The War on Tuxedos

Minds work differently once an invitation to a formal social event is received. For women, a myriad of choices falls before them. Is my red dress ok? Will it clash with the event? Maybe I should go for the blue one, but damn I don’t have the shoes to match it. The pressures on a women’s outfit far out rank that of men. Just open any vanity Hollywood magazine and you will have critics dismantling everything from the hair- cut to the pedicure. Thankfully for men, before the invitation comes we know what we are going to wear. Wedding? Tuxedos will do. Ball? The tuxedo will do. Funeral? Hmm.. maybe I can get away with my tuxedo? Or perhaps just my black suit will do. For the shoes, why my trusty pair of fancy black oxfords that only see daylight when champagne is involved. The only real difficult decisions we make is our preferred accessory for the evening, a tie or a bow tie.

With the dawn of the 2010s times are changing, and war has been declared. These strict rules of formality for men have been a blessing in disguise. Always black, Always white shirt, Neat combed hair. Our uniform liberated us from the ordeal of thinking up and buying a whole new outfit every time we go to some tedious art gallery opening.

Variation has been eroding away at the fabric of our comfortable lives. The white suit combination, has gone from colonel sanders to a fashion staple of the limelight. These non-traditional looks have been ingrained enough into our social being that we accept it. If you want to make a statement at your next event, this won’t even cut it anymore. We are ramping up our flamboyance at an alarming pace, with grandiose color changes from red velvet to lavender. Now we have the format of a jacket, pants and tie being ditched completely for a more unique look. Don’t want to wear a tie? No problem. Sick of fumbly dress shoes? Sneakers are fine! Hell, what about the Jacket? Or the Pants? I keep cooler like this anyway.

Black suit with silk shawl lapels. Black bow tie. White shirt with pleated front.

Will there come a day where men will seem under-dressed if they wore the same classic black tux to each and every event? Only time will tell. There are still many bastions that stand up to this encroaching wave of informality, but as each year passes, one by one, idols of men’s fashion ditch their trusty blacks for something like this, there will come a time all of us must start thinking a little harder about what to wear, but thankfully the black tux remains king for now.

Times are always changing, the Duke of Wellington was once a social pariah for wearing trousers to a social event instead of the customary breeches, but we at Senszio will have your back. Whether you are going to hold homage to tradition of the classic black tux, as seen in the photos above, or you are feeling a bit more adventurous, our master tailors will make sure your outfit will always be a hit.