dinner jackets

Dinner jacket or full tuxedo

The difference is the trouser. A full tuxedo is a matching set, jacket and trousers cut from the same cloth with a braid or satin stripe down the leg. A dinner jacket is worn with contrasting formal trousers — almost always plain black — so the jacket carries the outfit on its own. That makes it slightly less formal and considerably more flexible: one pair of black formal trousers will serve several jackets, which a matching tuxedo cannot. Wearing tuxedo pieces separately covers the mechanics.

White and ivory

A white or ivory dinner jacket over black trousers is the traditional warm weather answer to black tie, and it is the correct call for a summer wedding, a cruise or a destination event where a full black dinner suit would be punishing. Ivory is the softer of the two and more forgiving under warm light. Neither belongs at a winter formal event — black is the year round choice there.

Lapel, length and fit

Lapel style sets the tone before color does. Shawl reads classic and slightly softer; peak reads sharper and more formal. Length should cover the seat, roughly ending where your fingers curl with your arms hanging straight — shorter reads modern, longer reads traditional. Check the shoulder before anything else, because it is the seam a tailor cannot move cheaply. The tuxedo fit guide covers the measurements.

For the jacket half of a matching set, see mens tuxedo jackets. For textured evening jackets, see velvet tuxedos. For the complete black tie outfit, see black tie suits and attire.