So, what is a tuxedo? The answer might seem obvious, but apparently, it’s not. 

Also known as a dinner jacket or dinner suit in British English, a tuxedo is a formal evening suit primarily distinguished by satin.

To better answer the question, it’s fundamental to report what happened during the Dolce&Gabbana runway for the Milan Fashion Week 2024. The iconic Italian brand, did a full throwback to the past, rewriting it eventually in a modern and feminine way. They started by bringing back some icons from the old cast like Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta, and Eva Herzigova. Moreover, the decision that surprised the most was to bring back the popularity of the tuxedo, making it a seductive weapon in women’s fashion. The founders of the brand, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, commented “For us it has to be erotic”, and so it was.

As always Dolce&Gabbana likes to play with mixes and in this case, with masculine and feminine to create a strong and precise sensuality in their works. This time it was a short, under-the-chest, rigid, and sharp tuxedo.

History of the Tuxedo

Not many know the history of this timeless piece of style mainly because its origin is in a very remote past. Here we have a little brief of its story:

In the late 19th Century, the tuxedo as we know it was going to be designed, evolving from the tailless “dinner jacket” worn by British aristocracy for informal dining thanks to the idea of the American millionaire James Potter. It was he who brought the style back from a trip to England and popularized it in Tuxedo Park, New York, from that location it got its name. The original tuxedo was a more informal alternative to the tailcoat, featuring a shorter jacket with silk facings.

Later, in the early 20th Century, the tuxedo gained recognition as formal evening wear, particularly for events like dinners, balls, and operas performances. It was favored by the upper class and gradually became associated with sophistication and elegance.

But during the mid-20th Century, the tuxedo’s popularity was growing more and more, with Hollywood playing a significant role in its dissemination. Celebrities and leading men in films often wore tuxedos, reinforcing its image as the epitome of male elegance and style.

In the post-war era, the tuxedo became more accessible to the middle class, since the manufacturing processes improved, and ready-to-wear options became widely available. This accessibility contributed to its peak popularity and adoption for formal occasions.

Eventually, in the 1960s and beyond, tuxedo underwent stylistic changes adapting to shifts in fashion trends over decades. While the classic black tuxedo remained a staple, variations in lapel styles, fabrics, and colors emerged to cater to evolving tastes.

In the present years, the tuxedo remains a timeless and iconic ensemble, synonymous with formal elegance and sophistication. But while it continues to be a go-to choice for black-tie events, weddings, galas, and other formal occasions, ensuring its enduring relevance in men’s fashion, nowadays it’s also evolving to become an equivalent option in women’s fashion.

In conclusion, as we are seeing, the tuxedo is going through the process of evolution that makes its definition very unclear. With certainty, we can agree that this piece of fashion history is and will be a timeless must-have, an iconic classic, and a perfect base for extravagant and chic style.