Tuxedo
A tuxedo is an ensemble (or outfit) of clothing which includes a white dress shirt, a bow tie, dress pants, a tuxedo suit jacket (sometimes called a dinner jacket), leather dress shoes, and sometimes a vest or cummerbund, top hat and gloves. In European countries, this outfit is called black tie. Many men wear this outfit in Western countries on formal occasions like a marriage ceremony or a fancy party or dance.
The white dress shirt is usually made of cotton or linen. A dress shirt has a stiff collar and it is ironed before it is worn. A bow tie is usually made of silk or polyester, and it is usually black or white. Dress pants are made of wool or polyester, and they are ironed before they are worn. A tuxedo suit jacket is usually made of wool or polyester. Suit jackets have a collar, pockets, and a silk or polyester lining. Leather dress shoes are usually made of dark-colored leather which is polished. Sometimes, a person wearing a tuxedo will also wear a sleeveless vest with buttons in the front, a black top hat, and white gloves.
Some men wear a tuxedo for their jobs, such as symphony orchestra musicians or waiters in expensive restaurants.
Since most men do not wear tuxedos very often, they rent them when needed instead of buying them. Sometimes, men's tuxedo vests and ties match the dress of the woman he is with. They are mainly worn to big events such as weddings, dinner parties or some sort of smart dressed do.
Tuxedo Media
A man wearing a dinner suit with shawl lapels, a cummerbund, a black bowtie and oxfords
Illustration of British peaked lapel and shawl collar dinner jackets, 1898. As substitutes for tailcoats, dinner jackets were originally worn with full dress accessories, including white waist coat.
Russian Serge Wolkonsky in black tie
Unknown photographer. Live on the 4th of April, 1936.
1888 American tuxedo/dinner jacket, sometimes called a dress sack
Black tie worn at a dinner party in the 1940s
The elements of gentleman's black tie
Covered cuff buttons on a dinner jacket
The peak lapel of a dinner jacket featuring a working buttonhole and silk grosgrain facings
