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Fred Astaire knew how; Gene Kelly did not. Cary Grant knew how; John Wayne did not.  James Bond knows how; Inspector Clouseau does not. There are some celebrities, apparently born to the art, who know how to wear a tuxedo. And their ability to do so has nothing to do with any of their other enormous talents.

But for most men, knowing how to wear a tuxedo means less about how gracefully the fabric will mold to their physiques as they glide across a room and more about knowing when it’s tux time, and how to make sure they have all the appropriate accessories.

If you move in circles where clothes make the man, you understand that knowing what clothes are deemed acceptable at what social gatherings is one of the essential social skills. Your host or hostess will let you know what is expected of you by including “black tie,” “black tie preferred,” or “black tie invited” and you should be able to tell from that if its time to get the tux out of mothballs, or one of your good dark business suits will suffice.

Even if the nature of the affair is such that you are surprised a tuxedo is required, part of knowing how to wear a tuxedo is to have the class not to question your host or hostess’ wishes. Your job is simply to show up looking good enough to add style to the goings-on.

If your party invitation, however, makes no mention of black tie, leave the tuxedo at home. Your tuxedo is the standard in men’s formal attire and should not be worn to every gathering of sophisticates just because it makes you look so dashing.

If you’re attending a public gathering to which there has been no invitation, the guidelines for tuxedos require them at opening nights for the ballet, opera, or symphony; charity or other formal ball, state or other formal reception, and formal restaurant meals. If the head waiter is in a tuxedo, you should be as well.

Knowing how to wear a tuxedo means that you’ll be properly accessorized with a French-cuffed shirt with studs and cufflinks, black-striped, cuffless, beltless formal trousers, a self-tie bowtie or four-in-hand, and cummerbund. You can substitute a vestand coordinating pocket square if you like. Wing tips are a no-no; black patent leather pumps or plain, well polished black dress shoes and black socks are ideal.

Once you learn the basic etiquette involved in knowing when and how to wear a tuxedo, it will become second nature to you, and you can focus on finding a tux that would have made Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, and James Bond proud!

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“Black tie affair.” It sounds very cosmopolitan, and conjures images of  Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, all dressed to kill in the finest black tie tuxedo fashions which have adorned James Bond over the past four decades.

But when you get an invitation which says “black tie,” “black tie preferred,”, “black tie optional, or “black tie invited”, do you really understand what it is telling you about the color of your neckwear? If not, here is primer:

* “Black tie optional” is the former term for what is now “black tie invited.” It’s you host’s or hostess’ way of telling you that you are being asked to an event formal enough that some of the guests will be appearing in black tie tuxedos. Your choices are to go along, or to arrive in a well-cut, dark business suit.

* If, on the other hand, you are given the hint “black tie preferred,” the idea is that your party givers would really like you to appear dressed to the nines in your black tie tuxedo, but won’t show you the door if you don’t. Your acceptable alternative is, once again, that snazzy dark business suit.

* If your marching orders, however, are a simple, straightforward “black tie”, it’s the black tie tuxedo or no admittance. “Black tie” is reserved for formal affairs. Depending on the time of day and the part of the world, the ladies are dazzling in their long gowns, jewels, and gloves, or less elaborately dressed, but just as dazzling, in cocktail dresses.

“Black tie,” to the Canadians, is the matching trousers and jacket called “tuxedo”; to Americans, it is “the tuxedo”; and to both the Europeans and Japanese, “smoking.”  Accounting for the differences in these terms would very likely be an interesting story, but by lumping all of them together as “black tie,” hosts and hostesses the world over are saved a great deal of effort.

On the other hand, the term “penguin suit” could probably be substituted for “black tie” on even the most formal invitations, and be as easily understood. And if you get an invitation saying “white tie,” congratulate yourself because you have achieved Fred Astaire elegance and need to find a tailcoat.

Having a black tie tuxedo in the closet is a very good idea, because you never know when the next invitation you receive will have those commanding words. A white dinner jacket worn with a black tie, however, can substitute for a black tie tuxedo from May to September in colder climates, and all year long in warmer ones.

The black tie tuxedo mystique is really not as complicated as it seems; but it’s better to have than have not if you’re going to move in the circles where black tie affairs are common.

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When the first tuxedos appeared in the late nineteenth century, the dress code for upper crust formal events was as rigid in its detailing as the military dress code remains today. Comprised of a black dinner jacket with satin lapels and black, cuffless trousers with outside satin stripes, white wingtip pleated shirt, cummerbund, and bow tie, to be worn with black socks and black patent leather shoes, the original tuxedo styles allowed their wearers discretion only in the choice of cufflinks and shirt studs.

But tuxedos styles have come a long way since the days of the Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball, and over the past century nearly a thousand tuxedo styles have come and gone.  Some caught on, and have become permanent fixtures in the pantheon of men’s formal wear. But other tuxedo styles, like the vividly colored and patterned evening wear of the 1970s, with their slant pockets and black piping have become curiosities relegated to vintage clothing shops. They show up now at costume parties or retro themed proms.

Even the classic black or grey tuxedo is now available in different tuxedo styles, as grooms have begun to assert their right to a share of the spotlight on their wedding days.  More brides and grooms are choosing related wedding apparel, and a white or ivory tuxedo to complement the bridal gown, with vests and cummerbunds or ties which reflect the wedding colors, is an increasingly popular choice of tuxedo styles.

The effectiveness of all tuxedo styles, however, is entirely dependent on how well they fir their wearers. Formalwear consultants are able to size up the physique of a future tuxedo wearer up at a glance, and know exactly the tuxedo styles to flatter all of its strengths and conceal all of its flaws.

One area of flexibility in tuxedo styles lies in the cut of their lapels; the least formal notch, rounded shawl, and peak lapels are most popular, but the mandarin tuxedo jacket, with its stand up collar, has no lapels. Mandarin tuxedo styles, worn with round collared shirts, eliminate the need for a tie.

Even the most carefully chosen tuxedo styles, however, will not do much for their wearers if they are made of stiff, uncomfortable fabrics. Being in a tuxedo from before a mid morning wedding through an evening reception can quickly dim the starry magic of the big day, so fine worsted wool of 260 to 280 gram weight is still the fabric of choice for the very best tuxedos.

You’ll get the most use from black or midnight blue tuxedo styles. If you attend lots of formal events during warm weather or spend much time in tropical climates, however, wearing a white tuxedo jacket is perfectly acceptable.

While the evolution of tuxedos styles has introduced some leeway in your formalwear choices, just remember that a classic becomes a classic because nothing better has come along to replace it. The traditional tuxedo style has survived for more than a century for a reason.

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There is the tuxedo, and there is the tuxedo costume. The former is appropriate for important formal occasions, and the other is appropriate for costume parties, and stage shows. If you have any respect for the host or hostess of the black tie party to which you are invited, or to your fellow students at the school prom, you’ll learnt he difference and show up appropriately dressed.

A tuxedo costume, like the red, orange, powder blue, or baby pink ones made so popular in the 1994 Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels film “Dumb and Dumber,” is sure to draw attention to anyone who wears it. If it’s attention you’re after, go ahead. If it’s admiration, forget about it.

Wearing a tuxedo costume to a formal event gives you a very good chance of ruining the proceedings for those who have put so much effort into it. Wearing one at a wedding will draw away from the bride; and if you are the groom, you really should cater to your fiancee’s wishes in the matter of your wedding apparel.

While you and your buddies may think a tuxedo costume in powder blue polyester, complete with matching shoes and top hat, is the last word in elegance, you are not going to find such a creation in any reputable formalwear shop. That in itself should tell you something. Do you really want to be married in an outfit rented from the same place that supplies Hallowe’en costumes?

The same hold true for prom. While renting a vintage tuxedo from the 1970s can be a different approach to your prom apparel, ands perfectly acceptable as long as you date goes along, you will still be wearing an actual tuxedo made from quality materials.

The polyester tuxedo costume, on the other hand, is almost always manufactured with extra long trousers so that it will fit as many potential renters as possible. You may have to resort to safety pins to keep the trousers from dragging along the floor, and what do you intend to do about the jacket sleeves?

If none of the above has convinced you to steer clear of a wearing a tuxedo costume to any formal occasions, do yourself a favor and borrow or buy at a second hand store the cheapest polyester suit you can find. Wear it for a few hours.

When you are finally convinced that it is suffocatingly uncomfortable, you may have gotten the idea. Leave the tuxedo costume for the costume parties.

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If your little boy has been done the honor of being asked to serve as ring bearer in a family member or close friend’s wedding, you may be feeling both flattered and a bit concerned. You’ve been told that all the groomsmen, including you son, will be wearing tuxedos. And you have no idea how to go about finding ring bearer tuxedos to rent for your son.

While, in Victorian times, weddings parties often contained large numbers of children, the boys were usually dress in suits with short pants and knee socks, their standard apparel.

But modern brides often want very formal weddings, and like the idea of flower girls in miniature versions of the bridesmaids’ gowns, and ring bearers and pages in miniature tuxedos. So ring bearer tuxedos are not uncommon, and you should have no trouble finding a formalwear shop to supply one.

First you should talk to the bride and find out if you can make you own choice among the ring bearer tuxedos you see, or if she wants your son to have a tuxedo identical to those of the groomsmen’s. She may be fine with a different style of tuxedo, but want your son’s vest or cummerbund and tie to match the fabric and color of the bridesmaids’ gowns.

If the bride wants you son dressed identically to the other groomsmen, you should take you son to the formalwear shop supplying the tuxedos for the adults for a fitting. The shop should be expecting you, and if you do not live near the bride, you can have the shop send you a card on which to record you son’s measurements and return it to them by mail.

Ring bearer tuxedos are often provided long distance, so you don’t need to worry about that problem.

Ring bearer tuxedos, however, like all tuxedos, should be tried on in person a couple of days prior to the wedding so that any last minute adjustments can be made. So you and your son will need to arrive from out of town early enough to have him fitted.

If your son isn’t required to wear the same tuxedo as the other groomsmen, you can find numerous online websites which sell ring bearer tuxedos at surprisingly reasonable prices. Should you decide to go that route, make sure that the both website, and the merchandise it offers, have good reputations and customer service policies.

Order your choice of ring bearer tuxedos as soon as you can, so that it will arrive in plenty of time for you to return it, if necessary, and look for an alternative.

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Put women in men’s trousers, and no one notices. Put guys in skirts, and all sorts of ideas, none of them very flattering, pop into the public consciousness. If there’s one area in which women seem to have shattered the sexual stereotype ahead of their brethren, it’s fashion. When it comes to clothing, at least, the ladies have far more freedom to do as they please than the gentlemen.

Tuxedos for women first appeared in the 1920s and 30s, but were never antthing that a well brought up young lady would dare to wear in public. In the 1930 film “Morocco” Marlene Dietrich set the movie going public on its ear by performing a nightclub act in a women’s tuxedo and kissing another female.

But the big breakthrough for US women, regarding their freedom to wear trousers in public, came during World War II, when so many women had to begin working in the defense industry to replace the male workers who had been called to serve in the armed forces. By the war’s end, the ladies were not about to give up the comfort and freedom of movement long pants afforded them. While men may have had mixed feelings about the matter, the silhouettes of fit females in well cut trousers probably helped them cope.

Once women’s trousers and jeans had become commonplace, fashion designers turned their attention to adapting other male apparel for women. The women’s suit for decades consisted of a short or mid length jacket and skirt; pairing the jacket with a pair of pants made a statement in many male dominated boardrooms. The pantsuit is now as common in women’s closets as the business suit is in men’s.

And in 1966, Yves Saint Laurent took on another male bastion by introducing “le smoking,” tuxedos for women meant to replace the evening gown as formal wear. These tuxedos for women were close replicas of gentlemen’s tuxedos, and Saint Laurent intended them to be.

The 1966 YSL tuxedos for women had four button down pockets and were constructed of lightweight black grain de poudre wool. The success of “le smoking” tuxedos for women continued with YSL’s later collections.

Tuxedos for women in the 21st century are more in demand than ever, and fashion houses around the globe have done what they can to accommodate, with tuxedos for women appearing in double breasted, caped, collarless, belted, skirted, or sequined variations. Mini dress tuxedos for women have even made an appearance.

But beneath their stylistic differences, top quality tuxedos for women usually follow the same rules as those for men. They are almost always black, and almost always made of fine lightweight wool worsted.

The appeal of tuxedos for women is obvious. With lines flattering to females of all ages, they look elegant either dressed up or left unadorned. Tuxedos for women can even be worn without a shirt and vest, or simply accessorized with a lapel corsage, strand of pearls, or glittery scarf.

Evening gowns for gentlemen? Probably not as a mainstream phenomenon. But tuxedos for women are here to stay.

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When Griswold Lorillard made his entrance into the inaugural Tuxedo Park, New York, Autumn Ball in 1886, the world of men’s formal wear changed forever. Lorillard had abandoned the club’s usual evening dress of white tie and tails, arriving in a short scarlet dinner jacket inspired by one worn by the Prince of Wales.

Lorillard’s apparel became a sensation among the trend-setting members of the Tuxedo Club, who kept their personal tailors busy with orders and in a short time, the “tuxedo” had become the accepted upper crust garb for all but the most formal occasions.

But high society loves its little codes of conduct, and did not take long to establish rules for tuxedo etiquette. Tuxedo etiquette has taken the events at which a tuxedo is called for, and categorized them according to the degree of their formality, time of year, and even time of day. All those factors are used to determine which kind of tuxedo with which accessories is appropriate.

Traditional tuxedo etiquette might seem a bit overblown to those of us not born to the purple, but it’s out there, and will give you the confidence that your tux is the right one for the occasion.

If your invitation says “White Tie,” leave the tuxedo in mothballs and put on the Ritz.  You’ll need a black tailcoat, white vest, white shirt, and of course, white tie; for the absolutely top-drawer affair you may be asked to wear gloves and a top hat, and carry a cane. Just think Fred Astaire in “Blue Skies.”

If you are invited to a “Black Tie” event, traditional tuxedo etiquette requires that you arrive in a black or midnight blue tuxedo jacket with a white shirt, vest or cummerbund, black bow or necktie, black socks, and plain leather black shoes. During warm weather, or in the tropics, a white dinner jacket can substitute for the black tuxedo jacket.

Tuxedo etiquette, like the tuxedo itself, has evolved to meet the changing tastes of the fashion world, and while the white tie and the traditional black tuxedo remain the attire of choice for the most formal affairs, contemporary tuxedo etiquette has its place.

Contemporary tuxedos are those which allow a little more leeway in choosing the colors of the tuxedo accessories. Contemporary tuxedo etiquette says that a colored or patterned tuxedo vest and tie is perfectly acceptable, as long as it coordinates with what your date, or if it’s a wedding, the bridesmaids, are wearing.

If you’re the one getting married, and not sure what your options for correct tuxedo etiquette are, do yourself a big favor and talk to a wedding consultant at a formalwear shop. You’ll have many options from which to choose, depending on the formality and time of day of your wedding ceremony. Having some expert assistance is the easiest way to make sure you get it right!

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Armani loves Hollywood, and Hollywood reciprocates.

The roster of Hollywood stars and notables who each put his own stamp on the “Our man in Armani” role at the 2007 Academy Awards is a stellar one. Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DeCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Clive Owen and John Travolta each graced television sets around the globe with an Armani tuxedo selected just for the occasion. John Travolta, in fact, along with Johnny Depp, has loaned his name to an Armani tuxedo.

You may not have quite the star power of the Hollywood set, but by showing up at the most special events in your life decked out in an Armani tuxedo, you can look and feel as if you do! Your Armani tuxedo will strike the perfect balance between creative flair and excellent taste.

And Armani has opened the tuxedo market to Hollywood’s other half as well, with the addition of a few satin and crystal accents, or the finest white fabrics. The Armani tuxedo has found its way into the wardrobes of Jodie Foster, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, and Angelina Jolie.

The one place in which you will never find an Armani tuxedo, however, is in a tuxedo rental shop. Armani believes that tuxedos should be as elegant as the events to which they are worn. Each Armani tuxedo is tailored to grace its wearer with as flattering a fit as possible, and will be cut along lines entirely different from those of other tuxedo brands.

So you’ll need to try on the different styles of Armani tuxedo before finding the one which has the best fit and flair for you. Your tuxedo should be designed to look better on you than on any other man in the world, and Armani knows how to make that happen.

There may not be any strolls down the red carpet, past the flashes and microphones of the paparazzi, to the applause of adoring fans, in your future, but your special occasions are as important to you as the Oscars are to the Hollywood elite. So think about the moments in your future when you’ll have to make a choice between a rent and return tuxedo, and your own tuxedo which will knock ‘em dead over, and over, and over again.

The extra expense you will pay for an Armani tuxedo needs to be measured against its timeless styling, and unparalleled quality of workmanship.  An Armani tuxedo can be a once in a lifetime investment, and pay you dividends in admiring glances for decades!

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Tuxedo, or formal shoes, are the footwear normally considered appropriate for occasions requiring a dinner jacket, tuxedo, or tail coat. They are always black, plain, and nearly always have a glossy patent leather finish. But the finish is not as important as their color and simplicity, and it is sometimes acceptable to wear a plain black dress shoe with a tuxedo.

All tuxedo shoes, however, are not created equal; they are available in styles from contemporary to classic; with high quality leather or man-made synthetic uppers; with square or rounded toes; and as tie or slip on shoes.

Patent leather tuxedo shoes are made of genuine leather which has been dyed and treated with a waterproof, high gloss finish. The mirror finish of patent leather tuxedos shoes can be the perfect contrast to the subtle sheen of a fine polished wool tuxedo.

The flexibility of genuine patent leather will let the tuxedos shoes shape themselves to your feet, and the linings of top quality tuxedo shoes are also of soft leather, which leaves room for your feet to swell a bit for those evenings when you spend hours on the dance floor or in receiving lines. Leather also absorbs moisture much better than synthetic shoe liners, leaving your feet comfortably dry.

What tuxedo shoes with synthetic leather uppers may lack in quality the make up for in affordability. Their comfort and durability can also be accompanied by a high gloss finish, and they are constructed to last for many years. Because they are so much cheaper to manufacture than true patent leather tuxedo shoes, they are available in a much wider range of styles.

You can find synthetic leather tuxedo shoes in a variety of colors and patterns; they are even made to resemble alligator skin! If you rent tuxedos shoes, they will almost certainly be made of synthetic leather.

There is no secret to the sizing of tuxedo shoes, which are made in all the standard men’s shoe sizes. The formalwear shop from whom your are purchasing your tuxedo shoes will be able to measure the length and width of your feet to make sure you get the proper size; if you have the money to have your tuxedo shoes made by hand, you may even end up differently sized shoes in the same pair!

While solid black is far and away the most common color for tuxedo shoes, some designers offer them in more daring black and white combinations. There are also solid white, and ivory, tuxedo shoes for very formal occasions when white tails are the order of the evening.

The black and white combination tuxedo shoes, like the alligator tuxedo shoes, are really acceptable only at less formal occasions, and might not be welcome even there. So be very sure that you will not be offending your host or hostess if you choose to wear them.

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A fromal wedding is high theater. While the major roles clearly belong to the bride, groom, and attendants, like any successful stage drama, a memorable wedding relies on the overall perfromance of its entire cast and crew, from the art direction of the florists to the creativity of the cake’s bakers, to the quality of the costumes worn by the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Nothing is more likely to keep a brilliantly conceived wedding from proceeding as planned than an inattention to details. While the bride’s and groom’s needs are usually met to the nth degree, the rest of the wedding party sometimes gets overlooked.  And nothing is as certain to shift the focus of the wedding guests from the happy couple, where it belongs, to the lesser players, than having those lesser players sloppily turned out.

The fromalwear donned by the couple and their attendants is going to be scrutinized by every pair of eyes at the wedding ceremony. So ground rules should be established by the bride and groom as to how their wedding party will be dressed. The tuxedos for groomsmen, even if they do not match that of the groom, should match each other.

It is always appropriate for a groom’s ensemble to be different from the tuxedos for groomsmen. Making it noticeably different will allow spectators who might not know the groom personally to distinguish him from the best man and ushers. And, while the tuxedos for groomsmen are most often black, midnight blue, or grey, they are commonly accessorized with vests and ties to match or coordinate with the bridesmaid’s gowns.

One popular device for allowing the groom to be distinguished from the groomsmen is to have him wear a tailcoat, which will be easily differentiated from the tuxedos for groomsmen. Or, while the tuxedos for groomsmen include vests or cummerbunds matching the bridesmaids’ dresses, the grooms’ vest or cummerbund can be of the same white or ivory fabric as the bridal gown.

The time to select the tuxedos for groomsmen is as soon as possible after the bride has decided on her own gown and the colors of her bridesmaids’ dresses. The groomsmen’s choices of white or ivory vests or cummerbunds will reflect the color of the bride’s dress, if they are not to coordinate with the bridesmaids’. It may seem like a minor point, but ivory and white can look very different to the camera’s eye.

One other hint: tuxedos for groomsmen should complement, but never outshine, the apparel of the ladies in the wedding party.

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