A Tuxedo and a Fedora

[Indiana MarkVII]

Do they pair up nicely?

The tuxedo that I own isn't getting a lot of play time lately. I'm thinking of wearing it to a few functions that I have coming up, although for the desert southwest it will be a bit overkill, but still acceptable, say at the opera. I'm still waiting for my charcoal and black Adventurebilts, but I do have a traveling gray Raiders AB and I was wondering if that might be wearable with the tux. Style affectionodos please chime in.

[Jens]

If you wear a coat above your tux you could of course add a hat as well.

[Indiana Jeff]

The Raiders Grey will clash with powder blue and ruffles.

Othewise, I think without an overcoat, a fedora doesn't work (for me). Yet, somehow a suit (and what's a tuxedo, but a ultra-fancy suit?) without an overcoat looks OK to me.

As we say over and over around, "wear what you think looks good."


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[rover smith]

Nip over to the Fedora Lounge, I'm sure those guys can fill you in on the do's and dont's of tuxedo wearing

[Indiana MarkVII]

Thanks guys. I can see me wearing the gray Raiders fedora if I wear my black leather overcoat. That will depend on the weather; if it's cold enough to put that extra layer on. But it is a balmy night, then no overcoat and no hat. I'm going to see La Boheme on January 30th. It might still be possible to wear the overcoat and lid.

Oh, and the tux is classic black. I've even ordered a tie-it-yourself bow tie, so I hope I have some practice time before the event.

[Chewbacca Jones]

I went through this recently, reaping the Fedora Lounge for advice. The end up was this; Fedoras are not formal enough for Tux wear. IF you wear an overcoat, a fedora is OK if it's black, but must come off with the overcoat.

The BEST choices are top hats and Homburgs. I went with the Homburg, which is less formal than a topper, but still appropriate for a tux and the situations one would wear a tux for. You can get very inexpensive wool felt Homburgs from just about any hat seller if you don't want to drop the kind of $$ needed for fur felt.

In any event, I would not recommend the grey fedora. At least wait for the black.

[Indiana MarkVII]

Thanks, Chewie. I thought I had a top hat around my house, but a quick look failed to produce it. I was hoping my black AB would be coming soon, but it might not make it here by the end of the month. I'm not much into Homburgs so I probably won't start looking for one at this point.

[Mark Brody]

Second what Chewie said about fedoras not being formal enough. Top hats are the best choice for a tux, but since they are so far out of style, a homburg would be more fashionable today - and DEFINITELY in black.

[Dr. Nebraska S.]

Somewhere around here is a thread in which a member posted photos of wearing his gray AB CS traveler fedora with a black tuxedo for a wedding (I think he was the father of the bride). Although it may not be considered formal enough, I personally thought it looked very nice. I'll post the link if I can find it, but so far, I've had no luck with the searches.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

[Indiana MarkVII]

Well, here in Phoenix, Arizona, 99.9% of the men, if that high, would be wearing suits to the opera. I've been going there for several years and the one tuxedo usually stands out during the intermission somewhere in lobby. I would only be wearing the fedora (or other hat) from the parking structure a block away, into the lobby prior to the show, where I would check the hat and coat, and not pick them up again until we are on our way out the door, again only donning it for the journey out the door and the one city block back to the garage.

I did wear the gray fedora with my black leather overcoat when I wore a suit to the same facility last month. My date called me "Indiana" after I picked up the hat (and coat) from the hat check. She was good natured about it, though, and seemed to put up with my eccentricity.

I'd like to see the photo of that other gray fedora and black tuxedo if you have any luck finding that thread.

[Indiana MarkVII]

Wow, I'm humbled. The replies on this post have literally come from around the world. I appreciate everyone who has chimed in.

[Imahomer]

Wear what you want. Things have really relaxed in recent years and fine clothing (and hats) always look good, so go for it.

[RelicHunter]

While I agree that a Homburg or top hat seems appropriate for the formality of a tux, I would add that I've had other people mistake my brown Indy fedora for a top hat before, so people might not even know the difference.

Seems like, in this day and age, any dress hat can be "formal" if worn with formal clothes. All that matters is what you're comfortable with.

[McFly]

While I agree that a Homburg or top hat seems appropriate for the formality of a tux, I would add that I've had other people mistake my brown Indy fedora for a top hat before, so people might not even know the difference.

Seems like, in this day and age, any dress hat can be "formal" if worn with formal clothes. All that matters is what you're comfortable with.

I don't know if I agree with that - I think I'd be more inclined to say not to wear the fedora if people are going to mistake it for a top hat. There's no reason for furthering that kind of ignorance! The reason any dress hat can be "formal" is that people don't take the time to see what works and what doesn't, and just assume they can slap something together and if they think it looks good, then it must look good to everybody else, too!

At least MarkVII is making the effort to find out if he'll be fashionable or not!

Shane

[DR Ulloa]

I disagree completely. Here is my thread on my wedding last September. John made me a hat specifically for that day. All the groomsmen wore hats. I lent out a 50's era Dobbs, an AB, and one I made myself. The only one I would consider formal is the Penman. And just so everyone know's Knox made a "Tuxedo" model fedora back in the 30's that was black in color and featured a satin binding on the brim that covered the whole bottom of the brim. I saw one on ebay last year and would have bought it only it was in pretty bad shape and not anywhere near my size. Just throwing it out there.

Dave

[McFly]

Now that's an example of a fedora made to be formal! I don't think you could just grab any gray fedora though and throw it on with a tux!

Shane

[jbbowers]

Cavanagh also offered a tuxedo hat in the '30s. Very soft felt, little stiffener, covered underbrim, and cloth sweatband. Cavanagh used to make their own, but the one I have was made by Chapeau Mossant in France and is a post-1936 hat, so perhaps they stopped making them by 1936 and instead imported them. Or perhaps they offered both.

From their 1931 catalog:


Here's mine:



Go with a black fedora, if you can. In this day and age, that's probably the best compromise.

Brad

[maboot38]

As someone who is in a tuxedo at least once a month, I can share my experience. I have a couple of fedoras that I wear as long as I'm wearing my topcoat over the tuxedo. However, as was previously stated, when the coat comes off, the fedora comes off. A tuxedo is formal wear and is usually worn indoors or in the presence of ladies. Therefore, there is little reason to wear a fedora with a tuxedo, unless you are just "trying to pull off a look", which makes you stand out and not necessarily in a good way.

So, the fedora and topcoat to and from events is find in my opinion, but I would not expect to see someone in the lobby of an opera or at a black tie dinner standing there in just a tuxedo and fedora.

[Michaelson]

Somewhere around here is a thread in which a member posted photos of wearing his gray AB CS traveler fedora with a black tuxedo for a wedding (I think he was the father of the bride). Although it may not be considered formal enough, I personally thought it looked very nice. I'll post the link if I can find it, but so far, I've had no luck with the searches.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=43627

There ya go, Luke! In this case, it was his own wedding!

Regards! Michaelson

[Dr. Nebraska S.]

Somewhere around here is a thread in which a member posted photos of wearing his gray AB CS traveler fedora with a black tuxedo for a wedding (I think he was the father of the bride). Although it may not be considered formal enough, I personally thought it looked very nice. I'll post the link if I can find it, but so far, I've had no luck with the searches.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=43627

There ya go, Luke! In this case, it was his own wedding!

Regards! Michaelson

This is a good example, too. But I was thinking of another thread in which the gentleman wore a gray AB CS fedora with a black tuxedo. I think it was in the Caribbeans, because I remember an ocean-side view.

UPDATE! I found it! viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39723&hilit=wedding
It was the wedding of thatguyno1's daughter, and here's a photo from in there:

[Michaelson]

Ah, I had forgotten about that one! Good catch!

Regard! Michaelson

[Chewbacca Jones]

I guess what our experiences (and photos) will show is that we have decide what the real question is;
a. What should be worn with a tux?
b. What looks good with a tux?

These days, it can be a blessing to have men grasp how a good hat can complete a look. In a way, since hats have been "out" for so long, we get to rewrite some of the etiquette. More than a generation has passed, so hat wearing belongs to us now.

[Ronski]

I guess what our experiences (and photos) will show is that we have decide what the real question is;
a. What should be worn with a tux?
b. What looks good with a tux?

These days, it can be a blessing to have men grasp how a good hat can complete a look. In a way, since hats have been "out" for so long, we get to rewrite some of the etiquette. More than a generation has passed, so hat wearing belongs to us now.

Well put!

[Michaelson]

[maboot38]

That's a very good point, Chewie. Who's left to call us out if we don't stick to the standard etiquette?

[Mulceber]

I guess what our experiences (and photos) will show is that we have decide what the real question is;
a. What should be worn with a tux?
b. What looks good with a tux?

These days, it can be a blessing to have men grasp how a good hat can complete a look. In a way, since hats have been "out" for so long, we get to rewrite some of the etiquette. More than a generation has passed, so hat wearing belongs to us now.

It's not really about etiquette, it's just about what looks good. To my eye, fedoras just don't look good with tuxes, period. Toppers, bowlers homburgs and bare heads are fine, fedoras are too casual.



For me - bare-headed is fine. I love my hats and wear them every day, but in the absence of something really snazzy, like a topper, a well-groomed head of hair looks quite nice. -M