Nearly everything written on an invitation is guidance open to interpretation. “Cocktail attire” means roughly what the reader thinks it means. “Festive” means nothing at all. Black tie is the exception: it is a specification, with a defined answer, and it is the only dress instruction that can be objectively failed.
What it specifies
A dinner jacket with a faced lapel, black or midnight blue, a white shirt with an appropriate collar, a black bow tie, black shoes. That’s the whole standard and it has barely moved in a century.
Why substitution is visible
The faced lapel is the thing. Satin and grosgrain return light in a way wool cannot, so in a room where every other man has that facing, a wool lapel reads as different rather than as slightly less formal. It isn’t a matter of taste and no amount of quality in the suit changes it.
Rent it, in person
A tuxedo has no pattern and no color to disguise a poor sleeve, so the fitting matters more here than on any suit. Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, pins the trousers to the shoes you brought.
More on tuxedo rentals, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
