuxedo Neckwear

Bow Tie vs. Necktie

We ’ ve already established that the traditional set about to a dinner jacket is to match it with a bow tie, so if you ’ re attending a truly formal or nonindulgent black draw consequence, make it a bow tie. But not every event has that nonindulgent of a dress code, and mod vogue means a lot more jiggle room for personal saying .
so, are you a necktie or a bow bind guy ? Half of wearing a bow connect is confidence ( and it will look bang-up if you have that assurance ), but it takes some know-how to pull off a necktie with a dinner jacket. Either way, lifeless perfection international relations and security network ’ t a recipe for success. That ’ mho why we never have, and never will, recommended pre-tied neckwear .

Colors and Fabrics

Choosing a crouch affiliation based on its fabric can add texture to your look in unexpected ways and hard put your equip in the right season and formality level.

Silk ( besides : Silk satin, knit silk, silk twill )
This is the go-to neckwear fabric for most dinner jacket styles or dinner jackets. Silk ’ s ignite shininess works well with the ( normally ) silk satin lapels of your dinner jacket or dinner jacket, further elevating your spirit. If you decide to dress your tux down with a necktie, this silk is the best choice.
Wool, Velvet ( besides : Wool flannel, tartan )
In the fall and winter, we bundle up. That ’ randomness not to say a velvet or wool tie is going to actually keep you warmer than some other framework, but visually, these rich materials lend themselves to cooler weather. If you want to try this cozier neckwear material with your dinner jacket, cling with a bow tie .
Pro-tip : If you go the crouch tie path, don ’ metric ton sweat the shape excessively much .
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Cummerbund or Vest (or Neither?)

One of the traditional directing principles of a formal dress code is that all the working parts of your ensemble must be covered or dressed. While the dominion has become more of a road map, we inactive find the rule ’ sulfur offspring in formalwear : vests and cummerbunds .

BARE
If you want a more mod, casual look, consider ditching the invest or cummerbund raw. Going vestless is an increasingly popular, contemporary choice, and acceptable with either a dinner jacket or a befit .
CUMMERBUND
The cummerbund was invented to cover up your girdle ( and the awkward shirt bunching that tends to happen in that sphere ). Cummerbunds are quickly approaching “ antique ” status, and we won ’ thyroxine go out of our room to recommend you wear one. But if you must wear one, do it entirely with a dinner jacket, and match the material of your cummerbund with the material of your lapels ( regretful, blistering pink cummerbunds ) .
decollete VEST
Like a cummerbund, you ’ ll normally alone wear a low-cut vest—occasionally called a waistcoat—at black marry events. decollete vests are viewed as more ball and are cut lower in the movement than a typical suit vest—hence the name—to show off your dinner jacket shirt. Unlike the full-back vest, it is appropriate to button all buttons .
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Tuxedo Pants

Story Behind the Stripe

In the like way satin differentiates a dinner jacket jacket from a suit jacket, the dinner jacket trouser rises above mere courtship pants with two vertical satin stripes—one on either slope of the leg—and a match satin girdle. The stripes, a detail frequently seen on military uniforms, and the girdle cover the pant seam for an continuous attend that appears to elongate your legs, making you look improbable. And obviously, A.B.T. ( always be grandiloquent ) .

Black vs. Color

The minimalist purpose of the dinner jacket pant makes it undeniably versatile. You can match them with precisely about any dinner jacket or dinner jacket—tartan, gingham, bowling pin department of transportation, velvet, wool, black, white—and you wouldn ’ t have a lose front in the bunch together. cipher should ever compare formalwear to french fries, but the way they work with anything, they ’ re like french fries. Except alternatively of making you insalubrious, they make you look better .
Pro-tip : If you ’ re going for a modern front, show a little ankle. Your dinner jacket pants should be hemmed for “ no break ” —that ’ second tailor-speak for merely above the shoe .
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Tuxedo Shoes

When it comes to pairing shoes with your dinner jacket, less is normally more. The dinner jacket is designed to draw the center up to your face, but cipher ’ s going to make eye liaison if you ’ re sporting some extraordinary high-tops. But even if you ’ re keeping it childlike, you ’ ve got some decisions to make .

PATENT LEATHER
When it comes to wearing a dinner jacket, patent leather is an easy, go-to choice. The patent shine works in harmony with the polish of a dinner jacket ’ south lapels and pant stripes, making it an ideal match. childlike equals elegant.
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CAP TOE SHOES
Wingtip shoes are a small excessively flowery, but a slick detonator toe shoe demands barely enough attention. The matte leather combined with a patent leather stress on this match adds insidious variety to your look while keeping the focus of your dinner jacket above the shank.
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LOAFERS
There ’ south more than one way to add texture to a dinner jacket, but none of them have been proven to improve your dance moves like a idler. Okay, indeed mobile eyes are more probable to pause on a pair of velvet slip-ons or grosgrain loafers, but hey—maybe the groom should have worn better shoes ? ( Attn : Grooms. Loaf it or person else will. ) In ardent months, skip the socks and let those ankles breathe.
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Tuxedo Accessories

Wearing a dinner jacket should be fun, which is probably why cufflinks, air pocket squares, and suspenders were invented. While the rest of your dinner jacket communicates casual edification, your accessories tell the world you still know how to breakdance or throw a bullseye blindfolded. It ’ mho you in microcosm .

Cufflinks and Studs

Cufflinks allow your personality to shine through in a formal equip. It ’ south approve to have some playfulness with your cufflinks, but if you ’ re trying to show your serious side, stick to a metallic style. Or keep your attend minimal with silk knots, like the ones in this shirt .

Button studs lend your kit a more ball feel. They ’ re only for dinner jacket shirts, and are designed to fit into the buttonholes of the shirt placket. If you ’ re besides wearing a metallic cufflink, it ’ randomness best to match metals with your button studs—gold with aureate, argent with ash grey .

Pocket Squares

nothing says “ old-school edification ” like a pocket square. It ties together your look, adds personality and style, and demonstrates that you ’ re truly, in truth thoroughly at folding things. A man wearing a pocket square is a man of confidence. Be that man.
There are a few pieces of advice we would offer when choosing a pouch square. Paired with black dinner jacket styles or a flannel dinner jacket, you can get a lot of mileage out of a white and/or black pocket square. Plain white looks dependable with everything. A little coloring material in your front pocket can be a good move, particularly for a gay dress code. But for a conventional event, color is easily to overdo. alternatively, try to mix it up with a dateless blueprint, a simple design, or tied precisely a shoestring detail .
besides, adhere to silk, linen, cotton, or wool ( so…just about anything but polyester ) .

Belts or Suspenders (or None)

A belt should never be worn with a dinner jacket. If your dinner jacket pants have belt loops on them, then they are not dinner jacket pants. If you ’ rhenium looking for some aid in holding up your dinner jacket pants on the dance floor, then your only option is to wear suspenders—and preferably the traditional button vogue ( besides known as braces ) over clip-ons .

Popular Tuxedo Styles (and when to wear them)

Tuxedo Lapel Choice

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PEAK LAPEL TUXEDO
Accessorize With : A wing lean or pleated shirt with french cuffs, total darkness bow tie, and patent leather shoes, silk knot cufflinks and button studs .
Wear It For : The most formal events or dress codes, like a black tie marriage .

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SHAWL COLLAR TUXEDO
Accessorize With : Shirts with close up down collars and french cuffs, black/patterned bow draw, patent or cap toe shoes, metal cufflinks and button studs .
Wear It For : conventional events and black tie dress codes .

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NOTCH LAPEL TUXEDO
Accessorize With : dress shirts with fold down collars, patterned bow connect or black satin necktie, loafers, and unique cufflinks .
Wear It For : creative total darkness tie or black tie optional events that are less courtly .

Tuxedo Color Choice

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WHITE DINNER JACKET TUXEDO
Accessorize With : dress or pleated shirts with fold down collars, french cuffs are a summation. Black or patterned bow tie, ceiling toe shoes or loafers .
Wear It For : formal events, black bind optional and creative black affiliation snip codes .

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MIDNIGHT BLUE TUXEDO
Accessorize With : A wing tip or pleated shirt with french cuffs, black bow tie, and patent leather shoes, silk knot cufflinks and button studs .
Wear It For : The most ball events or dress codes, like a bootleg necktie wedding, or for creative black tie .

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Rose Shawl Collar Tuxedo
Accessorize With : dress shirts with fold down collars, patterned bow tie or black satin necktie, loafers, and unique cufflinks .
Wear It For : creative black link or gay dress code events that are less formal .

Tuxedo Fabrics and Pattern Choice

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BLACK WATCH TARTAN TUXEDO
Accessorize With : dress shirts with fold down collars, patterned bow bind or black satin necktie, loafers, and alone cufflinks .
Wear It For : creative black link or gay dress code events that are less dinner dress .

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VELVET JACKET
Accessorize With : dress shirts with congregation down collars, patterned bow tie or black satin necktie, loafers, and alone cufflinks .
Wear It For : creative black connect or gay dress code events that are less conventional .
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Bonus: Renting vs. Buying

Owning a dinner jacket sounds like a crowning achievement—riding a trophy stallion with no saddle or filling a personal library entirely with leather-bound first editions. But renting a dinner jacket has its benefits, besides, provided the dinner jacket fits .
Purchasing a dinner jacket means you can tailor it to fit your body absolutely, but if your body changes, you may push your dinner jacket beyond its size. then there are the tailor costs. While simpleton alterations like a pant hem or a sleeve alteration are relatively minor investments, having the shank of your dinner jacket jacket or pants taken in or let out can be costly .
A fully-canvassed, merino wool tuxedo often costs upward of $ 1,200. Add in the expense of alterations, and you might have rented a batch of dinner jacket for less. And if you don ’ metric ton wear a dinner jacket more than once a class, your purchased dinner jacket may not get enough habit to justify the expense—to say nothing of changing manner trends and your own evolve taste .
When you rent a dinner jacket, you have options. Purchasing a dinner jacket means one lapel shape, one color, one button closure style for a set of unlike events. This international relations and security network ’ metric ton to say you should never buy a dinner jacket, but excessively often, renting gets a bad repute because of cheap, ill made rental suits. If the dinner jacket actually fits, renting can look pretty good.

But, as most of us know, renting can besides be a harass. That ’ mho why we made it simple. Whether you ’ re concern in renting or bribe, barely answer a few questions to dial in your sizes, order on-line, and we ’ ll deliver your dinner jacket to your door—no dinner jacket shop class required .
ready to find your fit ? Get started here .

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