Outfit Of The Week 12/31/23 – 1/6/24
As promised in my article last week, this week’s edition of “OOTW” is all about what I wore on the night of New Year’s Eve!
I wore a tuxedo, of course!
Now, the wearing of a tuxedo for me carries a ton of significance. It was in the investigation of traditional black tie attire that I tasted my first morsel of what it meant to actually understand menswear.
I own two tuxedos, both of which I wore the weekend I got married. I wore a black, peak lapel dinner suit from Brooks Brothers on the actual day of the wedding. For our rehearsal dinner the night before, however, I wore the midnight blue, shawl collar tux from Charles Tyrwhitt you see here.
Let me tell you… back in 2014 it was incredibly difficult to find a tuxedo that had ALL the correct details like no vent, no pocket flaps, no notch lapel, single button, and a proper waist covering. I had to alter the Brooks Brothers tux somewhat to get the details right. Surprisingly, the Charles Tyrwhitt tux was 100% correct from the start!
I actually wasn’t planning on wearing two tuxedos that weekend, but I had already purchased the Brooks Brothers version when my wife and I wandered into the Charles Tyrwhitt shop on 7th Avenue. My wife bought it for me as a wedding gift.
On special occasions like NYE, my wife and I like to dress up even though we don’t actually go out. We are home-bodies, but one of the things we loved to do before we had kids was get dressed up and go out to dinner. We still get dressed up and we still have dinner, but the dinner is prepared at home and we have a little cocktail party once we put the children to bed.
I encourage all of you to not let becoming a parent snuff out those things that you enjoyed before you had kids.
One thing I really like about this particular tuxedo is the fact that the shawl collar isn’t too skinny or wide. A good moderate width is a hard thing to get right on a shawl collar. If they are too skinny, they look anemic. If they are too wide, they actually emphasize the wearer’s midsection, which isn’t ideal.
One cool aspect of the jacket is the link button closure on the front. As you can see, the button has another button connected to it on the back by way of a small cord.
That’s so you can fasten the jacket using the second button if you wish. I actually opt not to since I like the silhouette of the jacket buttoned in the usual way, but it’s a nice option to have.
Probably my favorite part of this outfit, though, is the beefy, velvet bow tie. It’s a fun departure from a regular silk bow tie and looks great especially during cold weather events.
My pocket square was the white, linen square embroidered with my initials that I wore on my wedding day.
My shirt was also from Charles Tyrwhitt and is a traditional tuxedo shirt, which allows for studs to be inserted.
My cufflinks were also gifts from my wife. Even though they look dark in the picture (as I was trying to capture my engraved initials) they are sterling silver.
The watch was my beloved 42mm Bulova on a black leather strap. I wore this watch on my wedding and it was, again, a gift from my wife.
Between the shirt and trousers was a black cummerbund from Men’s Wearhouse.
The CT tux actually came with a proper waistcoat, which I loved, however it was a straight bottom vest that didn’t properly cover the waistband of the trousers, since the pants have a somewhat low rise. Because of that, I didn’t want to risk any shirt peeking out beneath the vest and opted for a cummerbund instead. Even though it wasn’t my first choice, I really like the pairing of the cummerbund with a shawl collar jacket.
As I said, the trousers were slightly slimmer than I would go now (and they actually look slimmer in these pictures), but I got this tux almost ten years ago. Even though I would probably go for fuller trousers today, this tux is still a nice middle-of-the-road when it comes to proportions and will not look dated even many years from now.
Holding up my trousers were my black, silk suspenders. I actually can’t remember where I purchased these. Maybe Brooks Brothers or Men’s Wearhouse.
My socks were black silk from Brooks Brothers. My shoes were my black, cap-toe oxfords I wear with all my suits.
If I were venturing outside for any reason, I would have worn my black Homburg, but I didn’t get the chance!
The evening was lovely. My wife and I had a great dinner and then watched The Twilight Zone (a NYE tradition!) in front of a crackling fire.
I hope everyone is having a healthy and safe new year. My love to you all!
Have a wonderful weekend!
