Men's Tuxedos
Men’s tuxedos are made for the occasions when an ordinary suit doesn’t feel quite formal enough. From timeless black and midnight blue to white, ivory, burgundy, green, velvet, patterned, and statement styles, today’s tuxedos give you options for weddings, prom, black-tie galas, cruises, formal dinners, and special events while still letting your personal style come through.
What Makes a Tuxedo Different From a Suit?
The difference is primarily in the formal detailing. Tuxedo jackets commonly feature satin-faced lapels and covered or satin-trimmed buttons, while traditional tuxedo trousers may include a satin stripe along the outside seam. Suits generally use the same fabric throughout the jacket and pants and are designed to move more easily between formal, professional, and everyday dress occasions.
If you’re deciding which direction is right for your event, compare our men’s suits with our men’s tuxedos, or browse the complete men’s suits and tuxedos collection.
When Should You Wear a Tuxedo?
Tuxedos are most closely associated with black-tie and formal evening dress, but they work for many of life’s biggest occasions. Formal weddings, galas, charity events, prom, elegant dinners, cruises, holiday celebrations, and other upscale events can all be appropriate settings for a tuxedo.
The invitation and venue should guide your decision. If the dress code specifically says black tie, a tuxedo is the traditional choice. For events with more flexibility, the color, fabric, lapel style, and accessories can determine whether the look feels timeless, modern, or more fashion-forward.
Classic Black Tuxedos
A black tuxedo remains the benchmark for traditional formalwear. Paired with a crisp white formal shirt, black bow tie, and polished black shoes, it creates a clean look that works for black-tie weddings, galas, formal dinners, and evening celebrations in any season.
Explore our black suits and tuxedos for classic black options ranging from understated formal styles to more distinctive lapel and jacket designs.
Midnight Blue, Navy & Colored Tuxedos
Black may be the traditional choice, but it isn’t the only way to dress formally. Midnight blue and navy provide a sophisticated alternative that still feels appropriate for many evening events, while burgundy, green, charcoal, grey, and other colors can add more individuality.
Browse our blue suits and tuxedos, burgundy and red suits and tuxedos, green suits and tuxedos, and grey suits and tuxedos to explore those color families in more detail.
White & Ivory Tuxedos and Dinner Jackets
A white or ivory tuxedo jacket creates one of the most recognizable alternatives to an all-black formal look. Pairing a light dinner jacket with black tuxedo trousers gives you strong contrast while keeping the outfit elegant and formal.
White and ivory are particularly popular for grooms, destination weddings, cruises, summer events, and occasions where you want the jacket to stand apart. Explore our white and ivory suits and tuxedos or browse men’s dinner jackets for more jacket-focused formal looks.
Peak, Shawl or Notch Lapel?
Lapel style has a major effect on the personality of a tuxedo. Peak lapels have upward-pointing edges and create a sharp, traditional formal silhouette. Shawl lapels use a smooth, rounded shape that feels elegant and works especially well on dinner jackets, velvet styles, and evening formalwear.
Notch lapels have the familiar break between the collar and lapel seen on many suits and can give a tuxedo a more contemporary, understated appearance. There isn’t one lapel that works for every person or occasion, so consider both the formality of the event and the overall style you prefer.
Velvet, Paisley & Patterned Tuxedo Jackets
Formal doesn’t have to mean basic. Velvet, paisley, floral-inspired fabrics, pindot textures, jacquards, and other patterned tuxedo jackets can turn the jacket into the centerpiece of the outfit while still maintaining a polished evening look.
These styles are particularly effective for prom, grooms who want to stand apart, holiday parties, galas, and special events where a little more personality fits the occasion. Our Dinner Jackets collection is a good place to compare classic jackets with more distinctive velvet and patterned options.
Wedding Tuxedos for Grooms
A tuxedo can immediately distinguish the groom and set the level of formality for the wedding party. Classic black and midnight blue work beautifully for traditional evening weddings, while white, ivory, burgundy, green, velvet, and patterned jackets can create a more individual groom’s look.
Browse our wedding tuxedos for formal wedding options, or explore groom tuxedos when you’re choosing the groom’s look specifically.
The groom can wear the same tuxedo as the rest of the wedding party and stand out through accessories, or choose a different jacket, color, lapel, vest, bow tie, or pocket square while keeping the group coordinated.
Men’s Tuxedos for Prom
Prom gives you much more freedom to make a tuxedo your own. A black or midnight-blue tuxedo creates a timeless look, while burgundy, green, royal blue, white, velvet, patterned fabrics, and statement jackets can make the outfit much more distinctive.
Explore our Prom & Homecoming collection to compare tuxedos with colorful suits, dinner jackets, patterns, and other formal looks designed for prom and formal dances.
Tuxedos for Galas & Black-Tie Events
When the invitation says black tie, a tuxedo is the traditional starting point. Black and midnight blue are dependable choices, while velvet or a refined statement jacket can bring more personality when the event allows for it.
Browse our Galas & Special Events collection for tuxedos, formal suits, and statement jackets suited to fundraisers, charity balls, formal dinners, celebrations, and elegant evening events.
Tuxedos & Dinner Jackets for Cruises
Formal nights at sea are another great reason to own a tuxedo. A classic black tuxedo works almost anywhere, while navy, midnight blue, white, and ivory dinner jackets can feel especially at home on cruises and destination events.
Our Cruise Formal Wear collection brings together tuxedos, suits, dinner jackets, shirts, shoes, and accessories for captain’s dinners, formal nights, destination celebrations, and elegant evenings on board.
Why Tuxedo Separates Matter
Jackets and trousers do not always fit every body in the same predetermined size combination. Tuxedo separates give you greater flexibility to choose the jacket and pant sizes that work best for you and can also make it easier to replace or add individual pieces later.
Browse our formal and tuxedo pants when you need coordinating trousers or want to build your outfit from separates.
Finding the Right Tuxedo Fit
Even the best tuxedo fabric and styling won’t look right if the fit is off. The jacket should sit cleanly through the shoulders and chest, the sleeves should allow the appropriate amount of shirt cuff to show, and the trousers should fit comfortably through the waist, seat, and leg without unnecessary bunching.
BlackTie offers Modern Fit and Slim Fit options across its formalwear assortment. Use our Fit Guide to compare silhouettes, or visit Sizing & Fit for measuring options and additional help choosing the right size.
How to Complete a Tuxedo Look
A traditional tuxedo look starts with a formal shirt and bow tie, but the finishing details give you room to personalize it. Pocket squares, vests, cummerbunds, cufflinks, formal shoes, and colored accessories can make the same tuxedo feel more traditional, more modern, or better coordinated with a wedding or event palette.
Complete your look with our dress and tuxedo shirts, bow ties, neckties, pocket squares, and formal shoes.
Should You Buy or Rent a Tuxedo?
Renting can make sense for a one-time event, but owning becomes especially appealing if you expect to attend more weddings, galas, cruises, formal dinners, or other special occasions in the future. Ownership lets you keep the tuxedo ready for the next event, make personal alterations if needed, and avoid working around rental return deadlines.
It also gives you the ability to build a formal wardrobe over time by changing shirts, ties, pocket squares, shoes, or dinner jackets rather than starting over for every occasion.
Compare Tuxedo Colors & Fabrics Before You Order
Tuxedo fabrics can look noticeably different depending on texture, satin detailing, lighting, and surrounding colors. That becomes especially important for weddings, where you may be coordinating tuxedos with dresses, flowers, ties, vests, linens, and other elements of the event.
Use our Color Guide to explore coordinating shades, and order free fabric swatches to compare colors and textures in person before finalizing your look.
Whether you want a timeless black tuxedo, sophisticated midnight blue, a white dinner jacket, rich velvet, or a patterned statement style, the right tuxedo should match the formality of the occasion, fit you properly, and give you a look you’ll be glad to own long after the event is over.
