White Tuxedos

What are white tuxedos?
White tuxedos are white dinner jackets and white tail jackets with satin or grosgrain lapels which can be worn with either white or black formal trousers.

White Tuxedo Styles
White tuxedos are available in four different lapel styles and a wide array of jacket cuts. The four styles are shawl, notch, peak and collarless. A shawl is a rounded lapel typically with a one or two button front. A notch lapel has notches in the lapel which look like half of a diamond shape; cut out of each side of the lapel. White tuxedos with notch lapels can be found with mostly one ore two button jacket cuts and every once in a while, with three or more buttons. A peak is a pointed lapel and is usually a one button jacket however you may be able to find more buttons on a peak. Collarless white tuxedos are called Nehru and mandarin jackets in white. Mandarin and Nehru jackets typically have an even array on the front consisting of six, eight or ten buttons. Finally there are white tuxedos in tails or fulldress. With a white tail jacket you'll find notch, peak and shawl collars but no collarless option.

Tuxedo Trousers For White Tuxedos
The trousers or pants worn with white tuxedos are typically white. However since the mid 1990s, people have been opting for black trousers. It's important to note that when selecting a tuxedo trouser for your white tuxedo jacket that you pay attention to the kind of material that is on the lapel of the jacket. If you have a satin lapel, you must have a satin stripe running vertically down the side of the trouser. This compliments the satin on the lapel and completes the look. Otherwise, if you have a grosgrain lapel, which is a matted finishing of the lapel (no shine) then you must not wear a tuxedo trouser with a satin stripe. Instead, matching trousers with a grosgrain vertical stripe must be worn. There are at times white tuxedos without grosgrain or satin on the lapel, in this case you wouldn't need the stripe at all but finding a white pair of matching trousers with no stripe might be difficult to accomplish and if you do find them, they could be pretty expensive.

Tuxedo Shoes for White Tuxedos
Though it might seem obvious to some folks, white tuxedo shoes must be worn with a white tux only if you are wearing white tuxedo trousers. If you are wearing black tuxedo trousers, then you must wear black tuxedo shoes or a two-tone shoe. The shoes must match the color of the trousers. If you are wearing white with black then you can opt for two-tone formal shoes in black and white. You will find cap-toe and wing-tip tuxedo shoes with black and white coloring.