Tuxedo … the skinny

The ladylike tuxedo has been around for a few seasons, but it’s one of those trends I bought into early on. I’ve always been more comfortable on the tomboy side of the sartorial elegance fence, so when I spotted this trend I jumped right in. Now it’s one of the first things I grab when a black tie dress code is called for.

This week I’m heading up to the National Portrait Gallery for a black tie event, which the Duchess of Cambridge is also attending, along with a whole heap of other fashionable folk. Rather than get my head in a pickle over what to wear, or even worse my bank balance in a nose-dive trying to find something utterly divine for the event, I’ve decided to opt for comfort. My Amanda Wakeley tux jacket will do the job just fine.

Tuxedo …. how to wear it

To pull off a great luxe tuxe look, it’s all about simplicity. For the winter I like to wear mine with this great Whistles chiffon blouse from a few seasons ago, which has embellished collars and cuffs. Come the summer I lighten up the look with a cream 3.1 Phillip Lim tuxedo jacket and a white Celine top. Here’s a similar one from Veronica Beard.

When seeking out the perfect tux, as with any jacket, make sure it fits at the shoulders. Size up if you can’t move your arms around freely and then look to getting the waist tailored to fit. If the shoulders don’t fit, the rest of the jacket looks out of proportion. This tux jacket is from Amanda Wakeley, but I also like this one from J.Crew or this one from Alexander Wang.

I also love to pair my tuxedo jacket with crop tapered pants to balance out the oversize feel of the jacket. The ones I have on here are Tibi, but you can get similar here from Vince.

Heels are Valentino you can get similar from Miu Miu here slightly cheaper, clutch is DVF on sale at The Outnet.