Dressed to impress: how to wear a tuxedo

Thanks in part to our very own Edward VII, who kick-started a trend for wearing shorter dinner jackets rather than the traditional tails for his Sandringham House shenanigans, the tuxedo has become the go-to dress-up attire for men at this time of year.

However, it’s easy to wind up looking like a period piece in an ultratraditional dicky-bowed evening look. That’s because it kind of is: the menswear after-dark uniform is a stay-over from the 19th century, and has remained relatively unchanged for the past two centuries – bar trousers replacing knee-breeches.

Today, however, those long-held conventions are being uprooted.

When the 2014 Met Gala imposed on its male attendees the dress code of white tie – the most formal menswear iteration of all – many bent the rule to breaking point, pitching up in a multitude of varied designer interpretations. A few broke rank altogether, sporting Edward’s favoured tuxes in bright brocades and velvets.

The taste seeped on to winter’s catwalks: Junya Watanabe showed nothing casual at all, opting instead for dozens of interpretations of the tuxedo, patchworked elaborately and even cut in denim; Kris Van Assche’s Dior Homme show opened with an array of hyper-formal tailcoats – but clusters of pin badges in place of boutonnières and black wool voile caps instead of slickedback hair deflated the pomp and circumstance. Alessandro Sartori’s Berluti presentation closed with a phalanx of Ascot-ready frock-coats, but they were slung over T-shirts with soft multicoloured silk scarves, not starchy bow ties, nonchalantly knotted at the necks.

As that bunch illustrates, these days the rules of dressed-up menswear are rarely ever black and white (tie); indeed, just because an invite to a swishy do states obligatory wearing of tie in either of those monochrome shades, the relaxation of our sartorial mores means you can interpret it as you will, and willingly stand out. In short, you don’t have to be all buttoned up.

You can add a pinch of punk to a tux or tailcoat by swapping a traditional silk lapel for leather. Berluti’s T-shirts may be a step too far for most functions, but it’s entirely feasible to ditch bow tie and pleated bib shirt for a fine-knit rollneck under your jacket instead.

If texture is your thing, a velvet jacket is a first-rate alternative to traditional wool. Tom Ford has made those a trademark of his award-winning menswear: he received the Red Carpet award at last week’s British Fashion Awards, and it was as much in recognition of his attire for him as for her. Indeed, many Hollywood couples sport co-ordinating Ford at awards ceremonies. Nevertheless, if plumping for plush it’s best to avoid matching trousers – unless you’re Austin Powers at a fancy-dress party. Rather, mismatch velvet with a pair of plain wool trousers. The alternative? A metallic brocade jacket with wide satin shawl lapels. Again, tread cautiously here: anything too wacky or comical will see you stumble head-on into fancydress territory again.

There is perhaps only one rule that you should play by: buy your tux, rather than rent it. Spend wisely on the high street – fit is key – and you won’t end up splurging all of your hard-earned cash on something you wear maybe only once or twice a year.