Accessories for Tuxes

Essentials of Tux Accessories

So you have been invited to a formal, black tie event and need to buy a tuxedo for that. With so much variety in the market, this should not be very difficult. But make sure that you buy a tuxedo if you plan to wear it at least once a year. If not, then it will be better to rent it for a day.

No matter which way you acquire a tuxedo, you will need certain tux accessories to complete the appearance and look classy. Given below is a list of important accessories that are a must to make you stand out in the crowd and enhance the ensemble.

Tuxedo Shoes
There is no way that your daily dress shoes will work with formal wear. A tuxedo will look smart with elegant shoes only. You must know that tuxedo shoes have a high gloss polish to create a sophisticated look. These are usually available in two types. You can go for lace-up style or the slip-on type of tuxedo shoes. It is best to choose a good quality pair so that you can look great and enjoy without being uncomfortable.

Vests & Cummerbunds
To enhance the elegance of your tuxedo, another tux accessory is the vest. Both this and cummerbunds have an appealing touch. However, you should not wear both at the same time. No matter what you choose to match with your tuxedo, make sure that it is pleated and black in colour.

Bow Ties
A bow tie is the traditional tux accessory for black tie attire. Mostly, the colour black looks best in bow ties, measuring a spread of 2.5 inches. If you are looking for convenience, use a clip-on bow tie but the best look is attained with a hand tied one.

Tuxedo Dress Shirts
While matching tux accessories, you can choose from two kinds of dress shirts. The wing-collar shirts have heavy collars that are folded down on the tips. This seems create a wing-tip look as the collar stands up on your neck. Often, guys may find it uncomfortable to wear such shirts. On the other hand, the flip-over collar shirt is a formalized daily wear shirt. The collar remains the same as any ordinary dress shirt but the shirt can be made formal by adding cufflinks and folds at the front. Known as pleats, these folds measure about ¼ -3/4 inches.

Cufflinks
Your tuxedo outfit is incomplete without cufflinks. As most of the dress shirts have French cuffs, you cannot do without these tux accessories. It is essential to choose plain and sophisticated cufflinks. The best options include gold or silver ones. Also, you must ensure that your watch matches with the colour of your cufflinks. Other than gold and silver, black glass and stone cufflinks are also very popular.

Pocket Squares
To make your tuxedo look more stylish, add pocket squares to them. Commonly, a white silk pocket square is matched with the dinner jacket and worn in the breast pocket.