The Post-Oscars Tuxedo Break Down

Nevermind the films. The Oscars have long been one of the great fashion events of the year, with the famous red carpet serving as a de facto catwalk for the top designers to get their creations showcased on Hollywood’s great and good.

Inevitably, much of the attention and chatter focuses on what the leading ladies are wearing this year. But for the fashion-conscious gentleman who wants to keep his finger on the pulse, the Oscars are an equally fascinating and essential glimpse into what will most definitely be on trend in the months ahead.

Ok, so we understand that, as a black tie event, male participants at the Oscars don’t quite have the same freedom of expression as their female counterparts (with the exception of course of Billy Porter who slightly stole the show this year with his tuxedo-gown!). Still, there is more to choosing and wearing a tuxedo than meets the eye. If you want to know how to wear a tux this season and next, the Oscars are essential viewing.

So without further ado, ladies and (mostly) gentlemen, here we present to you, the Richard Smith Bespoke Post-Oscars Tuxedo Break Down 2019.

Monochrome is a major hit

We all know the default tuxedo combination of black jacket, white shirt, black tie and trousers. As always it featured prominently, including on this year’s Best Actor, Rami Malek, who scooped the prize gong for his interpretation of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. But at the same time, several big hitters - Christian Bale and Samuel L Jackson, for example - decided to deviate away from this standard by adopting a shirt in the same colour as their suit. 

What was particularly striking in the case of these two was that they both opted for an entirely charcoal grey assemble, again a subtle twist on the classic black. The result was a toned down, muted yet utterly compelling look that is bound to be strong this year.

Velvet is back

Velvet was big news on the Oscars red carpet this year, with numerous black velvet jackets making an appearance. Stars such as Chris Evans and Richard E. Grant went bold with their choice of pale blue and burgundy examples respectively, while Stefan James’ full red velvet ensemble (complete with white shoes) took things to a different level altogether. Much more subtle, and arguably the most eye-catching of all the velvet examples we spotted, was Mark Ronson’s stylish over-sized black velvet jacket lapels and cuffs - there was something decidedly 007 about it, in the best possible way.

Blue is the colour

While the monochrome greys discussed above certainly made an impression, the overall winner in the colour category in this year’s Oscar’s tuxedo watch was undoubtedly dark and navy blue. Always a solid alternative to traditional black, this year the very darkest shades were definitely en vogue, adding to the impression created by the monochrome examples that muted and understated is the way to wear a tuxedo this year (unless you’re going all out for bright red velvet). 

Possibly the most striking example achieved a kind of crossover with the monochrome look as well. Willem Dafoe, now one of the grandees of the Oscars, broke what some still claim to be a cardinal rule of colour coordination, pairing a midnight blue tux with a black shirt and tie. Given how great it looked, we think that is one rule you can safely tear up.

If that is not enough inspiration to get you hankering after your next tuxedo purchase, then we don’t know what is. With all those ideas still fresh in your mind, there’s no time like the present to book an appointment with us to get yourself measured up.