Tuxedo facts for kids

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House (2012)

A tuxedo is an ensemble (or outfit) of clothing which includes a white dress shirt, a bow tie, dress pants, a tuxedo suit jacket (sometimes called a dinner jacket), leather dress shoes, and sometimes a vest or cummerbund, top hat and gloves. In European countries, this outfit is called black tie. Many men wear this outfit in Western countries on formal occasions like a marriage ceremony or a fancy party or dance.

The white dress shirt is usually made of cotton or linen. A dress shirt has a stiff collar and it is ironed before it is worn. A bow tie is usually made of silk or polyester, and it is usually black or white. Dress pants are made of wool or polyester, and they are ironed before they are worn. A tuxedo suit jacket is usually made of wool or polyester. Suit jackets have a collar, pockets, and a silk or polyester lining. Leather dress shoes are usually made of dark-colored leather which is polished. Sometimes, a person wearing a tuxedo will also wear a sleeveless vest with buttons in the front, a black top hat, and white gloves.

Some men wear a tuxedo for their jobs, such as symphony orchestra musicians or waiters in expensive restaurants.

Since most men do not wear tuxedos very often, they rent them when needed instead of buying them. Sometimes, men's tuxedo vests and ties match the dress of the woman he is with. They are mainly worn to big events such as weddings, dinner parties or some sort of smart dressed do.

Name

Tuxedo in the context of menswear originated in the United States around 1888. It was named after Tuxedo Park, a Hudson Valley enclave for New York's social elite where it was often seen in its early years. The term was capitalized until the 1930s and traditionally referred only to a white jacket. When the jacket was later paired with its own unique trousers and accessories in the 1900s the term began to be associated with the entire suit. Sometimes it is shortened to "tux".

In French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Persian, Turkish, and other European languages the style is referred to with the pseudo-anglicism smoking (esmoquin). This generic colloquialism is a false friend deriving from its similarity with the 19th century smoking jacket. In French the dress code may also be called "cravate noire", a term that is sometimes adopted directly into English.

The suit with accompanying accessories is sometimes nicknamed a monkey suit and, since 1918, soup and fish – a term derived from the sort of food thought to be served at black tie dinners.

Related pages

• Dress code

Images for kids

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  A man wearing a dinner suit with shawl lapels, a cummerbund, a black bowtie and oxfords

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  Illustration of British peaked lapel and shawl collar dinner jackets, 1898. As substitutes for tailcoats, dinner jackets were originally worn with full dress accessories, including white waist coat.

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  1888 American tuxedo/dinner jacket, sometimes called a dress sack

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  Black tie worn at a dinner party in the 1940s

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  The elements of gentleman's black tie

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  An example of a link front style closure of a dinner jacket, featuring silk grosgrain

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  A white dinner jacket

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  Black tie trousers with a side stripe

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  A modern attached wing collar (of the half-collar shape, with longer wings than a typical attached wing collar) and pre-tied bow tie

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  An oxford shoe in patent leather worn with evening dress or dinner dress

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  Miniature medals with black tie

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  An example of a black evening gown

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  Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel Westling arriving at the Riksdag's Black Tie Gala Performance on the eve of their wedding

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  Jacob Rees-Mogg in black tie debating at The Cambridge Union

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  Black ottoman silk cummerbund

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  Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip together with President John F. Kennedy, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom (1961)

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  President Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, and Robert Wolders at a private dinner for the Prince of Wales at the White house, Washington D.C., United States (1981)

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  U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen (in optional white semi-formal mess dress uniform) congratulates former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Atlantic Council of the United States Distinguished Leadership Award Gala (2008)

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  Actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)

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  King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia during the World Water Week at the Stockholm City Hall, Sweden (2011)

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  Anthony Bailey (with infrequent orders and medals) speaks at Faith in Sport Olympic Gala Dinner in London, United Kingdom (2012)

See also

In Spanish: Esmoquin para niños