The difference, on the garment
Tuxedo vs suit, and where a tailcoat sits
It is not a question of colour. A black suit is not a tuxedo, and anyone in the room who owns one will register the difference. Three things separate them, and you can see all three on the garment: the lapel is faced in silk (satin or grosgrain) rather than cut from the suiting, the trouser carries a silk braid down the outseam, and it has no belt loops. Where there are loops, it was built as a suit, however black the cloth. A tailcoat is a third thing again and gets confused with the tuxedo constantly: two braids on the trouser, cut to the waist in front with tails behind, and it never fastens. We make both to measure in Shanghai, and this is the most common question we get before an order.
Suit, tuxedo and tailcoat side by side
| Suit | Tuxedo (black tie) | Tailcoat (white tie) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lapel | Cut from the suiting, usually notch or peak | Faced in silk, shawl or peak | Faced in silk, always peak |
| Trouser | Belt loops, no braid | One silk braid on the outseam, no loops, braces or side adjusters | Two braids on the outseam, always braces |
| Front buttons | One, two or three, worn fastened | Classically one, fastened when standing | None; a tailcoat never fastens |
| Worn with | Shirt and necktie, waistcoat optional | Cummerbund or waistcoat, bow tie, never a necktie | White piqué waistcoat and white bow tie, wing collar |
| Occasion | Work, appointments, most weddings | Evening events from about 6pm, when the invitation says black tie | State occasions, balls, opera, when it says white tie |
These are the usual conventions, not house rules. You can check every row against a garment hanging in front of you, and that is the point.
The details that settle it
Five terms that turn a feeling into a check.
- Lapel facing
- On a tuxedo the lapel is faced in silk, usually satin or grosgrain. The reason is old and practical: silk catches candlelight, and later electric light, differently from wool, and evening dress was made for artificial light. A suit has its lapel in the same cloth as the rest. This is the difference you can see from five metres.
- Braid (galon)
- The stripe down the outseam of the trouser. One on a tuxedo, two on a tailcoat. It covers the seam and marks the trouser as evening wear. A trouser with no braid but with belt loops is a suit trouser, and black cloth does not change that.
- No belt loops
- Evening trousers have no loops. They are held with braces or side adjusters, because a belt bulks under a cummerbund or waistcoat and breaks a line that is meant to run through. If you are only going to check one thing, check this one: it is unambiguous and takes two seconds.
- Cummerbund
- The pleated sash around the waist that covers the join between shirt and trouser. Pleats face up. Cummerbund or waistcoat, not both. On a tailcoat the white piqué waistcoat does the job of both.
- Notch-lapel tuxedo
- A tuxedo with a suit's notch lapel instead of a shawl or peak. It sells in volume because it can be made from a suit pattern, and it is the version where the line between tuxedo and black suit blurs most. It is not wrong. But if the distinction is what you care about, it is the version that makes it least clearly.
Common questions
What is the difference between a tuxedo and a suit?
Three features, all visible on the garment. First the lapel: faced in silk on a tuxedo, cut from the suiting on a suit. Second the trouser: a silk braid down the outseam and no belt loops on a tuxedo, loops and no braid on a suit. Third what goes underneath: bow tie with cummerbund or waistcoat on a tuxedo, necktie on a suit. Colour decides nothing; black suits exist and so do midnight blue tuxedos.
Can I wear a black suit as a tuxedo?
No, and that is the answer most people are here for. Without silk lapel facings and without the trouser braid, a black suit reads as what it is, especially standing next to a real tuxedo in the same room. If the invitation says black tie and a black suit is what you own, the honest order is: rent, then buy, then as a last resort wear the suit with a bow tie and know it is a compromise. A black suit with a bow tie is not badly dressed. It is just not black tie.
What is a tailcoat and when is it worn?
The tailcoat is evening dress one step above, white tie. It is cut to the waist in front, has tails behind, and never fastens because there are no buttons to fasten. It goes with a white piqué waistcoat, a white bow tie and a wing collar shirt, and the trouser carries two braids instead of one. It is worn when the invitation says white tie: state occasions, grand balls, some opera openings. If it does not say so, it is too much.
What colour is a tuxedo?
Black or midnight blue. Midnight blue is the older trick: under artificial light true black tends to look flat and slightly green, while midnight blue reads blacker than black. If you are torn and the event is in the evening, that is an argument for blue, and it is an argument you can check in a mirror.
Does a tuxedo need a waistcoat or a cummerbund?
One or the other, never both. The job is the same: cover the waistband so there is no break between shirt and trouser. The cummerbund is worn with the pleats facing up. A belt does not do the job and does not belong on evening trousers anyway, which is why they have no loops.
How do I spot a tuxedo in ten seconds?
Look at the trouser, not the jacket. Belt loops mean suit, one silk braid down the outseam means tuxedo, two braids mean tailcoat. The jacket can mislead you, because a notch-lapel tuxedo looks a great deal like a black suit. The trouser does not mislead you.
Tuxedos and suits to measure, from one piece
We make made-to-measure suits and tuxedos in full or half canvas from premium European cloth, from a single piece, in about 14 to 20 working days, factory-direct from our Shanghai atelier.