How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. Wikipedia, Black tie, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tie : a black, midnight blue or white suit distinguished by satin or grosgrain lapels and similar stripes along the outseams of the trousers, worn with a white dress shirt (standing or turndown collar, link cuffs), a black bow tie, at times an evening waistcoat or cummerbund, and black patent leather dress shoes; the typical jacket single-breasted with one button, jetted (besom) pockets, a shawl collar or peaked lapels faced in satin or ribbed silk; a black silk bow tie to match the lapel facings; trousers with a single stripe of satin or silk braid covering the outer seams, worn with braces; a low-cut waistcoat or cummerbund; a white shirt with a marcella or pleated bib, double (French) cuffs, turndown or attached wing collar; shirt studs and cufflinks; a pocket square, normally white, in the breast pocket; a boutonnière, carnation, cornflower or rosebud. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a tuxedo, black tie dress, from the collar to the shoes. Start with the 4 main parts, then the dinner jacket, the shirt and tie, and the waist, trousers and shoes.
Read the full guide
What makes it a tuxedo
A dinner jacket with lapels faced in satin or grosgrain and one button, trousers with a matching stripe down each outer seam, and a black bow tie. The white shirt has a pleated or stiff bib, studs, and double cuffs closed with cufflinks.
At the waist
The waist is covered by a pleated cummerbund, as here, or by a low-cut waistcoat. Braces hold the trousers up under it: black tie trousers are never worn with a belt.
Match the silk: the bow tie and the lapel facings are usually the same satin or grosgrain.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a tuxedo called?
The dinner jacket with satin lapel facings, the trousers with a satin stripe, the white dress shirt with a wing or turndown collar, studs and cufflinks, a black bow tie, and a cummerbund or waistcoat.
What is the sash worn with a tuxedo called?
A cummerbund, a pleated sash round the waist. A low-cut waistcoat can be worn instead.
Why is it called a tuxedo?
It takes its name from Tuxedo Park, a Hudson Valley enclave in New York, where it was seen a lot early on, around 1888. In Britain it is called a dinner jacket.