Tuxedo shirt styles are like forearm tattoos: painstakingly detailed, and usually covered by a jacket. Thankfully, tuxedo shirts do not require laser removal if they don’t turn out the way you expect, but you’ll save time and money by getting your tux shirt style—and your ink—right the first time. We'll help with the shirt.
While there are many types of tuxedo shirts, it all comes down to how formal or casual, (or traditional, or modern) you want your look to be.
Quick Reference
Choosing a tux shirt is largely about personal preference. While knowing the finer points can help you better align what you want with what you’re wearing, we're here for the busy people, too.
Use this quick reference section for tuxedo shirts to find the right style, or read on to become a certified expert.
Glossary
Pleat: A fold in a garment’s fabric, held by stitching the top or side.
Bib: A rectangular panel that runs up the front of a tuxedo shirt, doubling the fabric.
Placket: The center strip of fabric where a shirt’s buttonholes are situated
Studs: An ornamental alternative for buttons on some tuxedo shirts, worn in sets of four or five.
Neckwear & Shirt Rules
Rule 1: If your shirt has a bib, always wear a bow tie.
Rule 2: If your shirt has a wing tip collar, always wear a bow tie.
Rule 3: If your shirt has a spread collar, you can wear either a bow tie or a necktie—unless it has a bib. If it has a bib, see Rule 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I wear cufflinks?
A: Yes.
Q: Does my shirt need to have french cuffs for cufflinks?
A: Usually—though all of our shirts work with cufflinks regardless of cuff style. All french cuffs do require cufflinks or silk knots, like the ones that come included with this shirt.
Q: Should I wear button studs?
A: Only if you’re wearing a bow tie, but they’re not required. Make sure they work with your tuxedo shirt’s placket.
Q: Does my shirt need to have a pleated bib shirt or wing tip collar to wear with my tux?
A: No, but pleated bibs and wing tips make for a polished, classic look.
Q: How should a tuxedo shirt fit?
A: Two fingers should fit comfortably between your neck and the shirt collar. The sleeves should end at your wrist. And you shouldn’t have a lot of leftover fabric in the waist when it’s tucked in.
Table of Contents
Tuxedo Shirt Collar Styles
Tuxedo Shirt Bibs
Tuxedo Shirt Plackets
Tuxedo Shirt Cuffs
Tuxedo Shirt Fabrics
Accessories
Colors
Fit
Care
Tuxedo Shirt Collar Styles
The collar of your tuxedo shirt should not be overlooked, because your shirt collar frames your face. And people tend to glance toward faces when they’re not looking at their phones.
Spread Collar Tuxedo Shirt
This is the most common type of collar today and the most versatile. Spread collar shirts play well with suits and tuxedos alike, and both bow and neckties. Spread collars also come in a variety of points and angles—from the forward point collar with its narrow spread, to the cutaway collar’s wide spread (the “spread” refers to the distance between the collar points). Our spread collar tuxedo shirts are designed with a semi-spread collar, or “Raymond of collar spreads” which as you'd imagine, everyone loves.
Wing Tip Collar
The wing tip gets its name from the fold-out collar points that look like wings. It’s the most formal shirt collar option, designed to be worn with a bow tie and tuxedo. We don't recommend wearing a wing tip shirt with a suit or necktie.
Less Common Tuxedo Shirt Collars
A band collar shirt, or Nehru collar shirt, is designed to be worn without a tie, making it instantly casual. Band collars are on the edges of the tuxedo shirt style spectrum, and to be honest, your neckline will look pretty empty without a tie.
Club collars and button downs are casual—too casual to wear with a tux. Save these collar styles for your suit.
Tuxedo Shirt Bibs
Some dress shirts have a rectangular panel that runs up the front of the shirt. It’s called a “bib,” and it doubles your shirt’s chest fabric, ensuring that anything visible under your tuxedo jacket is bright white, not see-through. Only wear bib-front shirts with a tuxedo and bow tie.
Pleated Tuxedo Shirt Bib
Pleated bibs feature vertical pleats that run up both sides of the button placket, and are a traditional detail on tuxedo shirts. A modern, narrow pleat can add a little sophistication to an otherwise traditional look.
No Tuxedo Shirt Bib
The casual choice, tuxedo shirts without bibs are sleek, modern, and simple. If a bibbed tux shirt style feels a little too proper, nobody will miss it under your tuxedo jacket. Besides, there are many alternatives for adding texture to your look.
Piqué Tuxedo Shirt Bib
Piqué bibs, which are made from stiff fabric usually woven with a dimpled pattern, are considered slightly more formal than pleated bibs. The piqué weave was actually invented for white tie events, but you’ve probably worn a polo shirt or two that had a piqué collar.
Pockets on a Tuxedo Shirt
Bad news: If your tuxedo shirt has a breast pocket, it’s not a tuxedo shirt. And yes, people will instinctively know something is off.
Tuxedo Shirt Plackets
The placket is the center strip of fabric where a shirt’s buttonholes are situated. And unsurprisingly given the density of this content thus far, you have several options to choose from when it comes to your tuxedo shirt placket.
Tuxedo Placket (Plain Front)
This style looks a lot like the French front (below), but the top four buttons are removable for tuxedo studs. Please, let this style live up to its name, and only wear it with tuxes—it should never make an appearance under your suit jacket.
Front Placket
The most common type of placket style, and one you usually can’t go wrong with. Fabric is folded over and sewn with a fused interlining for a classic (and symmetrical) look.
No Placket (French Front)
French front shirts don’t have that folded-over and sewn strip of fabric along the buttons. Going placket-less gives your shirt a cleaner, more minimalist feel, making it an ideal choice for both formal or casual shirts.
Covered Placket (Fly Front)
The fly front is a formal, modern style of placket in which an extra piece of fabric covers up the buttons on your shirt. Because sometimes you’ve got to leave a little to the imagination.
Tuxedo Shirt Cuffs
If you tuxedo jacket fits properly, your shirt cuff will peak out from underneath. Show the world that your perfect fit wasn’t an accident, and put some thought into your shirt cuff style.
French Cuffs
French cuffs are formal shirt cuffs that are rolled back and held in place by cufflinks. If you’re getting married or going to another event that requires a tuxedo, formal French cuffs will elevate your look. Besides, you should always take an opportunity to add a set of cufflinks to your look.
Barrel Cuffs
Barrel cuffs don’t require any rolling or cufflinks—instead, they are held closed by buttons. Most of your shirts probably have barrel cuffs. Unlike the typical, casual barrel cuff shirt that buttons shut, our barrel cuff dress shirts have modified buttonholes that can also accommodate cufflinks, bringing them up to tux code.
Tuxedo Shirt Fabrics
We live in a material world, so choose the right tuxedo shirt material. Sure, it’s a small detail, but in this case you may very literally end up sweating the small stuff. Nobody enjoys a soggy slow dance.
Cotton
Cotton is breathable, making it perfect for dress shirts and tuxedo shirts. There’s nothing more comfortable, or more classic, than a crisp cotton shirt to contrast texture against a wool tuxedo jacket.
Linen
Linen has moisture wicking properties that create a cooling effect, so this is a great choice for humid, tropical, or just plain hot climates. Linen shirts aren't as good at insulating, so not the best choice if temps drop.
Other Fabrics
Some manufacturers use polyester to cut costs, adding durability and wrinkle resistance, but poly reduces breathability. What does that mean for you? Shirts that get very, very sweaty. You might spend three minutes ironing a cotton shirt, but at least it’s not a biohazard.
As for high-end alternatives to cotton, there’s silk. It’s hard to find a problem with the wearability of a silk tuxedo shirt—it’s hypoallergenic, regulates your body temperature well, and its soft hand-feel makes a kitten’s coat feel like burlap. The downside? Affordability—a quality silk tuxedo shirt can cost thousands of dollars.
Accessories
The tuxedo shirt is actually where most of your tux accessories will live, and from cuff to collar, there are a lot of ways to personalize your look.
Button Studs
Tuxedo shirt button studs lend your outfit a more formal feel. They’re only for tuxedo shirts, and are designed to fill the buttonholes of the shirt placket. Button studs are usually made of precious materials like gold, silver, or brass, and some have inlays like onyx or mother of pearl. If you’re also wearing a metallic cufflink, it’s best to match metals with your button studs.
Cufflinks
Wearing cufflinks is a simple way to add texture and shine when you’re wearing a formal outfit. We recommend a classic metallic style. Or keep your cuffs minimal with classic silk knots, like the ones in this shirt.
Collar Stays
Collar stays hide in a small pocket on the underside of your shirt collar, keeping the edges looking crisp and pointy. They also weigh the collar down, making it less likely the edge of your tux jacket will cozy up awkwardly under your shirt collar.
Some collar stays (like ours) are made of precious materials—stainless steel, brass, mother-of-pearl, and gold, but a heavy plastic stay usually works just as well. Just avoid shirts with sewn-in collar stays—they should always be removed before ironing or starching.
Bow Ties vs. Neckties
Bow ties are a tuxedo staple—the traditional neckwear for your tuxedo shirt. But not every event has that strict of a dress code, and modern style affords us more wiggle room here. Neckties can be worn with tuxedos. But how?
First, don’t wear a necktie with a wing tip collar (it looks very 90s prom but not in a good way) and avoid neckties with pleated or bibbed shirts. And this might go without saying, but just to be clear: never wear a necktie and button studs.
Pro Tip: Optimize your neckwear fabric to get the most mileage out of your tie choice.
Waist Coverings: Cummerbunds & Vests
One guiding principle of a formal dress code is that all the working parts of your outfit must be covered. This includes the intersection of your shirt and pant waist, which is why we're including it in this guide.
Low-Cut Vest
Like a cummerbund, you’d only need to wear a low-cut vest (or "waistcoat") at black tie events. Low-cut vests are viewed as more formal and are cut lower in the front than a typical suit vest to show off your tuxedo shirt’s bib and button studs if you're wearing them.
Cummerbund
The cummerbund was invented to cover up the awkward shirt bunching that tends to happen around your waistband. Cummerbunds are experiencing a bit of resurgence, so if you're interested, choose one that matches the color of your tuxedo pants or the satin accents on your pants (typically black).
Tuxedo Shirt Colors
Does a tuxedo shirt have to be white? That depends on where you’re wearing it.
White
There’s no hard rule that says you must wear a white shirt with your tuxedo, but it’s the obvious and traditional way to go. If the event is on the formal side, just wear white.
Everything Else
Pairing a black shirt with a tux is a casual move and the one we've seen the most, so double check the dress code before you opt for a black or more colorful shirt. Again, avoid these alternatives if you're headed to a traditional black tie event.
Fit
You’ve picked your favorite and most appropriate of all the tuxedo shirt styles available, and now you need to make sure it fits. Here’s what to look for.
Body
A good body fit means keeping extra shirt fabric in the waist to a minimum, and enough length for the shirt to stay tucked in. In the chest and shoulders, you should have the room you need to feel comfortable.
Sleeves
Your sleeves should end where your hand begins—right at the wrist break, leaving just a bit of cuff showing under your tuxedo jacket sleeve. If your sleeves reach your lower thumb knuckles, they’re too long. If they don’t reach the outer wrist bone, they’re too short. If you tend to have billowy shirt sleeves, try a slim fit.
Neck
With the top shirt button fastened, you should be able to comfortably fit one or two fingers between your neck and the collar band of the shirt. The alternative is a droopy collar and saggy tie, or unconsciousness. If every part of your shirt fits well but the collar is just a hair too tight, you may need a collar extender—a small accessory that hides behind your tie and adds ½” of stretch to your collar.
Want to learn more about checking the fit of a tuxedo shirt? Check out our guide on how to try on a suit or tuxedo.
Care
The most important tool in your shirt care toolbelt (if such a toolbelt exists) is a good, reliable iron. The iron is your best bet for knocking out last minute wrinkles or creases on the collar, chest or cuff of your shirt—the visible parts that matter most. Otherwise, leave stains, starch, and general cleaning to the pros at your local dry cleaner.
With all we've covered, sorting through all of the tuxedo shirt styles available to find the one you need should be easier, or at least easier to understand. But you still need to make some choices, and you'll need a tuxedo, too.
The good news is, you don't have to look far. We created a collection of formal wear made to the highest standards so you don't have to cobble an outfit together when time's tight. Rent or buy online, and we'll deliver your outfit to your door—no tux shop required.
You’ve earned your certificate in tuxedo shirts. Now graduate from Tux U. Check out our ultimate guide to tuxedo styles.
