Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's video, we're going to be
discussing the more general differences between a suit and a tuxedo in terms of
opportunities to wear each of them, cost of buying each, and the difference in
attitude you'll want to have when wearing each type. This video is the
second part in a series on how the tuxedo differs from the standard
business suit; the first part, which you can find here, dealt with the more
specific stylistic differences between each in terms of color, fabric used,
accompanying accessories, and more details. One note here before we start,
today's video will feature several mentions and call-outs to related
videos articles and other materials we've produced if you don't happen to
see a card in the upper right hand corner of the video don't worry as the
relevant link will also be available in the video description.
The first general difference to be mindful of is that the standard suit is
a great deal more flexible than the tuxedo. Both in terms of its individual
stylistic variability in terms of details and also in terms of how often
you'll be able to wear such an ensemble. As we mentioned with several of the
individual garment breakdowns in the first video in this series, you've
generally got quite a few options when it comes to pairing items with your
suits whereas with a tuxedo, you're typically only going to have one or two
options that are considered correct. If you'd really like to try to inject some
more individual personality into your tuxedo, here's a word of warning, be
careful, be tasteful, and make sure that all of the more unique elements you
incorporate, which there should really only be one or two of, are harmonious
with the outfit overall. There is an overview of some accepted black-tie
alternatives on the newly renovated black tie guide on our website which you
can check out here. Second, another key difference between a
suit and a tuxedo may well be the upfront cost you'll have to pay in order
to get your hands on one. A suit of reputable quality which is to say one
that doesn't outwardly look cheap can be purchased for anywhere from a few
hundred dollars to just under a thousand and this, of course, can further be
impacted by sales pricing. At the same time, if you're assembling an outfit
completely from scratch to go with your suit, you're also going to have to pay a
bit more upfront for the shirt, tie, shoes, and so on to go with it and you'll
probably want to spend a little bit on alterations tailoring as well. By the way,
if you'd like to know more about the differences between spotting cheap suits
and suits of quality you can take a look at this video here.
Conversely, you'll probably be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of a
thousand dollars for a good tuxedo with a leeway of a few hundred dollars in
either direction. While you might have a shirt and other accompanying
garments to go along with a new suit that you've bought, it stands to reason
that if you're buying your first new tuxedo, you're also going to have to buy
all of the accompanying garments and accessories at the same time. Of course,
one way to circumvent this hefty price tag, either for buying a suit or a tuxedo,
is to go the vintage route. For example, the tux I'm wearing in today's video is
a vintage model and I didn't pay anywhere near $1,000 for it. For some
recent videos on best vintage buys that Raphael and I have made as well as the
pros and cons of buying vintage in general you can go here. When looking at
these heftier full price tags in terms of the metric of cost per wear, it's much
easier to justify buying a new suit. Not only will the upfront cost
probably be lower but you'll also probably be wearing that suit much more
often than you would be a tuxedo. Still, if you run in circles where donning
formal wear happens to be something that you do, more often than
probably once a year, investing in a quality tuxedo and taking care of it
well will probably be a better use of your money in the long run than
continuing to just rent a tuxedo every time you need one. As a personal example
of this philosophy, I perform a few times a year as a jazz singer at various
concerts and functions. More video and audio of those performances hopefully
coming sometime soon but in the meantime, just know that Black Tie is a sort of
standard uniform for the classic jazz environment in which I find myself. So
I've found that investing in a couple of different black-tie ensembles has
actually been worthwhile for me. The more I wear them, the more that important cost
per wear metric goes down over time. Meanwhile, if you're only wearing black
tie around once a year or even less, let's say, at a wedding, for example, you
could possibly justify renting as you'll be able to find a rental tuxedo for
somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 or so, often with accessories included. Still,
you're probably not going to have the opportunity to have alterations done on
rented garments and as we've said countless times on the channel, fit
should be your most important consideration. Therefore, wearing a
formally styled suit that fits you well is always going to look better than
wearing a rented tux that doesn't fit your frame. And if the dress code for an
event you'll be attending is strictly black-tie and you don't have a tux, we'd
suggest that you consider taking the plunge and buying one to get it tailored
rather than just going through the cycle of renting. And as long as we're on the
subject of weddings, you can take a look at our videos on what to wear as a groom
and what to wear as wedding guests here. Finally today, some of these suit
vs. tuxedo differences that might best be summed up as differences in attitude.
Remember that in the broad strokes, the fundamental philosophy underlying the
design of the tuxedo is rooted in simplicity and idealization of the male form.
The refined minimalism of the color palette and the details of the styling
are designed to make a man's shoulders look broad, his waist look narrow, and his
legs look long. Also, the black and white color scheme of men's formalwear has
typically meant historically, that the elaborate ballgowns of the ladies are to
be the primary focus of any evening event. Suits, on the other hand, are built
to accommodate a more varied image. They're still designed to flatter your
form of course but given that they're to be worn in a wider variety of situations,
it's only natural that they're going to come in a wider variety of styles. Think
of it this way, a tuxedo falls under the definition of formal wear and in turn,
the simplest definition of formal is following or according with established
form, custom, or rule. In other words, this is a dress code designed with specific
rules in mind. While we, here at the Gentleman's Gazette, are big fans and
proponents of creativity in general, just consider for example our recent video on
11 bad men's style rules that you can ignore, we think that overall applying
that sense of creativity to a suit is more proper than trying to do so with
the tuxedo. After all, black tie was designed and refined to make a man look
his best so by respecting those traditions, you
can get that much closer to achieving that sartorial goal. And there you have
the complete picture of how a tuxedo differs from a standard business suit. if
you haven't yet watched the first video in this series about these specific
stylistic differences between the two ensembles here's another reminder to
watch that one also stay tuned for an upcoming and somewhat related video on
all of the social situations where wearing black tie or white tie is still
appropriate and in some cases even expected. as you can see I'm wearing a
tuxedo in today's video it's a vintage model from the brand after six and I
believe it dates to the mid 1950s it's midnight blue in color double-breasted
in configuration and features no vents and it also has grosgrain peaked lapels
the trousers are pleated and they also feature an ornate braid down the side of
each leg the suspenders are also black grosgrain silk and they feature gold
adjusters I'm not wearing a waist covering today of course because the
jacket is double-breasted so I don't need one my shirt has narrow front
pleats takes four shirt studs and also has French cuffs to take cufflinks
the links and studs are all gold and they feature onyx as the stone my red
carnation boutonniere single-ended grosgrain bow tie and black silk socks
are all from Fort Belvedere and you can find all of them in the shop here
meanwhile my pocket square is in plain white linen and I've just got it folded
in a square fold today so as not to be too busy with the carnation boutonniere
and finally my opera pumps are vintage models from Allen Edmonds and they
feature wide flat bows