Do you own a Tux?

[Tomasso]

I may be the only guy posting in a forum primarily for hats saying I wouldn't wear a hat with a tux

So if it's like 0°F you'd wear an overcoat but you wouldn't wear a hat. Personally, I wear a black fedora with semi-formal; about the only time I wear it.

 

[SteveAS]

Might this be the place to inquire if anyone knows where I could obtain a fixed length silk satin bow tie?

http://www.beautiesltd.com/

Thanks. I just ordered one.

FYI, in my experience, Beau Ties Ltd. sends adjustable length bow ties unless you special order fixed length.

 

[dhermann1]

In "Topper", Cary Grant, playing a very rakish but stylish character, wears a black fedora with his tux. I suspect this is to convey rakishness. It works.
I have a black homburg that I wear with black tie. I thin it's really the ideal lid for it. You may feel a little odd the first time you put it on, but you'll quickly feel natural in it, if you let yourself.
In the old movies you often see men wearing regular trenchcoats and fedoras over tuxes. So I don't think it's a terrible faux pas.
BTW, this is slightly OT, but speaking of white tie, do any of you guys with that outfit have white kid gloves? They sell those cheesy white cotton gloves, but they look a little tacky to me. If you have them, where did you get them?

 

[JimWagner]

I've worn a black overcoat and black fedora with my tux, especially when playing a brass quintet gig outdoors in winter. I bought a black homburg this year that I plan on wearing with the tux in the future.

 

[filfoster]

hats + tux

So if it's like 0°F you'd wear an overcoat but you wouldn't wear a hat. Personally, I wear a black fedora with semi-formal; about the only time I wear it.

Tomasso, you would have the panache to carry it but I think the homburg keeps the formality of it-it is a tux after all. That said, I would seriously consider a porkpie just for the fun of it. It would at least get some comment.

 

[Richard Warren]

FYI, in my experience, Beau Ties Ltd. sends adjustable length bow ties unless you special order fixed length.

I could easily have misunderstood their website. I'd best call and see what I ordered.

I wear a black Como on New Years eve when its cold.

 

[Richard Warren]

Thanks for the heads up. I called and straightened out my order. Seemed like nice people.

As to the Homburg v. fedora, I think that in an effort to do what is proper in uncertain times, we become a little strict and formalistic, perhaps more strict than people were in the past. A Homburg may have been right for formal day wear, but a dinner jacket is (or was in the past) not formal.

Plus its not easy to find a decent looking Homburg these days.

 

[John in Covina]

Oh, I don't know. Although I think top hats are strictly white tie anymore, the right guy could pull off a beaver felt top hat wth a tuxedo. Aren't Masons in this habit? At least I thought I'd read that somewhere on the Lounge.

Made me think of the song & dance routine in Young Frankenstein. "Tryin' hard to look like Gary Cooper! Super Duper!"

 

[dwebber18]

I have a tux as well. Its a SB peak lapel. I bought it for my wedding 2 years ago, and have worn it 3 times since. Owning one kind of makes you look for opportunities to wear it. Definitely think of it as a long term investment, so go classic. You don't have to spend a ton either, the tux you buy will be probably be better quality than a rental because those take a beating and they have to be tough enough to not fall apart. I definitely feel my tux has paid for itself. When pricing rentals for my wedding what I wanted would have cost me around $200 to rent it with the shoes and all that stuff. My tux with shirt, shoes, braces, bow tie, and stud and altering cost around $500. There is really a big difference, my tux fits me flawlessly do to the skill of my alterations person and I look great in it, and its mine so I feel comfortable and confident.

 

[filfoster]

Top off the tux

I have a tux as well. Its a SB peak lapel. I bought it for my wedding 2 years ago, and have worn it 3 times since. Owning one kind of makes you look for opportunities to wear it. Definitely think of it as a long term investment, so go classic. You don't have to spend a ton either, the tux you buy will be probably be better quality than a rental because those take a beating and they have to be tough enough to not fall apart. I definitely feel my tux has paid for itself. When pricing rentals for my wedding what I wanted would have cost me around $200 to rent it with the shoes and all that stuff. My tux with shirt, shoes, braces, bow tie, and stud and altering cost around $500. There is really a big difference, my tux fits me flawlessly do to the skill of my alterations person and I look great in it, and its mine so I feel comfortable and confident.

Well, what hat do you wear with it?

 

[Miss 1929]

HATS for Tuxes

Top hats are for tails, or morning coats. Silk top hats or beaver, but beaver was pretty much out by the Golden Era. The gray felt toppers are OK for daytime formal (morning coats) but not right with nighttime tails.

Homburgs are for single or double breasted dinner jackets, in the winter (sorry, fedoras are too casual).

In the summertime, with a dinner jacket, you wear a boater. Yes, really, See Fred Astaire!

And of course TAKE OFF YOUR HAT once you are inside,. Amazing how many men still won't do this.

 

[Undertow]

Top hats are for tails, or morning coats. Silk top hats or beaver, but beaver was pretty much out by the Golden Era. The gray felt toppers are OK for daytime formal (morning coats) but not right with nighttime tails.

Homburgs are for single or double breasted dinner jackets, in the winter (sorry, fedoras are too casual).

In the summertime, with a dinner jacket, you wear a boater. Yes, really, See Fred Astaire!

And of course TAKE OFF YOUR HAT once you are inside,. Amazing how many men still won't do this.

Hey, that sounds about right! :eusa_clap

 

[filfoster]

Tux tales

Top hats are for tails, or morning coats. Silk top hats or beaver, but beaver was pretty much out by the Golden Era. The gray felt toppers are OK for daytime formal (morning coats) but not right with nighttime tails.

Homburgs are for single or double breasted dinner jackets, in the winter (sorry, fedoras are too casual).

In the summertime, with a dinner jacket, you wear a boater. Yes, really, See Fred Astaire!

And of course TAKE OFF YOUR HAT once you are inside,. Amazing how many men still won't do this.

Where is the tux in all this, which by the way, seems spot on? It's not tails and somewhat more than a dinner jacket isnt' it?

 

[dhermann1]

Tuxedo is another word for dinner jacket. Dinner jacket is really more proper. In England you'll get rolled eyes if you say tux. In the US it's not quite so declasse to use the word.

 

[Tomasso]

Top hats are for tails, or morning coats. Silk top hats or beaver, but beaver was pretty much out by the Golden Era. The gray felt toppers are OK for daytime formal (morning coats) but not right with nighttime tails.

Homburgs are for single or double breasted dinner jackets, in the winter (sorry, fedoras are too casual).

In the summertime, with a dinner jacket, you wear a boater. Yes, really, See Fred Astaire!

And of course TAKE OFF YOUR HAT once you are inside,. Amazing how many men still won't do this.

I know you're not going to like this, but I sometimes wear a camel hair overcoat and white silk scarf with a black fedora. I picked that up from the old man.........

 

[Richard Warren]

Don't know why I said above that Homburg goes with formal day wear. I've never actually seen anybody other than a would be pimp wear a Homburg.

However, I do have a distinct image in my mind of pictures of people in the US in the mid 20th century wearing Homburgs with morning dress. Probably they were rubes like me.

 

[Chasseur]

As mentioned before I think a great deal of this depends on whether or not you are wearing an overcoat or raincoat for the weather. If you are then you have more flexibility for headwear. As dherman said earlier, you see men with fedoras and overcoats or raincoats with black or even white tie too often in old films for it to have all been "a deliberate choice by the director to showcase that this particular character was an ill-dress buffoon, etc.". (Cary Grant in Indiscreet and George Macready in Gilda come to mind). You wear hat and overcoat against the elements until your arrive and then take off hat and overcoat once there.

Its a different ball game if you are wearing the hat with just the formal wear.

 

[JimWagner]

Don't know why I said above that Homburg goes with formal day wear. I've never actually seen anybody other than a would be pimp wear a Homburg.

However, I do have a distinct image in my mind of pictures of people in the US in the mid 20th century wearing Homburgs with morning dress. Probably they were rubes like me.

A pearl gray homburg (and gloves) are proper with morning dress (IMHO).

A black homburg with morning dress approaches Oddjob from Goldfinger

 

[Undertow]

Where is the tux in all this, which by the way, seems spot on? It's not tails and somewhat more than a dinner jacket isnt' it?

Nope. Tuxedo is synonomous with Evening dress, or dinner jacket.

Evening Dress - general classification of formal or semi-formal wear (white or black tie)

Dinner Jacket - Semi-formal evening jacket of black or midnight blue, typically with satin or grosgrain lapels.

Tuxedo - Only recently used to classify black tie evening dress; complete outfit including dinner jacket either SB or DB with peak/shawl/notch lapels (formality in that order), trousers with single silk/satin stripe, low cut vest or cummerbund, formal marcella shirt with straight collar or wing tips and bow tie. Neck ties have recently been stolen from the morning dress to replace the bow tie, I believe. Patent leather oxfords should be worn.

Morning Dress - strictly morning wear for daytime functions prior to 5pm; consists of a tailcoat with one button which is never fastened and peak lapels, waistcoat/vest in black (funerals) or gray (weddings) SB or DB with lapels, striped pants with bracers/suspenders, high detachable collar formal shirt, and oxfords or boots. Top hats are allowed with morning dress.

White Tie - strictly evening wear 5pm and later; black tailcoat with horizontal cut, matching fishtail trousers with double satin/silk stripe and suspenders only, white marcella shirt with winged collar, white marcella tie and white marcella low cut vest, black pumps.

*edit* beat me to the punch dhermann1!

 

[JimWagner]

A pearl gray homburg (and gloves) are proper with morning dress (IMHO).

A black homburg with morning dress approaches Oddjob from Goldfinger

Oops, got to correct myself here. I was thinking morning suit or Stroller, not morning dress.