There are a few times in every man’s life when he’ll find the need to wear a tuxedo. These usually include a wedding and perhaps a prom. If you’re a man who travels in more formal circles, you may find you’ll need to wear a tuxedo more often. Regardless of how often you find yourself needing to wear a formal suit, it’s important to take the proper steps to make sure the suit fits you properly.
It’s crucial that you make sure that the dinner jacket of your tuxedo fits you properly. This means that the shoulders need to be the correct size so there’s no binding and so that your sleeves fall cleanly, in an unbroken line from your shoulders. It doesn’t matter how beefy or muscle toned you are, your muscles should not show when wearing a tux.
The jacket should also drape with just the right amount of looseness over your shoulder blades and across your chest. But you need to be careful that there is no binding or tugging of the fabric. Not only will this look bad, but it will make wearing the tuxedo incredibly uncomfortable. You want to be able to lift your arms easily without stretching the fabric dangerously tight across your back or pulling the jacket open in the front.
If you’re going to an ultra formal event where you can get away with wearing tails, make sure the tails line up with the back of your knee. Anything longer or shorter will look ridiculous. The bottom seam of your jacket should always line up with the knuckles of your thumb and the jacket sleeves should be tailored in such a way that you can see approximately ½ inch of your crisp, white shirt cuff.
Some tuxedo jackets may have side vents or double vents. These can really look bad if they’re not fitted properly. Make sure the flaps made by the vents stay in place when you move around or put your hands in your pockets.
If you choose to wear a vest with your tuxedo, make sure it has enough material at the top to be seen when your jacket is buttoned. The back should be longer than the front and the fit should be on the loose side so that you can sit and move around comfortably. If you’re wearing a tuxedo with tails, make sure the points of your vest are higher than the points of your tailcoat.
Your tuxedo trousers should not have cuffs. The length should be long enough to rest on top of the shoe. Some say it should cover about 1/3 of your shoe, while others insist the trouser fabric should cover 2/3 of your shoe. An associate at a formalwear store will be able to let you know what the latest guidelines are in regards to this. Your tuxedo trouser pleats should be closed and should intersect the middle of your knee and the middle of your shoes.
A good tailor will help make sure your tuxedo fits you the way it should. If you’re buying your own tux, get the shop you’re buying from to fit you. You can still get properly fitted for a tuxedo if you choose to rent one instead.