Best tuxedos for mastering the black-tie dress code (2024)

• Fabrication: Wool blend
• Colours: Black, Navy

Reiss' “Poker” tuxedo may change minutely from season to season, but the essentials that make it our favourite all-round affordable tuxedo stay consistent: the trousers come with a satin contrast side stripe, while the jacket is classic and neat as a pin. The best part? Choose between single or double breasting, peak or notch lapel, and — perhaps most importantly — a black or navy colourway.

• Fabrication: Silk-Grosgrain and Wool-Blend
• Colours: White

Ivory jackets (usually worn with contrasting black trousers) are becoming almost as recognisable in tuxedo sets as wearing the matching black blazer. In our eyes, the ivory tux competes even with piano keys as the shade's most famous representative, particularly in the hands of Tom Ford, which here casts its sharp wool-blend jacket with silk grosgrain trims.

• Fabrication: Cotton blend velvet
• Colours: Pink, Green, Black

As proven by Daniel Craig at the premiere for No Time To Die in 2021, the velvet pink dinner jacket does work. This edition favours powder pink over the dark near-magenta Craig wore, and also edges on subtlety with a shawl collar as opposed to a peak one. Best worn with a pair of black trousers in a contrasting texture such as merino wool.

• Fabrication: Wool blend with satin
• Colours: Black, navy

Back to M&S in the studio for this: an elevated take on the affordable tux, designed in a textured wool blend that contrasts pleasingly with a satin peak lapel on the jacket; a technique that’s imitated with trad trouser tapes. A tailored, single-breasted fit, this piece might better suit those with an athletic or slim build, though true to M&S, there’s a huge diversity of sizes available.

• Fabrication: Velvet with satin
• Colours: Black

The iridescent ‘abstract’ lining of this suit is oh-so suave and so very Paul Smith. But while what’s on the inside is important, this is the vainglorious fashion industry and we’re in the business of surfaces. Thankfully, the exterior boasts luxurious black velvet cotton here, with sharp satin peak lapels through a tailored silhouette. This is a blinder of a tuxedo, both inside and out.

• Fabrication: Cotton blend velvet
• Colours: Pink, Green, Dark Green, Black, Light Blue

For those seeking black tie dress code accoutrements, there's another bright spot on Reiss' suiting section. Namely, this cotton blend velvet dinner jacket in a timeless yet unique forest green hue. See also: navy or dusty pink for the nu-traditionalists, or icy blue or mint green for the rebels.

• Fabrication: Wool/mohair blend
• Colours: Black

The slimmer cut of TM Lewin’s dinner suit makes it one of the most versatile on our list. Though it’s cut from wool and mohair, the single-breasted jacket and matching trousers look as slick with a turtleneck as they would a dress shirt. A tux that can go from country home wedding to ball with only a change of shirt.

• Fabrication: Linen/ silk blend
• Colours: Ivory

While the traditional image of a tuxedo draws up an all black ensemble, we’re here to tell you that you can contrast your layers for a bolder statement. As far as the upper half is concerned, you won’t find much better than this jacket by Favourbrook. Crafted from a linen and silk-blend (AKA the perfect textural combination for warmer seasons), it has been woven into a timeless herringbone pattern and features a stunning grosgrain along the trim of its peak lapels. A standout choice to see you through your formal event with extravagance.

• Fabrication: Wool twill
• Colours: Navy

A dinner jacket of exquisite proportion, you may be surprised to hear that the satin lapels, covered buttons and sharp double-breasting of this piece will set you back only £189. Add the trousers and your brand new red carpet appropriate ensemble will still come in at under £300. So what’s the catch? Made from pure wool to a tailored fit and in the flattering colour of the night sky, we’d say there isn’t one.

• Fabrication: Velvet
• Colours: Green, brown

A dinner jacket such as this may not fit into a strictly trad black tie event, but boy does it shine in every other formal setting. Shorn from cotton and linen velvet with exaggerated shawl lapels and a single unfussy covered button closure, it's best worn with your favourite black wool dinner trousers and a cigar (optional).

• Fabrication: Grain de poudre with satin
• Colours: Navy

The navy tuxedo, while a little less traditional than its obsidian sibling, is just as formal a choice. From Ralph Lauren: a peak lapel tuxedo in wool barathea (grain de poudre) cloth and with a single, neat button fastening. Satin detailing and side-adjuster trousers are, of course, included.

• Fabrication: Wool with satin
• Colours: Black, navy

For those among you heading to a particularly prestigious black tie event, you might want to consider a three-piece by your favourite shirtmaker Hawes & Curtis. True to the dinner suit origins of what we now call the tux, this piece comes in both navy and black options, and comprises of a sharp jacket with peak satin lapels, half-lined satin side tape trousers and — the pièce de résistance — a single-breasted horseshoe waistcoat. Dress shirt essential.

• Fabrication: Wool
• Colours: Black

Choose between a classic regular- or slim-fit in Charles Tyrwhitt’s tuxedo prototype which runs the gamut of things you should expect from your set. Most notable? A grosgrain sheen to the shawl lapels, covered buttons and, most importantly, a prestigious 100 per cent Super 120s wool construction.

• Fabrication: Velvet
• Colours: Blue

In a sea of simple tuxedos, French brand Fursac’s latest formal jacket will make sure that you really stand out from the crowd. Clad in a striking blue shade, its stunning frame has been brought to life from a plush velvet texture and features a billowing set of shawl lapels which fall to align perfectly with the waistband of your trouser. Partnered with slim black trousers and accessorised with a sharp bow tie, trust us when we say: you’ll be the talk of your soirée.

• Fabrication: Wool
• Colours: Black

You don’t need to spend big to look the part, as proven by M&S and its pure wool tux. Neat-as-a-pin shawl lapels draw the eye into a thoroughly traditional silhouette, which acts as a framework for whatever shirt and bow tie — classic or off-the-wall — you choose. Select short, regular or long in the jacket for an improved fit.

• Fabrication: Wool
• Colours: Black

As a long-term resident on tailoring’s most famous street, Savile Row, Huntsman knows how to bring quality to a tuxedo. This wool, double-breasted style is no exception, thanks to its offset V lapel which technically works to heighten the upper half of your body. Just make sure to top it off with a white pocket square (in a presidential fold, ideally).