Tux & Cravat? Faux Pas?

joejoem

Hi,

I am going to a ball tonight and I was thinking of wearing a cravat with the tux instead of a bow tie (I hate the bastards, they remind me of pee wee herman). Is this a fashion faux pas? Strictly for weddings?

Cardinal

Well, I've worn a cravat to balls before, simply because I like them myself. You kind of have to wear them with a matching waistcoat though. They don't look as good on their own. At the balls I wore them to, other people were wearing them as well. It was a college ball though, and people do tend to dress somewhat crazily.

ninty9er

I've had to wear a tux 3 times. Twice I wore a cravat. It's much nicer and individualises you among all the dreary dickie bow brigade

The Gentleman

Wearing a cravat with a tux is akin to donning fancy dress. Leave it to the wedding crowd. What you need to do is get a proper bow tie and learn to tie it. It will be very frustrating but when you eventually get it you will feel accomplished. You'll also be able to wear it open later in the night and you'll look a lot better than all the turds with their ready made versions.

OSiriS

It's not a man's job to stand out, it's to blend in so his date stands out;)

il gatto

A dickie bow must be worn with a tux. If you can't accept that, don't wear a tux. A cravat is classed as casual wear (even though most people would never wear one for that). The dickie bow is always worn with a tux and should be black. A white dickie bow is for full evening dress (tails). Better to be properly dressed and look elegant than trying to be an "individual". You've got the rest of you're life to wear whatever you want.

The Gentleman

OSiriS and il gatto have got it right but there is something else you have to be aware of now that we are taking this to the next level. Now that we have established that wearing a tux and black bow tie is step one and that we are not going to steal our companions thunder we can move onto step two.
You need to focus on the quality of your suit and shirt. Particularly your shirt. It is important to pull out all the stops and get a really good quality shirt and make sure it is properly pressed and that the collar sits properly. If you have the silhouette right in your choice of jacket and you team it up with a great shirt and proper bow tie you will have transcended the 'boring' tux and bow tie brigade and will look a million dollars seemingly effortlessly. The heathens will know you look good but won't realise how.

il gatto

An excellent point.Not to come over all Frasier Crane, but these are the rules of "proper" dress. The people who make antibiotics, don't intend you to use them whilst imbibing a bottle of whiskey. The people who make a diesel car don't intend you to put petrol in it. Likewise, the people who make tuxedos don't intend you to wear a cravat with it. O.k. the consequences might not be as catastrophic (maybe so in sartorial terms), but it's wrong all the same. I don't get many chances to dress in a tux, and I don't wear a suit as often as I'd like either, but when I do, I see it as a privillage to wear fine clothes and to assume a gentlemanly air for a day. Take the chance, and relax. Once you stop fixating on the bow tie, you'll forget about it.

blorg

If you are getting a proper bow tie make sure to master tying it well before the event. DO NOT LEAVE IT TO THE DAY if you want to avoid serious stress.