tuxedo waistcoat

[Lensmaster]

I would like to get a black waistcoat for my tuxedo. In fact I want to order one soon in hopes of having it for New Years Eve. What I'm trying to decide is whether to get one that is all satin or one that is wool with satin trim. What I'm thinking of choosing between is on this page:

http://www.uniformalwearhouse.com/apages/tuxedo_vests_solid.html

I don't know how the wool one will match the rest of the outfit. though I did purchase my dinner jacket and pants seperately and they seem to match very well. The obvious answer to my question would be "wear what you want." But I want to know your opinions.

 

[_RAGNAR_]

personally I think a cumberbund looks better with a dinner jacket. But both those lower vests look nice. I don't know which is more vintage or correct though.

 

[Matt Deckard]

If you must go with a vest, and finding one of a wool that might not match your tux is a problem, then go satin. I'm not a cumber bun fan though if I have one I prefer the old fashioned way of having it sewn to the trousers, just making it part of a high waistband... some companies are doing this again today. You could always get a Double Breasted tux... then you really wouldn't need to worry about a cumberbund or a vest.

 

[David V]

You say you bought your jacket and pants separately. Might they have been former rental items. If so the black fabric used is a standard wool worsted. I purchased the black wool vest from this source and it matched my tuxedo perfectly. Surprisingly it also matched a black wool suit my son had from his high school days.

If this is not your situation then opt for the satin. It too would be a perfectly acceptable choice.

 

[Tomasso]

both those lower vests look nice. I don't know which is more vintage or correct though.

The lower vests are correct, the top vests are not.

 

[Guttersnipe]

you could always go with a white vest, that way you avoid difficulties matching the wool of the jacket and pants to the vest. White vests look pretty spiffy and are allowed for black-tie***

***forgive me if I've made some formal wear faux pas. I've been trying to make heads or tails of formal wear etiquette recently and it's really confusing!

 

[Imahomer]

You don't have a preference?

 

[Geesie]

you could always go with a white vest, that way you avoid difficulties matching the wool of the jacket and pants to the vest. White vests look pretty spiffy and are allowed for black-tie***

***forgive me if I've made some formal wear faux pas. I've been trying to make heads or tails of formal wear etiquette recently and it's really confusing!

White waistcoats haven't been generally accepted for black tie since the 20s.

 

[B. F. Socaspi]

To quote the Black Tie Guide:
"While colored and patterned waistcoats inherently diminish the formality of the tuxedo, the white piqué full-dress waistcoat actually elevates it. This posh variation - usually paired with a wing-collar shirt and peaked-lapel jacket - was common in the 1920s and 1930s and was prescribed by Emily Post for the most formal of black-tie occasions right up until the 1970s. Today it remains a stylish alternative for many dapper dressers including Alan Flusser."

That being said..I would imagine one would need to be dressed in utter perfection to pull it off.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Hmmmm?

White waistcoats haven't been generally accepted for black tie since the 20s.

Really? According the the formal wear primer in the suits sticky thread, either a black or white vest is acceptable for black tie. This formal wear stuff is so confusing....

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=7058

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

White waistcoats haven't been generally accepted for black tie since the 20s.

Isn't that all the more reason to wear one?It is utterly classic.I'll be going with the white pique waistcoat when I get my dinner jacket.I'll probably get a black three button wool as well and if it doesn't match my dinner jacket I'll send it back and get the satin.

 

[Max Flash]

My personal view is that wearing a white waistcoat with black tie is over-dressing it, in the same way as to wear a coloured waistcoat or garish bow-tie and cummerbund (i.e. other than black) is under-dressing it. The beauty of black tie is the impression of elegance and formality created by its simplicity. I've said it before on here and I'll say it again: dressing it up too much will smack of trying too hard, and you will come across as a peacock.

I have been to many formal black tie events in London and elsewhere in the UK, and have never seen a white waistcoat worn with black tie. From what I understand from posters on here, the US is generally less formal than the UK, if anything. A black waistcoat I have seen (as part of a three-piece suit - i.e. cut from the same cloth as the DJ), but don't forget the heat generated by all those dark layers and the fact that you will feel starched up to the eye-balls and unable to relax and enjoy yourself.

My advice is, keep it simple, be comfortable in what you are wearing and you will look like you wear black tie every night of your life. Which is, of course, the impression you want to create.

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

I respectfully disagree.

My personal view is that wearing a white waistcoat with black tie is over-dressing it, in the same way as to wear a coloured waistcoat or garish bow-tie and cummerbund (i.e. other than black) is under-dressing it. The beauty of black tie is the impression of elegance and formality created by its simplicity. I've said it before on here and I'll say it again: dressing it up too much will smack of trying too hard, and you will come across as a peacock.

I have been to many formal black tie events in London and elsewhere in the UK, and have never seen a white waistcoat worn with black tie. From what I understand from posters on here, the US is generally less formal than the UK, if anything. A black waistcoat I have seen (as part of a three-piece suit - i.e. cut from the same cloth as the DJ), but don't forget the heat generated by all those dark layers and the fact that you will feel starched up to the eye-balls and unable to relax and enjoy yourself.

My advice is, keep it simple, be comfortable in what you are wearing and you will look like you wear black tie every night of your life. Which is, of course, the impression you want to create.

 

[Tomasso]

The beauty of black tie is its simplicity.. keep it simple.

I agree wit Max. (Pardon the editing, Max).

 

[Geesie]

I suppose I was not entirely correct for prescription, though I still agree with those who say you shouldn't.

 

[Max Flash]

I respectfully disagree.

That's fair enough - clothing is very personal, and as I said, that is only my view. I wish you well and am sure whatever route you choose to go down will look great.

 

[dnjan]

Age, as well as the overall confidence/comfort of the wearer play a major role. Photos have been posted on this site in which it appears that the clothes are wearing the man, and photos have been posted in which the man appears to be properly attired.
Answers are not always absolute.

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

That's fair enough - clothing is very personal, and as I said, that is only my view. I wish you well and am sure whatever route you choose to go down will look great.

This is why I love this place. You can disagree with someone and instead of having a thread war,they wish you luck. :cheers1:

 

[Guttersnipe]

Something to note

Black/white tie "rules" have shifted a lot in recent times.

If you watch movies from the 30's and 40's with formal wear, you see a lot of examples of this.

White vs. black waistcoats, for example, seem interchangeable with dinner jackets. Or, as another example, shirt-studs and cuff-links we're much more exciting and varied compared to the now standard black-circular ones (thanks to PDXVintagette for pointing this one out). Wing and fall-down collars are now a mater of taste, but used to be dictated by the mode of dress. Cummberbunds are now acceptable for black tie - the list really goes on and on....

I agree that it's really all about wearing your clothes with confidence and choosing what makes you happy. I for example feel as strongly about cummberbunds as others feel about white waistcoats with black tie (plus I think anybody with a waist larger the a 32" really has no business being in a cummberbund anyway!).

Sorry for the long post

 

[Lensmaster]

I think now I'm leaning towards the wool. As long as the material looks good with my tux. Seems a whole vest of satin might look flashy. But I'm also thinking about getting a white pique vest to wear with my peak lapel jacket and wing collar shirt for a real formal look. Seeing as how I'd love to have tails to wear sometimes but know I'll never have a place to wear that that it would fit in.