Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo Review: Cool Matters

When you think of tuxedos, you think of elegance.  You think of sophistication.  You think of the textile embodiment of masculinity and class.  And if you’ve ever worn one in the summer, you think of heat.  Lots of it.

To be practical, not all formal wear is exactly comfortable in hot weather.  For this reason, tuxedo sales and rentals generally decline in the hotter months of the year.  As if taking a cue from our flightless avian mascots (penguins), we tend to confine our tuxedo-wearing to cooler weather.

Luckily, in today’s market there are some cooler formal options that won’t cook you at high noon.

Enter the Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo by Jean Yves.

Steel Grey ‘Twilight’: Because Cool Matters

Made from a poly/wool blended fabric that is lighter than your standard black wool tuxedo, the Jean Yves Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo is consequently more comfortable in warmer weather.  While it’s just one of several warm weather formal options we have to offer, we feel that its sleek and fitted lines, versatile hue, and superior construction all make it “cool” enough to warrant an in-depth review.

Color: Grey is the New Grey

An initial not-so-in-depth look reveals that this style is, in fact, an attractive shade of grey.  We think that’s a good thing.  While grey is a lighter shade and a cooler formal option than traditional black, it’s also been VERY popular in the rental formal wear industry as of late.

If you follow Paul Morrell’s month to month Top 10 Rental Styles, you’ll see that grey formal wear always captures a significant portion of the limelight.  And why not?  It perfectly combines fashion and elegance for a look that is suave, formal, and just a little bit outside the box.  We find that this style makes a proud addition to our other grey tuxedos and suits.  To learn more, read our recent blog post: Grey Tuxedos are HUGE in 2011!

Construction: A Slim Cut is the Sleekest

One recurring criticism of rental formal wear is that it can be difficult to get a fitted look.  Well, the good people at Formalwear International and Jean Yves set out to solve that problem, because a fitted look is exactly what you get!  While no rental line will ever match the custom tailoring of a bespoke made tuxedo, The Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ definitely raises the bar for the rental formal wear world.  It features an updated silhouette so the coat hugs your ribs a little more and it incorporates higher arm holes to insure a sleek, slim, and fitted look that doesn’t sacrifice comfort or range of motion.

Another (literally) cool attribute is the addition of side vents, which are not common among other rental tuxedos.  These help ventilate the coat in warmer weather and help the wearer look that much more fashion conscious.

Versatility: It’s Everywhere You Want To Be

Aside from literal Black Tie and White Tie occasions that have very traditional and detailed dress codes, this grey tuxedo is perfect for virtually every formal occasion.  It’s fashionable enough for a prom, elegant and classic enough for a church wedding, cool and comfortable enough for a destination wedding, and sleek and stylish enough for your “Man of the Year” acceptance speech.  We’ll leave any other applicable occasions to your creative discretion.

Door #2: But Wait, There’s More!

So, what if you’ve fallen so deeply in love with this style that you want to take it out everywhere, but you’re going somewhere that just doesn’t call for a tuxedo… like the grocery store?  No worries.  This exact same style comes in both a tuxedo AND a suit!  The Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Suit by Jean Yves has all of the above mentioned features except that the satin lapel, pocket trim, and satin vest trim have all been replaced by the same poly/wool blended material from which the coat is fashioned.  The suit also has standard plastic suit buttons, instead of buttons with satin facing.

The result of these two styles is an incredible look that that you can wear basically anywhere.  Well, maybe not to the gym or in the shower, but most places.

Pictures: Worth a Thousand Stitches

Now that you’ve heard our review of the Steel Grey ‘Twilight’ Tuxedo and Suit, we’ve included some additional product images and close-up shots for you to review so that you can really get to know this style and learn to love it as we have.  Take note of the similarities and differences between the tuxedo and suit.

 

 

We’ve also included a few very informal shots of our own, to help illustrate some of the more obscure features of these coats.  Featured below are the side-vents, left and right inside pockets, and what the collar looks like when it’s popped up.  Upon trying on the coat, our (very informal) model commented on how the higher arm holes really do help the coat look and feel much more fitted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully, this review helps round out your mental image of this incredible tuxedo and suit line.  We really think it’s great, and we hope you do too.  If you just can’t get enough, check out our other Grey Tuxedos and Suits!

Like what you see?  Can barely contain yourself?  Well, don’t.  Tell us what you think in the comments section below!