Every spring the same question lands in our WhatsApp: suit or tuxedo for prom? The short answer is that a tuxedo is the more formal, more “prom” choice, and a suit is the one you’ll wear more often afterward. Both work. Which one is right for you depends on three things: how dressed-up your prom is, what your date is wearing, and whether you want this outfit to last past May. Here’s how to decide in about five minutes.
The short answer
- Pick a tuxedo if your prom is a formal evening event, your date’s dress is long and dressy, or you simply want the classic look in photos.
- Pick a suit if you want one outfit for prom, graduation and the next wedding, or if your prom has a more relaxed dress code.
- Pick a three-piece suit if you can’t decide. The vest makes a suit feel as dressed-up as a tux, and it still works on an ordinary day without the vest.
What actually makes a tuxedo a tuxedo
The difference is mostly satin. A tuxedo has satin on the lapels, often satin trim on the pockets, and usually a satin stripe down the side of the pants. That shine catches light, which is why tuxedos look so good in evening photos and under a dance-floor glow. A tuxedo is also traditionally worn with a bow tie, and often with a vest or cummerbund.
A suit has plain lapels in the same material as the jacket, no satin anywhere, and goes with either a regular tie or a bow tie. That’s it. Both come as a jacket and pants, and both can come with a matching vest.
Lapel shapes are the same on both. A shawl collar is one smooth, rounded curve from the neck down to the button, and it’s the lapel most people picture on a tux. A peak lapel points up toward the shoulders and makes you look a little broader. A notch lapel has the small V cut you see on business suits and reads a bit quieter. If you want the most “prom” look, go shawl or peak.
When a tuxedo wins
Your prom is a formal evening event. Most are. If the invitation or the school says formal or black tie, a tux is the natural answer, and you’ll never feel underdressed next to the friends who wore one.
Your date’s dress is long and dressy. A floor-length gown with beading or satin wants a tuxedo next to it. A plain suit can look like you’re heading to a different event.
You want a statement. Velvet, sequins, paisley and jacquard tuxedos exist for exactly one night a year, and this is it. A velvet or sequin tuxedo is the easiest way to be the photo everyone shares.
You’re matching a group. Tuxedos make a tighter group photo because the satin ties the looks together, even when the colors differ. Each friend can pick a color that matches their own date and the group still looks planned.
When a suit wins
You want to wear it again soon. Graduation, a cousin’s wedding, a job interview, a college visit: a suit does all of those. A tuxedo does prom, a formal wedding and not much else until the next black-tie night.
Your prom is more relaxed. Some schools hold prom in a daytime venue, a garden or a less formal hall. A sharp suit in navy, tan or a color fits those better than satin.
You prefer a regular tie. A suit lets you wear a tie or a bow tie; a tuxedo really wants a bow tie. If a bow tie isn’t you, a suit solves it.
You want the widest color choice. Our suits come in more colors than our tuxedos. The Slim Fit Three-Piece Suit alone comes in 17, and the Sharkskin Three-Piece Suit in 11, including lavender, champagne and dusty rose for a pastel dress.
The middle ground: a three-piece suit
A three-piece suit adds a vest in the same color as the jacket and pants. It’s the answer when you want to look as dressed-up as the tuxedo crowd but keep something you’ll wear again. Two reasons it works so well for prom:
- The jacket comes off on the dance floor, and you still look finished. A shirt and tie alone can look half-done in photos; a vest never does.
- It frames the color. In a color suit, the vest shows more of your date’s shade under the jacket. In black or navy, the vest gives your bow tie or tie a backdrop.
After prom, leave the vest in the closet and you have a plain two-piece suit for everything else.
Matching your date: the real tie-breaker
For most guys the dress decides. Ask what color it is, then choose one of two routes.
Match the dress. Wear a jacket in the same color family. If the dress is burgundy, a burgundy suit or tux in a shade slightly lighter or darker than the dress looks planned without the two of you blending together in photos. The same goes for navy, green, red, royal blue and pink.
Frame the dress. Wear black, white or ivory, or navy, and bring the dress color into your bow tie, tie or pocket square. This is the safest route when the dress is a hard-to-match color like coral or sage, or when you don’t know the color yet. It also keeps group photos clean, because black and white go with every other color on the floor.
If the dress is black, white, silver or gold, you have the most freedom: almost any suit or tux color looks good next to it, so pick the one you like.
What each one costs
Prices at Prom Suit are the same whether you go suit or tuxedo, so money doesn’t have to make the decision.
- $99: a dinner jacket only, in velvet, a solid shawl collar or a floral print. Wear it with black pants you already own and a bow tie. The cheapest way to the tuxedo look.
- $149: a complete suit or tuxedo, jacket and pants. The Satin Shawl Collar Tuxedo and the Slim Fit Two-Button Suit both start here.
- $199: three-piece suits with the vest, and more tuxedo styles.
- $249 to $299: the statement pieces: velvet, sequin, jacquard, paisley, stone-studded and tailcoat styles. Several include a vest and a bow tie.
Shipping is free on every US order, and you keep what you buy.
How to wear each one
With a tuxedo: a white or black shirt, a bow tie (black is classic; the dress color is the modern move), black polished shoes, and a pocket square if you like. Keep the shirt simple; the satin on the jacket is already the detail.
With a suit: a white shirt, a tie or bow tie in the dress color or in black, and shoes that match the suit. Black shoes make any suit more formal for an evening prom; brown shoes suit tan, grey and patterned suits for a daytime event.
With either: fasten the top jacket button when you’re standing, leave it open when you sit, and never button the bottom one. If you wear a vest, fasten every button except the bottom one and let it cover your waistband.
Size, timing and what if it doesn’t fit
Order your jacket by your chest measurement. Our size guide walks you through it in about two minutes. The pants come 6 inches smaller in the waist than the jacket size (a 40R jacket comes with 34-inch pants) and unhemmed, so a tailor can set the length to your shoes.
Orders ship in 1 to 3 business days and arrive within about a week after that, so order about 3 weeks before prom. That leaves time to try it on, get the pants hemmed, and swap a size if you need to. You have 30 days to return anything that isn’t right.
Not sure between two sizes or two shades? Send a photo of the dress and your chest measurement to us on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you what to order.
Quick answers
Is a suit okay for prom, or does it have to be a tux? A suit is completely fine. A well-fitted suit in a good color beats a baggy tuxedo every time. The only prom where a suit feels out of place is a strict black-tie one.
Can I wear a tuxedo in a color? Yes. Navy, burgundy, white, champagne and velvet in a dozen shades are all on our tuxedos page. The satin lapel is what makes it a tuxedo, not the color.
Do I need a vest with a tuxedo? No. A vest or cummerbund covers the waistband and looks more finished, but a two-piece tux with a bow tie is still a full tuxedo.
What if my date and I can’t match exactly? Nobody expects an exact match. One shade lighter or darker, or a neutral suit with the dress color in your tie, looks better than a near-miss anyway.
Buy or rent? We sell, so what you order is yours. A rental has to go back the next morning; a suit or tux you own is ready for graduation and the next wedding, and there’s nothing to return unless you want to.
Where do I start? If you already know the dress color, start on our shop by color pages. If you don’t, pick black or navy and match your tie later; you can’t go wrong.