Tuxedo Accessories Shopping Guide

Without accessories, a tuxedo or dinner jacket is incomplete. In this section we show you how best to source quality Black Tie Accessories.

Black Bow Ties: Several Options, But Self-Tie Is Best

When it comes to bow ties you have several options

1. Pre-tied bow tie, which makes you look like a boy at prom
2. Self-Tie Bow Tie with size adjuster. Loved by retailers as you only have to stock one size. Has to be tied but looks so much better than pre-tied.
3. Sized Self-Tie Bow Tie, the preferred choice for discerning gentlemen. You buy it exactly in your neck size. Must have if you wear detachable collars but even if you wear regular turn down collar tuxedo shirts, this version separates the gentlemen from the average men. If you take your black tie outfit seriously, skip the adjustable one and get this one. Hard to find, except here. If you are starting out, the gold standard and first one to buy is the butterfly shape in satin.
4. Single End Bow Tie. Very popular with elegant gentlemen during the heyday of Black Tie. If you already have a sized self-tie, this is the next step, learn more about them here, and buy them here.
   
   Regarding shapes and materials, as elaborated here, bow ties come in all sorts shapes and materials and you have to find the right ones for you.

How To Tie A Bow Tie

Want to learn how to tie a self-tie bow tie? Check out this video

Want to learn advanced ways to tie a bow tie, including a single end bow tie? Watch this video

Tuxedo Shirts: Find a Reputable Dealer

Manufacturers and Retailers of Shirts and Shirt Accessories

• Budd Shirtmakers, pricey London supplier of evening shirts. MTM and bespoke options available
• Charles Thyrwhitt, marcella bib turndown collar tuxedo shirts with holes for studs in different fits
• Darcy Clothing (formerly The Vintage Shirt Company), specialist offering authentic collarless shirts and detachable collars
• Eton, pricey, fashion forward tuxedo shirts
• Jos A Bank, entry level tuxedo shirts
• Ede and Ravenscroft, specialist offering collarless shirts and detachable collars
• Ralph Lauren, look for their purple label range shirts when they are on sale or on ebay
• Toastmaster Clothing, legal wear and eveningwear retailer offering Frederick Theak collarless marcella shirts
• Luke Eyres, manufacturer & wholesaler of detachable collars that supplies most other UK retailers (minimum order of 6)
• Brooks Brothers, offering tuxedo shirts and full-dress detachable collar shirt (with collar)
• Fort Belvedere, offering matching shirt studs and cufflinks.

Evening Waistcoats: Don’t Waste Money on Cheap Imitations

Waistcoat Manufacturers

• Budd Shirtmakers, pricey London supplier of evening waistcoats
• Buckleigh of London, manufacturer of ready-to-wear and bespoke waistcoats
• Ede & Ravenscroft, premium retailer offering U-shaped faille model
• Oliver Brown, premium retailer offering U-shaped wool & grosgrain model
• Waistcoats Direct, offers U-shaped evening waistcoats; will make them in any fabric that you supply

Cummerbunds: Invest in a Quality Waist-Covering

Cummerbunds cover the waistband of your pants and are essential for a tuxedo unless you wear a waistcoat or a double-breasted dinner jacket that remains always buttoned.

Never ever wear a belt with a tuxedo as that is a serious faux pas.

It is really difficult to find quality cummerbunds made of high-end silks in satin, grosgrain, faille, and moiré. Ideally, you want a little loop in the back that you can button on the inside of your pants so your cummerbund stays in the right spot no matter if you dance, sit or move. Hence we created our own cummerbunds which you can find in our shop here.

Patent Leather Oxfords & Opera Pumps

Not all men are comfortable wearing opera pumps. If that’s you, opt for the black patent leather oxford shoe. Unlike the captoe oxford which is really popular for the office, the evening Oxford does not have a captoe.

Patent leather is preferable to regular leather due to its sheen.

Leather Black Tie Shoe Makers

• Altan, beautiful wholecuts with patent leather custom patina
• Bowhill & Elliott, opera pumps and velvet slippers
• Crockett Jones, patent leather oxfords
• Shoepassion, wholecut patent leather oxfords
• Zak Wien, patent leather opera pumps and oxfords
• Bespoke – go with Viennese or British shoemakers as they still have many customers who order opera pumps regularly. Italian makers often get it wrong and make an evening slipper, which is not classically correct.

Evening Shoelaces

If you go for patent leather oxfords, definitely go with some evening shoelaces. Match the material of the laces to your bow tie. That will tie your tuxedo outfit together nicely. For a superb selection of evening shoelaces, please take a look at our Fort Belvedere evening shoelaces.

Velvet Slippers

Some men prefer to wear velvet slippers with their black tie ensemble, especially if it is a black tie event at their home, or if they wear a velvet jacket.

• Bowhill & Elliott, opera pumps and velvet slippers
• Ralph Lauren

Evening Socks: An Often Overlooked Accessory

Always go for over-the-calf socks. The gold standard is a fine black silk sock. The problem is, often they are blended with Nylon or they are too thick. Therefore we designed our own. Knitted on the most delicate sock machines in the world, we literally created the finest sock in the world with 280 needles.

If you want to be a little more colorful you can also opt for different socks such as the shadow stripe ones. Always remember though, that a black tie outfit looks best when color is used sparingly.

Cufflinks, Studs, Etc.: The Best Jewelry for Black Tie

Today most tuxedo sets consist of a pair of cufflinks and maybe 3 or 4 shirts studs. Back in the day you would fine full dress sets with waistcoat buttons, cufflinks and studs. Overall, the quality and attention to details in old tuxedo sets is generally superior to what you can find today.

• Bentley & Skinner, British
• Cartier, iconic French purveyor of fine jewelry including diamond and precious stone cufflinks and tuxedo dress sets
• Fort Belvedere, classic monkey fist cufflinks or eagle claw ones, with monkey fist studs.
• Hancocks & Co., a British purveyor of the vintage and contemporary tuxedo dress sets for men
• Van Cleef & Arpels,
• Krementz, American vintage brand often found in second-hand stores or eBay. They produced entry level metal stuff but also high-end platinum and diamond dress sets
• Larter, similar to Krementz Larter is a now-defunct company but you can find beautiful dress sets still including cufflinks, studs and waistcoat buttons
• Verdura, jeweler extraordinaire
• Fort Belvedere – matching shirt studs and cufflinks in yellow gold, rose gold and platinum.

Pocket Squares for a Tuxedo: The Perfect Touch

The classic choice is white, made of linen with hand-rolled edges. Some prefer silk for its shine. If you want to add a dash of color a red or purple pocket square may work well to, but keep them plain and simple. We offer them in the proper size for your chest pocket with and without initials.

Boutonnieres: Unexpected Visual Interest

The buttonhole lapel flower is the perfect companion to a black and white tuxedo ensemble. It adds a tad of color and underlines the special character of the tuxedo. Traditionally, a boutonniere is made out of a fresh flower. The problem is many florists do not know how to make a traditional black tie boutonniere anymore and often when you need it, let’s say on a cruise ship, they are not available. Hence we created our own flowers handmade in Germany. Unlike the real flowers, they will never wilt, look like the real thing, and are always handy no matter where your black tie event it Watch the video about to see how they are made.

For a tuxedo, the classic choice is a carnation in white, red, pink, purple or yellow. We offer them in two sizes, life-size and smaller, both are appropriate in it all depends in your lapel width and personal taste. Of course, you can also wear other flowers such as a rose, or whatever you like.

Evening Gloves: Exceptional Outerwear

Evening Gloves provide a finishing touch to your black tie outfit. We offer them in lamb leather here in our store.

Evening Scarves: A Refined Accessory

Just like the gloves, an evening scarf really completes the black tie outfit. Hence we offer them in a generous size made out of 100% finest Italian silk satin that matches our bow ties in all white or double-sided black and white. Can be used for black tie or white tie ensembles. Note, the hand knotted silk fringes really make these exquisite evening scarves.

Evening Braces / Suspenders, But Never Belts

For black tie, you want evening suspenders in black or white. Never wear a belt as that would be a faux pas.

Albert Thurston has the widest selection of evening suspenders on the market today. Unfortunately, they do not provide 100% silk evening braces which would be the proper thing to have.

Evening Overcoats

Most men will just wear their navy or dark overcoat for black tie events. However, the true companion to a tuxedo is an evening overcoat which could be either a silk lined cape or a single button peaked lapel evening overcoat with silk facings. Brioni used to offer them but if you want one, I suggest you get is made bespoke.

Black Tie Watches

Even though it is not polite to look at your watch in company at a black tie event, a tuxedo watch is a nice accessory. It should be simple with a dark dial, but you can learn all about tuxedo watches in our primer here.