# Tuxedo vs black suit **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031 "2013-06-03T13:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/21 "2013-06-03T17:24:35Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Thanks guys and everyone else for the advice and tips. Fortunately a dark suit is what we’ve all settled on already… I was just wondering if it would be going too far to go the tux route on my own. As I mentioned, I didn’t realize they all had the satiny look and required more than just a belt. “Going too far”? I wore white tie and tails to the last lesbian wedding we went to. I wasn’t even part of the wedding party (although my Wife was Matron of Honor for one of the brides). Because I own white tie and tails and do not have anywhere near as many occasions to wear them as I would like. I have been known to wear a tuxedo to a picnic. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/22 "2013-06-03T18:12:21Z")
Hell, if you are the only one wearing a tux, don’t be surprised if folk at the reception think you are a waiter! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/23 "2013-06-03T18:22:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > The shirt is different, too. It’s pleated in the front and (sometimes [usually?]) has a different type of collar. But you can wear a pleated shirt with a black suit, too. > [@DrFidelius](#): > > I wore white tie and tails to the last lesbian wedding we went to. Was it an evening wedding? Because white tie is strictly evening attire. For a daytime event a morning suit would be in order. (I once wore a morning suit to a wedding in England at the groom’s request.) ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/24 "2013-06-04T09:57:46Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Thanks guys and everyone else for the advice and tips. Fortunately a dark suit is what we’ve all settled on already… I was just wondering if it would be going too far to go the tux route on my own. As I mentioned, I didn’t realize they all had the satiny look and required more than just a belt. You’re welcome and good choice - a black suit is good for lots and lots of occasions. Yes, you don’t wear a belt with a tux; you can wear braces / suspenders if you wish, but not with a cummerbund. [Quote=cookingwithgas] But you can wear a pleated shirt with a black suit, too [/quote] I really really wouldn’t. It looks very odd, like you’re trying to wear a tux but for some reason aren’t. [Quote=cookingwithgas] (I once wore a morning suit to a wedding in England at the groom’s request.) [/quote] I and my groomsmen all wore morning suits to my wedding; it was nice, but I would only wear one again if I was going to one of my children’s wedding and / or won the lottery and was determined to blow it all at Ascot in the Royal Enclosure 🙂 It is a great wedding look, though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/25 "2013-06-04T10:15:35Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > But you can wear a pleated shirt with a black suit, too. > > Was it an evening wedding? Because white tie is strictly evening attire. For a daytime event a morning suit would be in order. (I once wore a morning suit to a wedding in England at the groom’s request.) Of course it was an evening ceremony. What do I look like, a farmer? ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/26 "2013-06-04T11:31:09Z")
I wear a suit every day to work. All single breasted, all 3 button. 1 is a good quality one ($600) and the others are el cheapo models which I can wear out or throw out when out of fashion or worn without worrying. Paying $100 for a cheap suit when it costs more than that for a slab of beer and 2 packets of smokes is a bargain if it lasts longer than 6 months. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/27 "2013-06-04T11:37:09Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Because I own white tie and tails and do not have anywhere near as many occasions to wear them as I would like. I have been known to wear a tuxedo to a picnic. If you own a tailcoat, then you are not wearing a tuxedo. “Tuxedo” refers specifically to the tailless jacket. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/28 "2013-06-04T11:41:28Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Paying $100 for a cheap suit when it costs more than that for a slab of beer and 2 packets of smokes is a bargain if it lasts longer than 6 months. Or you could pay $500 for a good suit including alterations and it lasts a lifetime and looks better too. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/29 "2013-06-04T11:49:54Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > If you own a tailcoat, then you are not wearing a tuxedo. “Tuxedo” refers specifically to the tailless jacket. Unless you’re in England, where you would be wearing a ‘dinner suit/jacket’. More commonly, we would say ‘black tie’, as opposed to the more formal ‘white tie’ (and tailcoat). We don’t wear either for weddings. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/30 "2013-06-04T11:59:50Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > If you own a tailcoat, then you are not wearing a tuxedo. “Tuxedo” refers specifically to the tailless jacket. Yes. But I would never wear my tails to a picnic, as tails (as noted above) are eveningwear. I have not yet picked up a white dinner jacket, but that is next on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/31 "2013-06-04T12:01:48Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Yes. But I would never wear my tails to a picnic, as tails (as noted above) are eveningwear. I have not yet picked up a white dinner jacket, but that is next on my list. I hate to tell you this, but a dinner jacket, or teuxedo, is also evening wear. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/32 "2013-06-04T12:09:14Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I hate to tell you this, but a dinner jacket, or teuxedo, is also evening wear. Hence why wearing one at a picnic is wildly over-dressed. Unless you’ve got one in pastel blue with a pink shirt, then you’d be money. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/33 "2013-06-04T12:11:59Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I hate to tell you this, but a dinner jacket, or teuxedo, is also evening wear. A white dinner jacket is suitable for warm-weather outdoor functions. (A black tuxedo is suitable for almost all occasions, but I would not look quite as much like Sidney Greenstreet in Casablanca if I were wearing a black jacket.) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/34 "2013-06-04T12:14:00Z")
Right. Warm weather outdoor functions in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/35 "2013-06-04T12:15:18Z")
Fight! Fight! Fight! ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/36 "2013-06-04T12:16:40Z")
Bunch of dandys! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/37 "2013-06-04T12:17:53Z")
> [@GomiBoy](#): > > Fight! Fight! Fight! I’ve got my eye on you, three-button boy. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/38 "2013-06-04T12:35:55Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > I wear a suit every day to work. All single breasted, all 3 button. 1 is a good quality one ($600) and the others are el cheapo models which I can wear out or throw out when out of fashion or worn without worrying. > > Paying $100 for a cheap suit when it costs more than that for a slab of beer and 2 packets of smokes is a bargain if it lasts longer than 6 months. Well, you get what you pay for. When I had to wear suits every day, a $150 Men’s Warehouse suit was fine for every day use when I’m just sitting around the bowels of some company with the rest of my team doing day to day work. If you actually want to look good in a suit, you have to spend a bit more. > [@GomiBoy](#): > > You’re welcome and good choice - a black suit is good for lots and lots of occasions. Sure! Funerals. Hiding out after a botched a heist. Investigating extra-terrestrials. Traveling in time to the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/39 "2013-06-04T12:48:29Z")
Bring it **Labrador Deceiver** ; I can take an infinite number of you two-button boys to the cleaners and wouldn’t have to even unbutton my top two buttons to do so 🙂 > [@msmith537](#): > > Sure! Funerals. Hiding out after a botched a heist. Investigating extra-terrestrials. Traveling in time to the 1950s. All valid reasons for wearing a black suit and thus my point is proven. I award myself a pat on the back. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031/40 "2013-06-04T12:50:16Z")
Bah. (Makes note to wear nothing classier than the white linen suit and panama hat to any of \*\*Labrador Deceiver’s \*\*picnics.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuxedo-vs-black-suit/660031.md?page=3)