The jacket and trousers do most of the work. The small pieces decide whether it looks finished. A bow tie sitting straight, a waistband that is covered, a pocket square that does not look like a napkin. None of it is hard once someone explains the rules, and most of the rules are simpler than they look.
Start by checking what you already have. If you are renting, a lot of this may be in the box. Men's Wearhouse says its prom suit packages include the jacket, pants, dress shirt, tie and shoes. The Black Tux describes its full tuxedo outfit as including the jacket, pants, shirt, shoes, vest and accessories. Read the package list before you buy extras.
Bow tie or long tie
A tuxedo traditionally takes a bow tie. A suit can take either. That is the whole rule, and even it bends. The Black Tux's prom guide lists a classic tie, a bow tie or even no tie as options for a modern look. Our page on choosing a tux or a suit covers how far you can mix the two.
A few practical differences.
- A bow tie reads more formal and stays put while you dance. It also suits a wing or pleated tuxedo shirt.
- A long tie is easier if you already know how to tie one, and it gives more space for color or pattern.
- Black satin or grosgrain is the classic tuxedo bow tie. A colored bow tie is how most people link their outfit to their date's. Our suit and tie color matcher helps with the shade.
- With a long tie, the tip should land at or just touching your belt line or waistband. Too short looks like a kid's clip-on. Too long and it disappears into your trousers.
Pre-tied or self-tie
Pre-tied bow ties fasten with a hook or band behind the collar. They look neat all night, and nobody can tell from a photo. The Black Tux says it offers several pre-tied bow ties to remove the barrier to wearing one. Self-tie bow ties look a little looser and more natural, and they can hang untied around your collar at the end of the night, which some people love.
How to tie a bow tie
Practice this at least twice before prom, ideally in front of a mirror with the shirt you will wear.
- Adjust the length to your collar size, then drape the tie around your neck with one end about an inch and a half longer than the other.
- Cross the longer end over the shorter one, then bring it up and under the cross, as if starting to tie a shoe. Pull it snug against your collar.
- Fold the shorter end, the one now hanging at the front, into a bow shape and hold it horizontally across your collar.
- Drop the longer end straight down over the front of that bow shape.
- Fold the longer end back on itself into a second bow shape, and push it through the loop behind the first bow, the knot you made in step two.
- Tighten slowly by pulling on the folded ends on both sides, then straighten until the two halves look roughly even. Slightly uneven is fine. It is how you can tell it was tied by hand.
Vest, cummerbund or neither
Both exist to cover the waistband, the spot where the shirt meets the trousers. That gap shows every time you raise your arms or the jacket falls open. Pick one, not both.
- A cummerbund is the pleated sash worn with a tuxedo. Wear it at your natural waist, over the trouser waistband, with the pleats facing up. The usual story is that the folds once held theater tickets. Whatever the origin, upward pleats are the convention.
- A vest works with a tuxedo or a suit. It looks more finished when the jacket comes off, which at a warm dance it probably will. A tuxedo vest is usually low cut so the shirt front shows. A suit vest buttons higher. Leave the bottom button of a suit vest open.
- Neither is fine with a suit. If your jacket will stay on and buttoned, the waistband is covered anyway.
Colored vests and cummerbunds are a strong way to pick up your date's color. They are also a lot of color in the middle of the outfit, so if the vest matches, keep the tie and pocket square quieter.
Suspenders and belts
The belt rule is simple. Wear a belt only if your trousers have belt loops, and never with suspenders. Many tuxedo trousers have no loops at all. Generation Tux, for example, says its tuxedo trousers take clip-in suspenders instead.
Suspenders either clip onto the waistband or button to small buttons sewn inside it. Button-on is the traditional version and holds better. Adjust them so the trousers sit at your waist with no sag in the seat. Black or white suspenders are invisible under a vest or jacket. Colored ones are a choice if the jacket is coming off.
If you do wear a belt, keep it thin, plain and the same color as your shoes. Black shoes, black belt. No big logo buckles.
Pocket squares
The cheapest accent, and the easiest to get right. The Black Tux's advice is that a pocket square should complement your tie, not match it exactly. A white linen or cotton square goes with everything. A silk square in a related color adds a softer echo of your date's outfit.
Three folds worth knowing
- The flat fold. Fold the square to the width of your pocket so a straight strip about half an inch tall shows above it. The most formal, perfect with a tuxedo.
- The one-point fold. Fold into a triangle, then fold the sides in so one point sticks up out of the pocket. Slightly dressier and still neat.
- The puff. Pinch the center of the square, let the corners hang, gather it loosely and tuck it in with the rounded center showing. Best for silk, relaxed and a little showy.
Whatever the fold, it goes in the jacket's breast pocket, and the boutonniere goes on the lapel above, not in the pocket.
Studs, cufflinks and tie bars
Look at your shirt before you buy any of these.
- Studs replace the front buttons on some tuxedo shirts. If your shirt has small holes where the buttons should be, it needs studs. Rental tux shirts often come with them, or with ordinary buttons hidden under a placket.
- Cufflinks are needed for French cuffs, the double-length cuffs that fold back and have holes on both sides but no buttons. Barrel cuffs with buttons do not need them. The Black Tux lists simple cufflinks among prom nice-to-haves. Match the metal of your studs, cufflinks and watch if you can.
- A tie bar goes only with a long tie. The Black Tux says to place it between the third and fourth shirt buttons. It should never be wider than the tie.
The boutonniere
It pins to your left lapel, over your heart, stem pointing down. If there is a buttonhole on that lapel, line it up with the hole. Ask your date or a parent to help with the pin, and keep it in the fridge until you leave. Traditionally your date buys it, as covered in our page on who buys the corsage, and the corsage and boutonniere guide explains styles.
How many accents is too many
The Black Tux puts it well. If one accessory is bold or eye-catching, keep the others more subtle, because balance is key. A good default is one colored piece (the tie, the vest or the pocket square), one neutral metal for studs and cufflinks, and the flower. Everything else black, white or silver.
Accessories add up on a budget, too. Our page on what a prom suit or tux costs lists typical add-on prices. And many prom shops listed on this site rent tuxedos with the accessories included, which saves you assembling the set yourself.