I’ve always been a bit fashion-forward. Not in a Gaga meat dress kind of way but there’s certainly some intuition going on. For example, when I was twelve I successfully predicted that bum bags would become a craze (don’t laugh, you know you had one and loved it).
More recently I purchased a midnight blue tuxedo jacket from G-Star that I’ve been sporting at my latest weddings. It’s received a lot of compliments, but little did I know the impact I was about to make on the world.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t just down to me but the tux is definitely back, and in a big way. Here are three reasons why:
1: Bond is back.
Forget the Olympics and the Mayans, and even the Hobbits. 2012 only means one thing: Bond is back. And whenever Bond is back, tuxedos are back (or in Bond’s case dinner jackets, the British equivalent). Either way it’s incredible to think how much a fictional character can influence the sartorial aspirations of half the planet, but he does, and as you can see from this trailer his tuxedo (by Brioni, of course) makes quite a few appearances:
2: Midnight blue is back.
Just when you thought a tuxedo is a tuxedo and they all come in black, midnight blue has made a subtle, stealth-like return that ensures you’ll look stylish and will never be mistaken for wait staff. In Skyfall, Bond sports a midnight blue tux for the first time, a move that is arguably as radical as when Daniel Craig turned Bond into a blonde. However, midnight blue is actually the original colour of the tux (when it was first commissioned by Edward VII way back in 1861) and in this fashion era of new twists on traditional garments, it seems the tux has gone back to its roots in order to make a statement. In fact the Skyfall designers lightened Bond’s tux by a few shades specifically to ensure it wasn’t mistaken for black.
Expect to see a lot of midnight blue appearing on the style pages as this is the time of year for awards nights, movie premieres, and festive functions. Daniel Craig teamed his Brioni tuxedo jacket with black trousers at the Skyfall world premiere in London and Ronan Keating wore the Mauritz tuxedo by MJ Bale for the recent X Factor grand final.
Photo: movieline.com
And to make sure you really make an impression, be daring and opt for a velvet jacket with peak lapels and team it up with a pair of velvet slippers. Socks and monogrammed initials are optional.
3: Mr Porter says it is.
When the most stylish men’s website releases their first iPad app and it’s dedicated to the tuxedo, you know they’re trying to tell you something. Or as Bond girl Vesper Lynd so eloquently put it “There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets. This is the latter”. The app is packed with typically polished video clips that teach you everything you need to know about choosing, wearing, and accessorising a tux and how to behave once you’re in it. And yes, it also includes an interactive bow tie tutorial.
The app is free and available now, so whether you’re feeling shaken or stirred, get involved.
About Milton Gan Photography: Milton Gan combines his artistic flair, eye for detail, and passions for love, style and elegance to create a finely crafted photographic experience for each and every one of his clients.
Milton writes regularly for Polka Dot Groom as well as being a ridiculously talented wedding photographer. You can read his previous posts here. Find Milton on Google+
Contact Milton here.
Brioni has not supplied the suits for Bond films since Casino Royale. The suits are by Tom Ford. Brioni would never make suits cut like that.