How to choose a Wedding Suit (Part 2 of 3) - The Tuxedo

Wedding Suit: Is the tuxedo ok?

Some weeks ago we wrote an article about the tuxedo and its metamorphosis over the centuries from home jacket to ideal choice for gala dinners. For the wedding day, the smoking is mainly used in the United States, as a result of a trend started in Hollywood.

Features of the tuxedo:

• Single or double-breasted jacket, no side vents, peak or shawl lapels covered in black satin or gros-grain. The color of the jacket can be black, dark blue or for the more eccentric white (the white variant is recommended for summer weddings outdoors);
• Shirt with Italian or wing collar. The second is also called "diplomatic". Be careful: with this type of collar the bow-tie must be tailor-made to avoid seeing the ugly “hook” typical of adjustable RTW bow-ties. The shirt is white and obviously you can't miss the cufflinks;
• the cummerbund is mandatory when the jacket is single-breasted, because it must cover the joint between the shirt and the trousers. It must match both the fabric and the color of both bow-tie and lapel facings (for example all in black satin);
• Trousers must be combined with the jacket. If the jacket is white the trousers must be black. The length must be such that the trousers rest on the shoe and fall tapered;
• the perfect shoes here too are the Oxfords, Wholecut or the so-called Opera Pumps, a type of formal footwear that’s also known as the court shoe. Opera pumps are loafers made from either velvet or patent leather and mostly recognisable by their gros grain bow on the upper.

What are the mistakes to avoid when wearing tuxedo?

• Trousers Turn-ups (the Duke of Windsor was the first to make them but only in bucolic contexts so as not to get dirty);
• wear a black smoking during the day (except the previously mentioned American trend);
• Wear a patterned tie instead of a plain black tie or a papillon;
• Not wear the cummerbund when the jacket is single-breasted.