Formal Wear Primer

[John in Covina]

Is it a major faux pas to wear an un-matching cummerbund? Say a red cummerbund with a black tie?

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Seems to me they should match. However maybe a vest could be different.

[Zach R.]

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Seems to me they should match. However maybe a vest could be different.

Thats what I was thinking.

[Hemingway Jones]

Shindeco,
A wonderful post. I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you.
Is that a peaked lapel white dinner jacket? That is the Holy Grail of vintage dinner jacket. Very nice indeed.

[John in Covina]

Is that a peaked lapel white dinner jacket? That is the Holy Grail of vintage dinner jacket. Very nice indeed.

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I like the DB Peak Lapel Dinner Jacket Arnie wears in True Lies.

[Hemingway Jones]

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I like the DB Peak Lapel Dinner Jacket Arnie wears in True Lies.

I'll have to take another look at that. It's on cable daily, afterall.

And there is the famous Indiana Jones Temple of Doom version.

[shindeco]

I've seen some guys sport this look, but is it a major faux pas to wear an un-matching cummerbund? Say a red cummerbund with a black tie?
Also, what about a jacket with peak lapels and a cummerbund(black to match a black bowtie)?

When cummerbunds were first being worn in the 30s, they were often burgundy, but always with a black bowtie. In fact, to wear a coloured bowtie would have been considered a faux pas but the mismatched bowtie/cummerbund would have been considered fashionably daring! They were most often worn with a white mess jacket or white dinner jacket rather than a dinner jacket.

Cummerbunds have always been considered more casual than a waistcoat so to pair them with the most formal style jacket would have raised a few eyebrows back then. Certainly by the 60s, it had become quite acceptable.

[Briscoeteque]

What kind of hat can you wear with black tie? Aren't top hats tails only?

And the black-tie only dinner jacket, if I was going for an early 60's lounge look, and the tuxedo was closely tailored and had a maroon linining, would wearing a maroon bow tie be criminal? And what should be worn around the waist? Could a cumburbun be black, because I'm having trouble finding one that exactly matches the tie I picked up.

[John in Covina]

What kind of hat can you wear with black tie? Aren't top hats tails only? And the black-tie only dinner jacket, if I was going for an early 60's lounge look, and the tuxedo was closely tailored and had a maroon linining, would wearing a maroon bow tie be criminal? And what should be worn around the waist? Could a cumburbun be black, because I'm having trouble finding one that exactly matches the tie I picked up.

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While enroute I would suppose a black fedora would be ok, but not worn into the event.

On Cummerbunds, if you were suspenders (braces) you aren't supposed to wear a cummerbund. Maybe that will help.

[Briscoeteque]

So I just wear suspenders like I do with my suits and never un-button the jacket? I have to get this right, because I've worn this suit twice before and it look absolutely awful because I blew the look. I wore it with a pleated shirt with a wing collar, which was simply awful. I think I'm just going to get a stiff regular white shirt.



Prom, a year ago. I was young and stupid, and was just beginning to have good taste. That is clearly not evident in this picture. Since then I've had it taken in big time, and threw out that terrible shirt.

[Baron Kurtz]

Hmmmmm, cummerbund.

The ones i've seen for sale recently come as a cummerbund and bowtie set - matching colour. I'd say forego the cummerbund and get a formal waistcoat. I never liked cummerbunds.

Cummerbunds were a Tropics thing, right?

bk