The history of the tuxedo starts in 1865, when the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII commissioned the famous Henry Poole and Co. to make an elegant short smoking jacket.

The fashion of the tuxedo started to spread in 1886. after the Prince invited the New Yorker millionaire James Brown Potter and his actress wife Cora Potter to his Norfolk estate. The Prince suggested Potter to order a the jacket like his from Henry Poole for this special occasion. It was then James Potter who made this new jacket fashionable in  Tuxedo Park Club - the americans named the new garment after this elite club of New Yorkers. It was such a hit that it  became the dress code on the club`s ball dinner of the same year.

The tuxedo is a dressy evening wear throughout the XXth century, a short cut jacket with shiny silk shawl collar.
Usually black, (the original one was midnight blue) single breasted and worn with braided trousers. It goes with a low-cut silk waiscoat or cummberbund and bow-tie.

A tuxedo shirt  is white or off-white, usually with winged collar and french cuffs and have a bibbed front that is either marcella or pleated.
The tuxedo is an after 18:00 formalwear for social occasions like weddings, opera, classical concerts, balls, receptions.

How to wear Tuxedo – dress code

Black Tie

When the invitation says: „Black Tie”, the black tuxedo and black bow-tie ensemble is expected.  Like it`s name shows us, this dress code means only black tuxedo with black bow-tie, nothing else is acceptable. Wear it with white or ivory tuxedo shirt and cufflinks. Other accessories are the low-cut waistcoat or cummberbund belt (one or the other), dressy oxford shoes, white pocket squares.