Fashion question about wearing a tux..buttoned or open?

[donaldsc]

Just rent some Frank Sinatra movies. Whatever Ol' Blue Eyes wore, and how he wore it, is correct.;)

 

How about Fred Astaire? Top hat, tails, and a stick. Now that is elegant.

 

DON

[Tinknock50]

How about Henry Fonda....There was an old movie in which Barbara Stanwick kept spilling stuff on his tux so he wore two or three of them in the movie.

 

A lot of it took place on an oceanliner so it fits this thread.:)

[Copper10-8]

Dave, regarding leaving the bottom button of the waistcoat/vest undone, I thought it was due to King Edward VII's (1901-1910) immense girth.

 

I want my DH to wear a tuxedo or a nice dinner jacket on our next cruise, but I have no idea where to start looking for one. A handsome men, he is not vain and hates to shop for clothes, which drives me nuts. Does anyone have a favorite store for reasonably-priced men's formal wear?

 

H'bout renting one from Cruiseline formalwear at 800-551-5091 or www.cruiselineformal.com? No hassle - waiting for you onboard - give it to your room steward after the last formal night - don't worry, be happy!:)

[CDRMark]

Dave, regarding leaving the bottom button of the waistcoat/vest undone, I thought it was due to King Edward VII's (1901-1910) immense girth.

 

I want my DH to wear a tuxedo or a nice dinner jacket on our next cruise, but I have no idea where to start looking for one. A handsome men, he is not vain and hates to shop for clothes, which drives me nuts. Does anyone have a favorite store for reasonably-priced men's formal wear?

Some good advice here, Mrs Muir.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=558084&page=3

I personally like Jos Bank.

Cheers

Mark

[Orlandocruiser]

You might want to try Steinmart if you have one in your area - DH got his tux there.

[Tinknock50]

Dave, regarding leaving the bottom button of the waistcoat/vest undone, I thought it was due to King Edward VII's (1901-1910) immense girth.

 

I want my DH to wear a tuxedo or a nice dinner jacket on our next cruise, but I have no idea where to start looking for one. A handsome men, he is not vain and hates to shop for clothes, which drives me nuts. Does anyone have a favorite store for reasonably-priced men's formal wear?

 

In Az, there is a Burlington Coat Factory that had a wide selection of Tuxedos. Not all branches have them so call first. Some stores just have suits.

 

Cooper John....has a a good point. I rented a tux through them on my Princess cruise. It worked very well and it helped me pack light!

[Pennsylvania Sailor]

Does anyone have a favorite store for reasonably-priced men's formal wear?

 

The above places are fine, but if he is only going to wear it on cruises (not very often), J.C.Penney has a nice one for, I believe, $100.

[bepsf]

Jos Banks is always having some kind of sales on their Tuxes - just subscribe to their e-mails...

[Pete Jackson]

Brian,

 

Are the button-extenders (those little black elastics that join the left and right buttons on your tux jacket when you otherwise can't get the jacket buttoned while standing) considered acceptable. And do they have a specific name (derogatory or non-derogatory). I've seen them used a couple of times (maybe the user hopes to lose weight soon).

 

Cheers, Pete

 

 

 

Tuxes (as with any other suit or blazer) are properly worn with the top button (or top 2 buttons on a 3-button suit) buttoned when standing and unbuttoned when seated.

 

However with Double-breasted jackets, all buttons are fastened (unless of course one is seated - then all buttons are undone)

 

Vests, of course, are always buttoned whether standing or seated - with the bottom button always left unfastened.

 

One should never wear a vest with a Double Breasted jacket.

 

If wearing a vest with formalwear, one should also wear braces (suspenders) to hold up one's trousers - not a belt. If wearing a cummerbund, braces are redundant and vice versa. With a suit, one may also choose between a belt and braces.

 

Incidentally, Cummerbunds are always worn with the pleats/folds facing up. (as if to catch crumbs)

 

And finally, men with wide middle-sections are better off wearing vests - not only are they generally more comfortable - particularly when seated - but a Cummerbund that looks like a Band-Aid that's been tied across the belly with string is never approprate.

[yiddishkopf]

If button extenders aren't socially acceptable, I hope nobody looks too closely at any of my skirts. When I gain a few pounds, I become a construction engineer with a pin and elastic.

 

Of course it's acceptable. Everyone should be comfortable whether at a formal dinner or at home.

[OleSalt]

Whatever floats your boat

[RetiredMustang]

Dave, regarding leaving the bottom button of the waistcoat/vest undone, I thought it was due to King Edward VII's (1901-1910) immense girth.

 

I want my DH to wear a tuxedo or a nice dinner jacket on our next cruise, but I have no idea where to start looking for one. A handsome men, he is not vain and hates to shop for clothes, which drives me nuts. Does anyone have a favorite store for reasonably-priced men's formal wear?

 

MrsMuir,

 

Actually, it would make more sense for Edward VII than George IV, and the tale I heard could have been garbled from one to the other -- they both had parents who reigned a long time before they themselves ascended the throne. It's just that Edward VII was a century later, which makes it easier to understand the fashion hanging on until now.

 

So far as a tux goes, I usually rent from cruiselineformal, but if you want to purchase, I seem to remember a formal wear shop at the Auburn Mills outlet mall, but of course it could have closed over the six or seven years since I was last there.

 

Dave

[Sunshine91]

I bought John's tux on eBay last year. It's likely that he'll only wear it on cruises, so I didn't want to spend a whole lot of $$. I worked with a seller who has a store, instead of an auction, we sent measurements back & forth. I did have to return the jacket for size, he sent another one. It worked out just fine.

Once all the pieces arrived, we had the jacket sleeves & trousers tailored a bit, but that was to be expected.

Love the look of a man in a tux. :)

[dougnewmanatsea]

If you really want to know everything about what is "proper" when it comes to formal wear I highly recommend you take a look at Essential Black Tie, a fantastic site by a Cruise Critic member.

 

I must admit that I was mortified to find out that what I thought was "correct" wasn't quite (:eek:) but I will be adjusting my outfit accordingly by the next trip I need formal wear for (QE2 in January).

[bepsf]

Doug-

 

Thanks for the link - I learned a thing or two!

(including some good ammo for the next "Why Formalwear?" thread)

:)

[themerle]

Host Doug,

Thanks for the website on formal wear!

[Sunshine91]

Doug - Thanks for the link - I've bookmarked it. :)

 

John & I have 2 weddings to attend this year. One at the end of this month (6pm!) & a family one in November. Unfortunately, neither is black tie :( . We were kind of looking forward to an occasion to really dress up.

 

Now that he has that tux, he wants to wear it every once in a while. :)