How To Choose A Tuxedo - Tux101

This area will give you some idea on how to decide on what style to go with and what styles are "in" and what styles are more traditional. We have found a very logical and easy way to look at things when trying to decide on what tuxedo look to go with.

First, what kind of person are you? Are you more trendy in that you wear pretty up- to-date clothing styles and drive up-to-date cars or do you prefer to wear more conservative clothes and drive conservative style cars?

If you are a bride or groom; what kind of wedding do you and your fianceé picture having? A real trendy/modern wedding with the latest music and food styles, or a more traditional style wedding?

Twenty or thirty years from now do you want to look at your wedding pictures and have a good laugh at the "outrageous" tuxedo styles that was worn (which can be quite fun!) or do you want to them to have a more timeless look?

The choices are these: Go trendy, go traditional, or somewhere in between. It all depends on what type of person you are and what kind of pictures you want! You'll have to answer that!

The main choice that drives the whole look is the coat style. The coat is pretty much is the focal point. There are four basic types of coat lapels; notch, peak, shawl and any other type not falling into those three categories.

If you are going "trendy;" that means a four or five or even six button coat that doesn't show much of the vest when buttoned. The vest would be a wild pattern with a wild color. No black tie, but a button cover. Pants would be quite baggy and the shoes might be a black and white capped toe shoe. The pictures to the right show some of the trendier coat styles.

If you are going "traditional;" that would mean a notch or peak lapel tuxedo coat with a subdued colored vest (or even more traditional white cummerbund). Traditional black bow tie and side stripe pants. The pictures to the left show a traditional notch lapel and a shawl collar.

Of course you can always do something in between. For example, a notch or peak lapel tuxedo coat with a patterned, brighter colored vest would be a fairly traditional look with a trendy flair. For a more trendy look, but not totally, a high buttoned coat with a subdued vest and traditional pants would do.

Once you figure out where you want to be on the trend scale, the rest comes fairly easily. You just have to decide the specific colors of the accessories, for example. Details like matching handkerchiefs can really add a touch of class, too.

So there you have it...not so hard, right?