Complete Style Guide: Tuxedo Types, Colors, & More

Start With the Lapel

Lapel style sets the formality of a tuxedo jacket more than color does. A peak lapel points upward and reads as the most formal of the three. A shawl collar curves in one unbroken line and feels sleek and traditional. A notch lapel is the most common shape across suiting generally, which makes it the most versatile of the group.

Shawl lapels are a tuxedo-specific detail and rarely appear on a standard suit, so a shawl collar signals formal wear on sight. Notch lapels cross over between suits and tuxedos, which is part of why a notch lapel tuxedo works at a wider range of events.

The jackets can also be single-breasted or double-breasted:

• Single-breasted jacket: This style has a single row of buttons and a narrow overlap of fabric. It's the most common and suits almost any formal event.
• Double-breasted jacket: This tuxedo style has two rows of buttons and a wider overlap of fabric, giving a more formal and bold appearance.

Let's break down some of the most popular styles.

1. The Black Notch Lapel Tuxedo

The black notch lapel tuxedo is the most flexible tuxedo you can own. The notch shape matches what most men already recognize from a suit, so it feels familiar while the satin facing and covered buttons keep it firmly in tuxedo territory. It fits black tie, black-tie optional, and formal weddings equally well.

This is the style to buy if you expect to wear a tux more than once and do not want to think hard about whether it suits the occasion. Pair it with a white dress shirt, a black bow tie, and black shoes for the classic look.

2. The Black Shawl Lapel Tuxedo

The black shawl lapel tuxedo is the traditional tuxedo silhouette. Its unbroken curve from shoulder to button creates a smoother chest line than a notched jacket, and it draws directly from the dinner jacket that first appeared in the 1860s. It reads as deliberate formal attire rather than a suit dressed up.

Choose the shawl collar for a black-tie gala, a formal evening wedding, or any special occasion where you want the outfit to look considered.

3. The Black Peak Lapel Tuxedo

The black peak lapel tuxedo is the most formal of the three black options. Upward-pointing lapel tips broaden the shoulder line and add structure through the chest, which is why peak lapels dominate at black-tie events and appear on nearly every double-breasted jacket ever made.

If the invitation says black tie with no qualifiers, this is the safest jacket in the tuxedo collection.

4. The Navy Tuxedo

A navy tuxedo is the only color besides black that clears a strict black-tie dress code. Midnight blue entered formal wear in the 1930s, partly because more blue wool was being milled than black at the time, and it has stayed because it photographs with more depth than flat black under artificial light.

SuitShop carries the blue tuxedo in both shawl and peak lapel. Style it exactly as you would a black tux, with a white shirt, a black bow tie, and black shoes.

5. The White Dinner Jacket

The ivory white shawl lapel tuxedo is built for warm weather. The white dinner jacket became acceptable formal wear in the 1930s specifically because black felt oppressive in summer heat, and the convention has always been a white jacket worn with black trousers rather than a matching white suit.

Wear it to a summer evening wedding, a destination event, or a black-tie affair in a hot climate. The ivory white and black notch lapel tuxedo is the same idea with contrast built into a single style.

6. The Burgundy Tuxedo

The burgundy shawl lapel tuxedo adds color without abandoning the rules. A deep wine jacket paired with a black satin shawl collar keeps every formal marker intact, so it registers as a considered choice rather than a costume at a formal event.

Burgundy suits fall and winter weddings, holiday parties, and any celebration where the couple has invited some personal style. Zola's survey of more than 11,500 couples found burgundy in 10% of wedding palettes, so it coordinates more often than you might expect.

7. The Velvet Tuxedo

Velvet is a fabric choice rather than a cut, and it changes how a tuxedo reads under low light. SuitShop offers velvet peak lapel tuxedos in black, navy, burgundy, dark green, brown, and red, all with the formality of a peak lapel.

• Black velvet works at black-tie optional events and winter weddings.
• Green and burgundy velvet fit holiday galas and December celebrations.
• Red velvet is a prom and holiday party jacket more than a wedding one.
• Brown velvet pairs well with autumn palettes and less traditional venues.

Velvet holds its color under dim reception lighting, which is a real advantage once the formal photos are done.

8. Women's Tuxedos

Tuxedo styles are not limited to menswear. The women's tuxedo collection uses the same satin lapels and formal construction with a different cut through the shoulder, waist, and hip, which matters for anyone attending a black-tie event who would rather wear a tux than a gown.

FAQs: Tuxedo Styles

Details Worth Knowing Before You Order

A few construction details separate a tuxedo from a suit and are easy to miss when shopping online. Tuxedo pants sometimes carry a satin stripe down the outseam and often skip belt loops entirely, since a cummerbund or vest covers the waistband. The shirt matters too, with a tuxedo shirt and French cuffs reading more formal than a standard dress shirt.

• A black bow tie is standard at black tie, and a self-tie version looks better than a pre-tied one.
• A pocket square is where personal style belongs, so keep everything else conventional.
• Slim fit and standard fit both exist, so use the Fit Finder rather than guessing at your perfect fit.
• SuitShop does not currently stock a double-breasted tuxedo, though a black double-breasted suit delivers a similar structured silhouette for a formal wedding.

What This Means for a Wedding

Wedding attire is where most people encounter these decisions for the first time, and it is also where the choice sticks with you longest. The Knot puts the average cost for a male partner to rent ceremony attire at $205, with most tuxedo rentals landing between $150 and $300, which is close to what buying costs outright. With more than two million couples marrying in the United States each year, a tuxedo you own gets a second life at the next wedding you are invited to instead of going back in a garment bag on Monday morning.

Find Your Tuxedo Style at SuitShop

SuitShop stocks tuxedos in every lapel style, six velvet colors, and sizes built for everybody. Browse the full men's tuxedo collection or the women's tuxedos, order free fabric swatches to see the colors in real light, and use the Fit Finder to land your size the first time. Suiting a wedding party? Register your group and get one free tuxedo when five or more members order.