So, wait, is this tuxedo or suit? And if it's suit, is it business jacket or dinner jacket? Trust me, the difference matters.


There's two ways you can approach these, I'll break them down independently.

Business Suit: Stylish with a business suit is to be simple. No one walks into a meeting with something that grabs the eye. Your jacket should be 1 of 3 colours. Black. Navy. Grey. I keep four business jackets in my closet, and in a pitch I can use alternate pants to make it works. I've also got a dinner jacket, but it is woefully misused.

1) Muted colours always look good. Ideally your clothes make you look good but leave the focus entirely on your face. The stereotypical look for business suits is a bit of a wider, more "loose" jacket with a wide tie, to which I say FUCK THAT. Retro is in right now. Seriously, to nail business meetings go and watch Mad Men. Not only does channeling Don Draper help you bag ladies, there's is no denying that the staff at AMC turned Jon Hamm into a stylish motherfucker. Alternatively, Lee Pace in Pushing Daisies whilst suited was another good one to copy. You want a skinny tie, and you want a slimmer cut of jacket. White shirt underneath, because white is as unnoticeable as possible, your tie is what you will play with. If you have a navy jacket, your shirt may be blue. No pocket square, black shoes, your watch is brown leather and innocuous. Your tie is to be coloured, but otherwise unnoticeable. If it is striped, it sure as god better not be bright, and one of those colours better be dark.

2) You want the same styled cut as before, but to give you an example you want more of an Ocean's 11 style. Personally, I use this sparingly in business situations You want colour here. Watch is unnecessary, shoes can be black or brown. Your jacket and pants don't have to coordinate. However, your jacket and pants should be variations on the same theme. I.E. Grey jacket black pants. Your tie should be matched to a pocket square, the simplest method is to have a tie and pocket square that are the same colour, ideally a very bright colour. I've got with white shirt, grey jacket, black pants, bright green tie/pocket square before.

Dinner Suit:

Actually pretty much the same. The jacket is just cut wider, three pieces are more common, and having more elaborate pocket squares is more common. The biggest difference is really just the jacket.


EDIT: Also, you want to be the beau of the ball. Not the belle. Belle is feminine.

Not necessarily.

Maybe she turned him down the first time because she's into the ladies?

I don't recommend either a business suit or a dinner suit or a tux to a prom unless you want to look like a massive nerd who is trying way too hard.
Start with say the base outline of a dinner suit and just change a couple of things, depends on your body shape really how you do this, like I have quite fine features so I get fome feminine cut jackets . DOn't go wacky crazy, unless you want to, but just a few small changes makes you not look like everybody else who went to the suit shop and just got off the rack.

I dunno, around here it's pretty much expected for guys to wear a tux to the prom. Unless things have changed since I was in high school.

Just find out what the other dudes are wearing. Accessorize subtly to match her accordingly and you'll be good to go. Proms are more for the ladies to dress up.

If we're talking prom and he wants to look respectable, it's tux all the way.

Since he said formal I'm assuming it's more of a social deal and less of an event-ajig, and thus less need to mess with tux rental/ownership and the like. He can get away with a semi-nice suit, or even just matching blazer.

Compeltely different where I live, tux is basically the default and is a sign that you really have no flair or style. Stay with the formal attire so you look respectable but you gotta customise.
Tuxes are pretty baseline respectable wher eI'm from. Like you're not a hobo but you're not a super sweet gentleman rocking the chicks either.
Also living in Scotland teaches me that formal wear also covers a kilt. Get that and if they don't let you in just claim discrimination. Also means you get to carry a knife around.

Regardless of what you do. Ghet nice shoes. People forget about shoes.

You live on the goddamn moon or some shit. I'm pretty sure the OP doesn't live on the moon.

He could live on the moon.... I'm so lonely :(

Some days I feel like I'm on the moon. Does that count?

I've been toying with the idea of a tux, but it smacks of fanciness at too high a calibre for a group of teacher candidates to be rockin' at a social function where all we're gonna do is dance and drink. I do want to look respectable, but not like I should be at an extravagant dinner-dance function. It is a formal full of professionals, but I don't see nothin' wrong with a little bump 'n' grind.

Dinner jackets are looking pretty nice. I know, it kind of contradicts my previous point about tuxes, but I donno. I suppose it's a matter of "How do I look good without looking goofy, and how do I so do so on a student budget?"

I'm tempted to do my little turn on the catwalk for you guys and parade the things I've got so far. It seems like it'd be easier.

Also hey, I've got a pocketwatch.

I've had Rush Hour 2 on the brain lately.

Tux is normal in the states, but we aren't exactly known for our class. I did the top hat thing last year, with a purple vest and accessories, and, despite what my dad said, I don't regret it at all. General consensus was that it was pretty dapper (which was negated by the fact that my friend and I were the only gay couple dancing, despite my date's wishes. )