Link The Look
Shirts can be fastened with regular buttons, but fitting them with studs and cuff links will help add a small and beautiful design detail.
Proper Neck-wear
If you want to get the most out of your tuxedo, wear a bow tie… that’s how the very formal events do it.
Right White Shirt
Wearing a white turn-down collar shirt will help build contrast to define a more masculine silhouette and build the best overall effect.
Throw a Square in There
If you have a front pocket, there should be a pocket square in it. It adds contrast, detail, and looks great.
Waist Coverings
Sometimes this is not important, but it does serve the function of preserving a nice, clean, and sleek looking tuxedo. It also covers up the weird area of your shirt bunching into your trousers. If you wear a vest, leave the bottom button unbuttoned.
Button to Waist Ratio
You want a button that fastens around the bottom of your rib cage. It helps define the natural waist and allows the coat to move nicely with you. If there’s two buttons, never button the bottom one. Trust me.
Hemming
You should want your pant legs to lightly rest and skim the tops of your shoes, without bunching too much. If this is wrong, you’ll throw the whole look off. Make sure it’s right!
Show your Socks off
Wear something black and lightly patterned. Yes, your socks will show when you sit down.
It takes two hands to put on a hat the right way: Back brim curled up, front tugged down to a couple of inches above the right brow.
Never wear brown at night. Never.
There’s no excuse for brown shoes past sundown…. Or white shoes. Or anything gray, unless it’s deep charcoal. Or blue, unless it’s midnight blue. In fact, let’s keep it simple: after dark, men should wear black.
Ties should be silk. And conservative.
Cuff links always. But leave the fancy jewelry to Sammy.
When dressing formally, a vest is better than a cummerbund.
Don’t wear a tuxedo on Sunday.
Having messy closets is like putting on clean clothes over dirty underwear.
The shower is a great place to steam out the wrinkles in your dinner jacket.
Orange is the happiest color.
Don’t hide your scars. They make you who you are.
When it comes to pockets, everything should have its own place.
A pocket handkerchief is essential, but it needs to be perfectly folded.
Shine your shoes.
Trim. Buff. Clean.
“Take your hand off the suit, creep.”
- Frank Sinatra