Men's White Suits

When a White Suit Works

White is the hardest suit color to wear and the most memorable when it lands. It belongs to heat and daylight: beach and destination weddings, summer receptions, graduations, and black tie somewhere warm. It does not belong in a winter ballroom or at an interview, and it is the one color where fit and cleanliness stop being optional, because white shows both.

White Tuxedos

The dinner jacket is where white earns its reputation. A white jacket with black trousers is a recognized warm weather version of black tie, which is why it reads as formal rather than costume. There are four here: the Peak Lapel and the Shawl Lapel tuxedos, the Slim Fit Shawl Lapel, and the Vested Jacquard for anyone who wants texture instead of a flat finish. Peak lapel is the sharper line, shawl is the softer one.

White Suits

A full white suit is daytime wear. The White Suit is the straightforward two-piece. The heavier white suit holds its shape better once the jacket comes off at a reception. The White Double Breasted Suit is the one that photographs best, because a double breasted front stays closed and unbroken, which suits white more than an open jacket with a shirt showing through.

Wearing White to Someone Else's Wedding

Worth saying plainly: as a guest, do not wear a full white suit unless the invitation asks for it. Destination and beach weddings often do, and all-white dress codes are common in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America, but at a standard wedding a white suit competes with the couple. If you are the groom it is yours to take, and a white jacket with dark trousers is the version that sits next to a white dress without trying to match it. For the rest of the party, see wedding suits and groomsmen suits.

Jackets, Trousers and Vests on Their Own

White is the color men most often buy one piece of, because a white dinner jacket gets worn with black trousers and a white vest goes under a suit in another color. All of them are listed above. The White Suit Jacket is $149.99, the Peak Lapel and Shawl Lapel tuxedo jackets are $169.99, white suit pants are $79.99, and the White Vest is $69.

Keeping It White

A white suit gets dry cleaned more often than anything else in a wardrobe, so plan for that before you buy. Keep it in a garment bag rather than pressed against darker fabrics, carry a stain pen at anything serving red wine, and accept that grass and white trousers do not mix. None of that is a reason to avoid white. It is a reason to own one rather than borrow, because yours gets cleaned on your schedule and comes back to your closet.

What Comes in the Box

A full suit or tuxedo here is a complete bundle: jacket, pants, shirt, tie and socks. White suits and tuxedos run from $229.99 to $279. Shipping is free over $99 and exchanges are free, which counts for more in white than in any other color.

Getting the Size Right

White is unforgiving about fit. A jacket that pulls at the button, or a trouser break an inch too long, shows in white long before it would in navy or black. Our suit size estimator takes height, weight and build and returns a jacket and pant size in about a minute. If it is off, the exchange costs nothing.