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Tuxedos Can Take Your Black Tie Style To The Next Level; Here’s The Secret To Wearing Them

A ‘black tie’ dress code has the ability to strike fear in even the most sartorially accomplished. Thanks to the increasingly rare nature of formal events and the James Bond mystique that surrounds it, the humble tux has become something of a fashion anomaly, appearing once a year at most. Daunting as it may be though, it’s also an opportunity for the average man to raise the bar when it comes to the style stakes. And with a few easy pointers, a tuxedo can be the ultimate tool in your fashion arsenal.

What Shirt To Wear With A Tuxedo

Don’t be tempted. A plain white business shirt with a tuxedo isn’t ok, no matter how you try to swing it. Instead, you need to invest in a dinner shirt. The key difference between these and your stock standard shirt is the concealed placard (the buttons are hidden) and the bib on the front. Bibs come in lots of different shapes and sizes – my preference is a simple plissé front which has very fine pleats.

If you really want to go formal (and spend a little more), the most traditional dinner shirts have studs instead of buttons. These are traditionally made from Onyx and are similar to a cufflink, threaded through button holes to hold the fabric together. Both shirt styles can come in either a standard or a peaked collar. And whereas once the fashion very much leaned to the more traditional peaked style, a classic collar makes for a cleaner and more contemporary look.

Outfitters like Suit Supply, M.J. Bale or Thomas Pink are a great place to find multiple styles and to get fitted properly. Fit is everything with a tux so make sure it’s done properly and tailored if needed.

What Shoes To Wear With A Tuxedo

There are some who argue you can wear standard black Derbys or brogues with a tux – that’s not me. Instead, I’m of the firm belief that shoes are an area where one cannot skimp and this is even more the case when heading to a formal event. Stockists like Aquila have reasonably priced dinner shoes in traditional patent leather that are guaranteed to elevate your black-tie look.

Pair them with fine quality black socks in silk or cashmere. There’s nothing worse than seeing chunky ribbed socks under tuxedo trousers and it pays to invest in a classic pair that you can set aside for formal occasions.

If you’re looking for shoes that are a little bolder, smoking slippers are a chic alternative that also allows for personal flare. Stubbs and Wootton is one of my favourite brands, doing black velvet slippers with flamboyant mismatched embroidery. Some of their classics include tuxedo slippers that have a skull and cross bone design emblazoned across the toes.

Rented Tuxedo Vs Buying Tuxedo

This is a tricky one and it depends entirely on your lifestyle. If you’re attending a one off event, there are some rental services that are totally adequate. However, even if you only attend one black-tie event a year, it’s worth investing in a classic tux. Look for a timeless style – single breasted with either a satin shawl or peak lapel. Even if your tailoring requirements change over time, it’s easy to alter and unlikely to go out of style.

What Tie To Wear With A Tuxedo

While there are some who opt for a plain black satin neck tie, I interpret black-tie as being a strictly bow tie affair. This ensures you look formal and also breaks the outfit up from more day-to-day suiting.

If you have the skills, choose a self-tie bow tie in a stiff satin. While black is always a go-to, this is also a chance to play with something more flamboyant. Look at jacquard fabrics and bold monochrome prints like paisley and spots to add flare while still looking polished.

A self-tie isn’t for everyone though. If you struggle with knotting your own, there are some perfectly acceptable pre-tied styles on the market that can be neatly hidden under a classic collar. My first choice is always Tom Ford who does a sumptuously knotted bow-tie in both black and ivory.

Wearing A Tuxedo Without A Cummerbund

Cummerbunds or sashes, whilst popular in the late 20th century, have fallen from grace alongside the rise of more finished waist bands that include much of the detailing that a cummerbund previously showed. My advice is to look for trousers that have a tabs, a higher rise and a satin waist band. This looks polished and feels infinitely more comfortable than a cummerbund.

How To Wear A White Jacket Tuxedo

Can you wear a white jacket as part of a tuxedo? Yes. Particularly if you’re heading to a black tie event in the warmer months. Traditionally ivory rather than white, this style of dinner jacket is a great way to change up a tuxedo. Look to the likes of Ryan Gosling and Becks for inspiration, pairing it with a classic black tie and impeccably tailored shirts and trousers.

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The post How To Wear A Tuxedo To Master Black Tie Occasions appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

What is an Oxford shoe?

So, what’s the difference between an Oxford shoe and any other typical leather lace-up? The answer lies in the lacing system.

Oxford shoes utilise a closed lace system compared to the open lace system of a traditional Derby shoe. Put the two styles side-by-side and you’ll immediately notice the difference.

Additionally, the uppers of an Oxford shoe consist of quarters (rear leather section) and the vamp (separate mid-leather section) stitched over one another. When the laces are tied, the two leather quarters should form a narrow ‘V’ shape. Finally, modern British Oxfords consist of 5 eyelet holes on each side whilst American Oxfords tend to have 6.

How to identify high quality Oxford shoes

These are the most important things to consider when shopping for a pair of Oxfords. The best Oxford shoes will have the following features:

Leather and suede flexibility – the softer the leather, the more comfortable it is on the feet
A neutral or leather smell inside of the shoe – if the inside of your Oxfords smells like glue, you know it’s been made on the cheap with glue bonding as opposed to stitching
A strong leather smell – a good quality Oxford needs to smell like good quality leather (i.e. a non-synthetic smell)
“Hidden channels” on the soles – meaning you can’t see the stitching on the bottom of the shoe. It’s a more elegant look that’s designed to last up to three times longer than average Oxford soles. Plus, when the soles do eventually wear down, you can easily get the soles repaired rather than buying a new pair of Oxfords

Defining The ‘Elite Passenger’

Whilst specially upholstered seats lined with fine leather that increases tension intrinsically sounds nice, a lot of reconnaissance work needs to be undertaken before the thought of fancy design is even considered.“It starts from the understanding who these customers are and what they expect out of this type of experience,” explains Lampela. “Going into the design process we use our own information on premium luxury as well as Singapore Airline’s own material and customer feedback.”These customers are a minority which Lampela labels the ‘elite passenger’ – a discerning group of frequent flyers who hold the key to providing the perfect starting point for a memorable design-led experience. They’re also different to Business Class passengers in that they’re not there because of work – all First Class passengers “belong to the class to a level that they’d rather change their travel dates than change to a lower class if there’s no availability”.So what do these elite passengers prioritise the most?“The number one preference for flying First Class is seat quality and the quietness of the cabin of being in the front of the aircraft,” says Lampela.

Borrowing Premium Design From BMW, Rolls-Royce & Private Jets

Being a BMW group subsidiary has its perks. One of them is the ability to leverage knowledge from the premium transportation experience of BMW, Rolls-Royce and even private jet designs that these names have worked on in the past. Lampela raises one major obstacle that many wouldn’t have been aware of though.“The commercial aircraft environment is quite challenging because most of the other luxury experiences I’m describing are actually owned by the user – a luxury car, a luxury boat or even a private jet.”“What we often forget when we’re looking at First Class design is that it’s still public design. So you need to design it for durability and maintenance first, the wear and tear it takes when people are using it differently because it’s not their property.”This is a monumental task as designers need to replicate the same quality and luxury of a personal product one would usually find in their home or vehicle. The answer?“As much upholstered surfaces as we can,” says Lampela.

Selecting Materials That Supersede The Motoring World

Given the connection between Designworks and BMW, you’d be surprised to hear that Lampela doesn’t use the same grade leathers as those found in the German carmaker’s.“We actually introduce higher grades of leathers, not necessarily the leathers we use in BMW but the leathers we use in private aviation; it’s a higher quality of tactility,” he says.“We assume that these customers understand the difference and feel the difference. There’s an important quality to it that you need to design for the customer who can appreciate and recognise this difference.”

Standard Class Cabin Features

Plastic laminate surrounds
Hard surfaces throughout
Everything designed for durability and maintenance

First Class Cabin Features

Soft touch surrounds
Padding that replicates the feel of luxury automotive
Introduction of upholstered leather and quilted detailing
Headboard design which replicates the headboard of a home or five star hotel

Rules For Picking Materials

No off-the-shelf materials; Designworks custom develop everything
Carpets are custom made with a textile manufacturer
Textiles are custom developed for the seat
Leathers are custom tanned for the colours Deisgnworks want to introduce in the cabin
Laminates in the entry area are custom designed

It all sounds like a tedious task but the goal is to create a link to other luxury experiences that allows passengers forget they’re in a commercial aircraft. Lampela says that the materials selection stage alone takes longer than the industrial design process of creating the shapes of the cabin and seats. It takes an entire year to develop and certify all the materials.Another surprising fact? There’s no sneaky BMW design elements in the Singapore Airlines First Class cabin. Or any Designworks cabin for that matter.“We don’t inject our brand into their brand because we serve their brand. We want to elevate them through design. The main equity of Singapore Airlines is their brand’s service and we wanted to design solutions that enhance their service whilst bringing the flight attendants to the forefront of the visual expression in the cabin.”

Most Expensive Part Of A First Class Cabin

Arguably the most expensive component of any First Class cabin is the seat.“If it’s an industrial product it’s produced on an industrial scale,” explains Lampela. “Even a Rolls-Royce has more industrial parts than a First Class aircraft seat because there’s so few of them in circulation, so it’s basically a handmade seat.”

What To Expect On First Class Seats

Handmade structures with minimal tooling
Lots of handcrafted products
Limited use of typical industrial design processes like injection moulding since production quantity doesn’t justify the cost of moulds

A typical First Class design process takes about three years from start to aircraft delivery. Lampela says that this particular partnership with Singapore Airlines was much shorter at less than two years.“It’s quite unheard of in the industry. What we did to make it shorter in delivery time was leverage some existing structures. Where the previous and new generation of seats used the same under structure.”So there you have it, the secrets to building the ultimate First Class cabin.

The Affordable Housing Party

The affordable housing party have candidates running in NSW, and their key policies are; creating affordable housing for all Australians, eradicating negative gearing on investment properties (making it slightly harder for wealthy property owners to buy yet more property), restricting overseas buyers and temporary visa holders from buying property in Australia and increasing rent assistance payments.Of course, being a minor party, they will never be elected outright, but if they nab a spot in the Senate they will vote against policies which go against these principles (and for the ones that don’t). So if you’re in the market for a house (or a watch that costs as much as one), these guys are a decent choice.

The Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccine/Fluoride) Party

With candidates running in the Senate for NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, the Involuntary Medication Objectors Party (anti-vaxxers) are—at best—concerned citizens with enquiring minds and—at worst—a bunch of crackpots.Their key policies are: rejecting government-sponsored vaccination, opposing “mass medication” of the population by the fluoridation of water supplies and launching an investigation into the “allegations” of scientists, researchers and doctors and the “detrimental effects” of vaccination programs.Impact on your next Rolex purchase? In the short term: negligible, but in the long term: could be severe as society is wiped out by various preventable epidemics…

The Pirate Party

With candidates running in NSW, Victoria, and Western Australia, The Pirate Party is a civil rights group that—despite its cute name—supports voluntary euthanasia. It also believes the internet should remain open, uncontrolled and free, and that any inappropriate attempts to censor or data block content should be banned. So if you’re worried that shady watches sold on the internet could impact the luxury watch market, these guys may not be your first pick…

Sustainable Australia Party

The Sustainable Australia Party’s candidates will run for the upper house in all states and territories. Their key policies are; securing jobs via a more diverse economy, providing affordable housing for first home buyers and renters (which, in theory, leaves you with a little cash left over for a horological purchase) and better planning to stop overdevelopment and sustainable environment and population.

Reason Party

Believe it or not the reason party used to be the Sex Party, re-emerging (and rebranding) as a “movement for radical common sense” in 2017. A candidate of theirs will run in NSW, with key policies being; “Treating drug use as a health issue, not a criminal issue, legalising, regulating and taxing cannabis, modernising classification laws to facilitate adult freedoms while protecting children, providing federal support for states to decriminalise sex work and repealing laws that prevent the territories enacting voluntary assisted-dying legislation,” (News.com.au).To see the full list of Australia’s minor parties and their policies, check out News.com.au’s report.