What to wear to a high school formal | With Harvey Petito

Olive green has become one of the year’s hottest formalwear colours. For this one, you want our new-season olive tux jacket, with black slacks and a black bow-tie. When your jacket looks this good, you don’t want to distract with too many patterns, colours or accessories. Keep things simple with monotone black and white. Definitely a good option if you like your formals shaken, not stirred.

When people think school formal tux, this is what they picture: a black shawl collar jacket, slim-fit white dress shirt, patent black shoes, black pants and a black belt. This jacket actually has a detachable collar, too, so even after the formal’s been and gone, you can still get some mileage out of it. Nice bonus. This guy doesn’t have too many bells and whistles, so the fit has to be spot-on.

This is kicking black tie up a notch. Match a Bordeaux velvet tux jacket with paisley bow-tie, black slacks and a woven tassel loafer (we know, tassels seem scary—just go with it). This is your James Bond approach to black tie. The sateen shawl collar, paisley pattern and fancy kicks will really help you stand out on the dancefloor. Just remember to wear invisible socks. You want to flash some ankle here.

Don’t feel like rocking the bowtie? Youtube tutorials too hard? We feel you. Luckily, you’ve got some options. This outfit is still formalwear, but we’ve cranked the personality right up. The centrepiece is obviously that combination of olive green tux and black turtleneck sweater. It’s low-key, sophisticated, with a little nod to 1970s New York style. Guaranteed crowd pleaser.

For a slightly softer look, don’t write-off the light grey suit. This is a good option for spring and summer formals, when black-on-black might look a bit heavy. Start with a three piece suit: that’s a light grey jacket, with matching vest and pants. Then simply highlight with a dusty pastel shade—pink and grey have always been best mates. Find a pocket square to match and Rob’s your father’s brother.

Presenting the ultimate black-on-black-on-black formal combo. Sticking to one shade like this can be risky, but here’s how to do it right. Start with a black tux jacket with peak satin lapel. Throw on a black dress shirt and black pants. Then finish things off with a silver tie pin, white pocket square and a matte leather belt. The accessories help break things up (and stop you blending into the shadows like a ninja).

Big props for any guy who rocks a three piece suit to their school formal. That classic mix of black jacket, black vest and white dress shirt will never go out of style. The trick with this guy is fit: your vest and jacket should be slim and tapered, hugging the torso. Anything boxy is going to look weird. Also, don’t forget a pop of colour to offset the black. An emerald tie and pocket square should fit the bill nicely.