Does this waistcoat that I bought separately from my tux look too much like I bought it separately?
…and is that even a problem?
12 Replies
yes
Is there any way to get around this aside from happening to buy a tux with a waistcoat?
Not with a tux imo. It's hard enough to make sure fabrics match in normal suiting but for black tie I think the contrasts need to be v intentional.
The lighting makes it difficult to judge tbh but my default answer is that separates just do not match. Ever.
If you knew the bunch the fabric came from you could have one made up.
Team cummerbund never has this problem
I have a cummerbund, I would just prefer a waistcoat. That’s my backup plan
At night / in poor light it's gonna look fine.
In these photos it looks like a somewhat different shade of black, maybe because of how the light catches it, but worn appropriately I don't think it'll matter. I know people who go "by the numbers" and have reported that they occasionally mix and match formal trousers without any issue, so I'm pretty sure you can get away with the vest without any issue. Like 80% sure
What’s your take on silk waistcoats: https://www.buddshirts.co.uk/plain-satin-waistcoat-in-black.html
Budd
Plain Satin Waistcoat in Black
A design unchanged since the 1930s, this traditional waistcoat is ideal for black tie events. Low-cut to display your dress shirt's studs, the flawless fabric details include satin-covered buttons, two welt pockets and a rounded lapel.
I know shit about fuck for black tie tbh. I'm prolly team cummerbund anyway so I'm not the person to ask. I defer again to gimp 🫡
I’d be on team cummerbund more if I could find ones taller than 12 cm. I feel like heavier guys need bigger ones to help cinch the waist in!
It's a common complaint, that most cummerbunds are too short.
Okay, so, I would say this about the cummerbund. On your most standard tux, you have three big pieces of silk up top: the lapels, the bowtie, and the cummberbund, or if a waistcoat, waistcoat lapels may 1) exist and 2) be faced in silk. Smaller pieces might be buttons (jacket front button, waistcoat buttons, jacket sleeve buttons) and facing on the jetted pockets, though all are some degree of optional. Down below you have the stripe down the pants, and maybe on the shoes if you're doing opera pumps. But the big three pieces catch one's eye. Now here's the question: Are those three pieces the same?
If you're doing 2023-standard with cummerbund, you may have a matching cummerbund and bowtie, or you may not; you almost certainly do not have the lapels matching. Not unless you either 1) very specifically research and buy the matching silk and send it to whoever makes each piece, or 2) happen to know exactly which silk is used, and trust that even if they're from different bolts they're same-enough. Even if you get a matched bowtie and cummerbund set (standard, not stupid-pattern), there's no guarantee they use the same bolt of silk, but if you do legwork you can ensure it. But for 99% of people there's no chance it's a fully matched set and yet it works totally fine, right?
Going further, if it's satin, satin is easy enough, but if you want grosgrain, or faille or shantung, unless you're sourcing the silk there's a low likelihood of perfect match between lapels and the other pieces. And yet, as long as it's close enough, nobody cares, right? Nobody is out there with a microscope and a bright light saying "aha, the ribs are modestly different and the shade of black isn't quite the same, good thing I brought my forensic lab with me."
In summary, when you do the cummerbund, there's almost no chance of a perfect match yet it's totally fine.
So, I would extend that out to the waistcoat. The only thing that will really suck is if it's close but no cigar in a way that is obvious in poor light, ie, the standard venue for black tie -- eveningwear, often indoors. As long as it's black, and plain-ish weave, chances are nobody will find it obviously wrong. The alternative is to have it be obviously different because, well, it's a party, and if you wanted a jacquard or paisley black waistcoat, it's obviously different and yet it still works fine. (Plus, virtually all dinner suits that are neither black nor midnight tend to end up with, if worn with a waistcoat, black waistcoats -- and usually black trousers too. And it's fine.)
That segues into the bit about silk waistcoats: obviously different, in a charming and classic way.
Dry cleaning it will be expensive and annoying, so the usual advice applies: try not to get crap on it so you never have to. :)
Black tie is rigid at first glance, but much more relaxed once you dig into details. As long as it is obviously black tie in a way that isn't trying to be clownish or attention seeking, you've got >100 years of history to lean back on, and tens of thousands of idle rich men have experimented with it in ways that are now considered "to have historical precedent," ie, not "wrong" as long as you're not being a dumbass.
To go all the way back to the original question, do the exact opposite of my usual advice. Put the clothes on and see how they look... in poor light, indoors. Stand in your bathroom looking at the mirror in the evening with, like, one light on and set to kinda dim. Does it look wrong? Does your SO (if relevant) or friend think it looks wrong? If so, it's wrong. If not, then it's good.
Thanks @gimp!