Tuxedo Trends for 2019

If you think one section of the formal-wear business would not be subject to the whims of fashion, you'd probably think that section is the tuxedo. You would think wrong.
Sure you can find the black tuxedo in a variety of fits and fabrics, and the powder blue tuxedo of the 1970s is long confined to the dustbin of fashions that are extremely unlikely to recycle (let's hope leisure suits stay there, too), but each year the tuxedo industry follows men's fashion desires and introduces a few new items to satisfy the rental market.
In the past few years, the ultra slim tuxedo has gained favor among younger customers, those kids who grew up wearing skinny jeans and now want the same look as they transition from the prom market to the wedding market. The fitted look has gained so much in appeal that the looser-fitted, pleated pants are disappearing from the market.

New Looks for '19

Enough with the history; let's see what's coming for 2019:

• Paisley Jackets: Jim's Formal Wear is introducing three new Mark of Distinction Aries Paisley Tuxedo Coats this year: Cobalt Blue, Apple Red and Granite. These ultra slim jackets with black satin lapels pair nicely with black ultra slim pants to create a truly unique look.

• Burgundy Jacket: About the hottest color in formal wear right now is burgundy. Jim's introduced a burgundy tuxedo for sale last year and this year added the Kenneth Cole Empire Burgundy Coat to the rental lineup. Another ultra slim jacket with black satin lapel, the burgundy also will look great with the ultra slim or modern slim black pants. The Super 120's wool will make this jacket feel like butter.

• Stretch Tuxedo: In adding to its Michael Kors lineup, Jim's will introduce the Michael Kors Legacy Ultra Slim Fit Performance Stretch Tuxedo next year. Crafted in wool, sorona and CoolMax® fabric blend, this tuxedo will offer wearers the snug fit they crave but the comfort of stretch and coolness missing in many wool blends.

What Else Is Coming?

In addition to these rental tuxedo, Jim's will add a few other new pieces for 2019:
• New Vest Colors: Slate Blue and Burgundy are new colors coming for the Expressions Collection next year, including full-back vests, bow ties, striped and solid Windsor ties and pocket squares.
• New Floral and Striped Colors: New colors are promised but not yet disclosed in the floral and striped ties and pocket squares collections. The floral ties really made a splash this fall wedding season so we are excited to see new colors coming.
• Purchase Items: That burgundy tux proved popular enough that Jim's is adding a burgundy toddler suit and a burgundy toddler pant set for next year.
Whether you're planning a wedding, thinking about prom, looking for cruise attire or getting ready for any other formal occasion, we'd love to show you the new looks or find your perfect choice in the ongoing styles.

Kids Make Weddings Memorable

So many details go into planning a wedding and so much effort goes into making it perfect. And a few months later, nobody remembers much of what happened.
Why is that? Maybe because it went too perfectly.

Unless you had a daddy-daughter dance that went viral on YouTube or you wrote a scathing Facebook post about all of your friends not ponying up thousands of dollars when you asked them to, you and your spouse might be the only ones who remember any of the special touches you poured your heart and soul into.
Unless, of course, the kids did something ... well, something kid-like.
Maybe your flower girl dumped all of her petals at the entrance of the church and had nothing to carry down the aisle. Or maybe your ring bearer tossed the pillow and started playing catch with one of the groomsmen. Or, lord forbid, one of them got sick from eating too much candy during the photo shoot before the ceremony.
Hopefully, they made the event memorable just from being soooooo darned cute in their flower girl and ring bearer outfits. Just what goes into finding a memorable outfit for the little ones involved in your wedding?

Flower Girl Dresses

Age might play a factor in how you decide to dress your flower girl(s), so you might need to keep that in mind as you're shopping. Younger girls are willing to be all princessy, but sometimes if you have an older flower girl, she might be more comfortable dressing like a junior bridesmaid. Either way, here are some ideas to get your started:
• Bride Lookalike: Dressing your flower girl similar to the bride always is a proper idea, unless your wedding gown is a little too sexy for a 3-year-old. Still, you can match fabrics and accessories.

• Bridge: Your flower girl also can act as a transition between bride and bridesmaids with a white dress and sash to match your maids.
• Scene Stealer: You can go so all out, poofy princess-style, bling-loaded, ruffled skirt dress that your flower girl could draw attention away from the bride (though in that case the bride is probably full-on princess as well).

• Junior Bridesmaid: Your flower girl could wear a color and style to match the bridesmaids but with an age-appropriate look, especially if she's in that tween stage where she's too old for princess and too young to look like a woman.
• Casual Comfort: If your wedding preference is more laid back, you can find appropriate girls' attire to match the mood.

Ring Bearer Outfits

Age again can be a factor in style choices for the little guys, especially because they probably don't dress up much and might create a fuss if they must. But again your choices can run the gamut:

• Groom Match Tuxedo: Most tuxedo companies will offer ring bearer tuxes to match the guys, and you could choose to aim for an exact match to the groom or to the groomsmen.
• Unique Tuxedo Look: Your ring bearer can stand out with a different look. A full tux with tails and bow tie looks super cute for the little guys.

• Dress Down: If you think your ring bearer will fuss in a tux, you can opt to dress down a little bit with a cute outfit with suspender and bow tie or vest and tie, so they won't be too far out of their comfort zone. If they are really young, a short set or knickers will draw a lot of ahs.
• Casual Comfort: If your guys are dressing down, your little guy still can look adorable in jeans and nice shirt. Of course, a bow tie still will add that touch of charm.

Whichever route you decide to take with your flower girl and ring bearer, you can get things lined up early but will be better off waiting to order their outfits a month or so before the wedding. Those little ones can grow in a hurry.

Is the Two-Piece Still a Thing?

When two-piece dresses began appearing on the prom runaway several years ago, we knew it would take a year or two before our Kansas girls would be willing to follow the trend.
But now the two-piece dress has become a fixture for prom, and it doesn't appear the trend is going to fade away anytime soon. Even though it's only fall, girls already are talking about the kinds of two-piece dresses they will be hunting for Prom 2019.
Because Kansas can be rather conservative, we knew the two-piece dresses would first have to pass the Dad test, or maybe the Grandma test, and for the most part they do. Most are not too revealing and some are actually downright modest when compared to the plunging necklines some of the single-piece dresses are adopting.
Let's look at some of the variations you can expect to see in the two-piece lineup for Spring 2019:

Tops

Of course, a two-piece dress is going to have two components – top and skirt. The ideal for retailer and customer is the option to mix and match tops and skirts, but that's a bit of a nightmare for manufacturers to outguess customers and keep the right inventory, so in most cases you'll need to be content with top and skirt that come together.
Tops will vary by color and the amount of bedazzling, but you'll find just a few basic styles:
• Halter: With a strap around your neck and a strap across mid-back, a halter will give you plenty of back exposure, if that's the look you desire.

• Choker: This style normally features a triangle shape coming up from the bodice, either in front or front and back both, with a bejeweled choker wrapping around the neck, leaving the shoulders exposed. This style appears to be very popular for 2019.
• Strapless: These normally feature a heavy bodice with strong boning to hold the top up. As with most strapless dresses, these are not too common right now.

• Illusion Straps: These mesh straps, with or without beading, provide stability and allow the corset to be less ridged, so they continue to be popular.

• Off the Shoulder: These continue to be a popular style as they give some of the security of straps but leave the shoulders exposed.
You'll find many tops that overlap these various styles, but these cover the basics.

Skirts

Two-piece skirts tend to follow the mold of the one-piece dresses. One thing to remember about a two-piece skirt is that they are designed to be worn at the narrowest point on your waist, so expect them to ride higher than, say, your blue jeans.
Here are the basic looks you can expect to find:

• A-line: Typically, this style will be made of chiffon and is designed to flow over your hips and down. It's probably the most common style for two-piece dresses, but as such, designers are trying to stretch beyond this style.

• Ball Gown: These fuller skirts flare out wider than the A-line and feature layers to tulle to make them as big as you'd like. The fabric normally is a chiffon or organza outer layer, but taffeta also has made a big statement the past couple of years. Taffeta is popular because they stiffness also allows the designers to include pockets. The chiffon ball gowns seem to be making a bigger statement for 2019.

• Mermaid: The mermaid style features a taffeta or jersey fabric that stretches over the hips and then drapes to the floor. Some of these skirts have a higher waist that can add modesty.

• Fit and Flare: Like the mermaid, this skirt will curve rather tightly across the hips but then flare at the bottom with a layer or two of tulle. One note of caution about the mermaid and fit and flare: You may think you want your skirt to be hugging tight across the hips, but you also want to consider that you will need to sit down at some point.
Whatever you dream about in a two-piece dress for your prom, we'd love to help you find the perfect dress.

Helpful Guide to Prom Dress Fabrics

Many factors will go into your choice of a prom dress – color, form, price and maybe even label. But the most basic choice you're facing will be the fabric of your dress.
When the sales person starts throwing out such terms as shantung, charmeuse or jacquard, you're eyes might glaze over or else you'll start looking for the easiest route to the exit, rather than expose your lack of knowledge about formal wear fabrics.
Rest easy. With this brief primer on fabric choices in prom dresses you'll feel a little more confident as you undertake your search for the perfect dress.

Most Common Fabric Options

Before we get into all the complexities you might encounter, let's cover the basic fabrics first, which is where your search is likely to start and finish:

• Chiffon: A flowy, empire waist dress, probably your most common option, likely will feature chiffon. Chiffon is lightweight, transparent fabric, normally polyester but it could be silk, that folds easily around itself and flows as you move about.
• Satin: A soft, smooth fabric with a sheen also creates a flowy appearance. Most chiffon dresses will have a layer or two of satin under the chiffon.

• Taffeta: A shiny fabric like satin, but one with more weight and stiffness to create the fuller look for a ball gown. An added luxury of the taffeta dress is that many designers are incorporating pockets into the taffeta skirts, as the fabric is stiff enough to hide bulges your contents might create.
• Tulle: This loosely woven mesh fabric creates your poofy ball gowns. Tulle can be lightweight and soft to create the outer layers of your skirt or the popular illusion tops or it can be heavy and stiff to give you skirt that great volume. Fortunately, your ball gown will feature a satin lining to protect your skin from the stiff, scratchy tulle layers.
• Organza: Falling into that middle ground between chiffon and tulle, organza has the transparent feel but with a stiffer body, making it a good fit for full ball gown skirts.

• Jersey: This comfortable knit fabric continues to gain popularity for fitted style dresses as it stretches and moves with you. Weights can vary from light to heavy so it's perfect to transition from warm to cold weather, too. An exciting option coming on strong for 2019 is sparkle jersey, which is just what it sounds like, a nice jersey fabric with shiny bits woven into the fabric.
• Lace: A delicate woven fabric with designs, often floral. At one point, lace was all handmade and therefore expensive, but machine-made lace has gained in quality and brought the price in line with other common fabrics. Some laces now are made of stretch fabrics as well, making them ideal for fitted dresses. 

Some Other Fabric Choices

Of course, designers are never content to stick with the standards, and as long as there are creative people out there, which we hope will be forever, you'll get other fabric choices and new choices coming along virtually every season. Here are some more choices we know you'll find available for 2019:
• Jacquard: This soft, silky fabric has a pattern woven into the fabric.
• Brocade: A type of jacquard, brocade is a heavier fabric with a raised woven pattern, often floral. Traditionally a fabric associated with royalty, brocade is making a strong trend pitch in 2019. (Just as a humorous aside, we noticed one manufacturer's line sheet referred to this is barcode for one dress, so we were envisioning a lot of stripes.)
• Damask: Another jacquard style that features typically floral designs woven into the fabric in the same color, creating a tone-on-tone look.
• Charmeuse: Similar to satin, charmeuse is lighter weight and often found as the lining.
• Velvet: A heavyweight fabric with a cut pile finish has been gaining some popularity the past couple of years, but is limited to a winter fabric by its heavy weight and warmth.
• Shantung: A middle-weight satin fabric is distinctive for its nubby texture.

We hope this guide will give you a little more confidence as you head out to look for your Prom 2019 dress. We also can lend our expertise in helping you choose the right fabric and right style to make you feel beautiful in your prom dress.

Is Strapless Dead?

The strapless formal dress is not dead yet, but it certainly appears to be on a dying trajectory.

Once a staple of the formal dress market, the strapless dress has fallen out of favor with the ascension of illusion tops and other strap styles over the past few years. Girls looking for a strapless dress are finding fewer options each season.
Illusion tops, in case you haven't been paying attention to the formal wear business, are those with mesh that span from wider straps to cap sleeves to full sleeves. The mesh can be plain or embellished with beading, embroidery or applique, but the sheer appearance provides the illusion of the strapless dress. Halters, chokers, traditional straps and off-shoulder straps also are taking a greater slice of the market.
Before we bid goodbye to the strapless dress, let's at least take time to examine the advantages and disadvantages of this once common style:

In Favor of Strapless

The primary advantage of the strapless dress has to be the opportunity for ladies to show off their shoulders and neck. No matter how women feel about their arms or their torsos, they generally are pleased with the shape of their shoulders.
The strapless dress, depending upon the length of the dress's torso, changes the proportion of the woman's torso to create the desired two-thirds effect, either shortening or lengthening the appearance.
A corset back also is a prominent feature of strapless dresses, allowing women to highlight their slender waists without the costly alternative of altering the waistline.

The Drawbacks to Strapless

Achieving the proper fit in a strapless dress is a primary disadvantage. Because every woman has a different shape – varying bust to waist ratio, different torso length, broader backs, etc. – reaching the perfect fit on a strapless dress required either the corset back or extensive alterations.
Because of this challenge of getting the proper fit, women often feel their strapless dress is falling down and must be adjusted constantly throughout the night. This issue also is a result of women never receiving the proper instruction in how to wear their strapless dress.
The illusion top gives the security missing from a misfit strapless dress, which probably explains its growing popularity. However, you likely will need some alterations on the illusion top as well as few torsos provide the exact fit.
If your dream remains to wear a strapless dress for your prom, wedding or other formal event, you still have options as strapless cannot be declared dead yet, but it does seem to have moved to the back seat in favor of the illusion top. 

Color Trends for Prom 2019

Tracking color trends for prom might be pointless for some girls, because they just want to go with their favorite color. But the fun thing about colors is you can play around with shades to wear a color you like, but also be a little different from what the other girls are doing.
And often with prom colors, it's those subtle color changes from season to season that might catch your eye. Trending colors also seem to hint at themselves a year or two before they really explode on the scene, so if you're the kind of girl who likes to set the trends, rather than follow the trends, you'll want to understand which colors are up and coming in 2019 and which ones are likely to explode.
We were keeping our eyes open during The One bridal and prom Spring 2019 show at Dallas Market Center earlier this month to make an educated guess about what colors were likely to catch on with our Kansas girls. 
Let's start with the colors you're most likely to see on the dance floor at your Prom 2019.

Deep Reds

Red always is a popular color for prom, especially for the girls who want to stand out. Burgundy was that color that began to creep onto the scene about three years ago and by last year was what you would consider an exploding color. And since a lot of girls saw it last year, they might be looking for it again this year. But you also are going to see some variations, which could be classified as a deep red, falling somewhere between true red and burgundy. You trend-setters might want to seek out a deep red.

Dark Greens

The deeper greens have been gaining favor the past couple of years and probably are due to explode in 2019. You'll just have to be aware of which direction that explosion might go in your school. The emeralds and hunter greens seemed poised to explode in 2019, so the designers looking to go beyond that were parading more teals and jades.

Dark Purples

Purple kind of disappeared from the scene for a few years (a challenge for a store like us located in a college town where purple reigns). As colors are wont to do after disappearing for a while, purple is cycling back, especially the deep purples such as eggplant and royal purple.

Black and White

You can never write about colors without tossing in a comment about blacks and whites, because black with always be the new black. And while many consider white a wedding color, it always makes a statement in a prom dress. What you are likely to see more this year is the black and white combo look — the best of the monochrome world.

What about Pastels?

You might be wondering if you're going to be able to even find a lighter-colored dress this year, if you don't want to look like you're showing up in fall colors for a spring prom. Lighter colors have been pushed to the back burner, but that means it could be a great way to stand out at your prom. Champagne and blush have been trending for wedding colors, so those dresses will be readily available, and mauve has been peeking from the corners.

Is It Time for Yellow?

Yellow seems to be one of those colors that struggles to find its place back on the runway once it fades, but like the seven-year cicada, yellow's time may be coming around. Designers are testing the waters this year with a few yellow offerings, so it will be up to those trend-setting girls to see if they introduce the color this year that could explode in a year or two. 
Whether you expect to be a trend-setter, a trend-follower or a who-cares-about-trend-anyway prom shopper, we will be happy to help you find your dream dress.

Previewing Prom 2019 Trends

During our recent trip to The One bridal and prom market for Spring 2019 at Dallas Market Center, we had the fun opportunity to see the trends that are taking shape for next prom season. Last week we looked as some of the trends in bridal gowns so this week we will focus in on prom dresses.

Sparkle

OK, we talked about this last week, but it bears repeating. Sparkle, shimmer, glimmer, whatever you want to call it, it's going to be huge for Prom 2019. Sequins certainly play a prominent role in the trend. You'll find dresses with the larger metallic discs, like an inch in diameter, dancing across the red carpet. But an even bigger piece of the sparkle trend is what the designers refer to as shimmer jersey. You'll enjoy the comfort of a jersey fabric, but with a shine that won't disappear.

Ruffles

These structured ruffles made an appearance that was so well-received for Prom 2018 they are taking a huge role in on the prom carpet for 2019. The flexible bands on these dresses create a flow that won't be squashed or rumpled as the night goes by. The ruffles are appearing in A-line and mermaid styles.

Geometry

We understand you don't really want to deal with mathematics while you're enjoying your prom night, but geometric patterns continue to rise in popularity on the prom runway. Straight lines, angles, circle and triangles will adorn dresses in all sorts of fabrics, but especially in the fitted jersey style.

Colors

If you're thinking about your prom dress, one of your first thoughts is going to be about color, but we saved it for last. Mainly because we're just going to tease you to come back next week to learn more about color trends for 2019. OK, just a one-word hint: yellow.
And thanks to Dallas Market Center, here's a little video peek at what we were able to enjoy.

Peeking Ahead to Spring 2019 Wedding and Prom Trends

September always is a month we look forward to at ETC boutique because we get to escape for a couple of days and preview the 2019 prom and wedding styles during The One market at Dallas Market Center.
The fashion show provides a quick glance through the coming season, from couture wedding dresses to fantastic prom styles and colors.
Today, we'd like to share a little bit about what we learned for Spring 2019 trends from the fashion show, then next week we'll touch on what we learned as we dug a little deeper visiting various showrooms throughout the venue.

Color

Of course, color is a vital piece of the prom preview for 2019, but color is making more inroads into wedding dresses these days, as well. The days of being limited to white and ivory as your choices for a wedding gown are fading in the rear-view mirror.
Champagne has been sneaking into the bridal market for a few years, but even bolder colors are entering the fray — can you see yourself in a taupe or even chocolate brown wedding dress?
Floral embellishments have expanded from offering a textural element to your all-white (or all-ivory) gown, to actually taking on the color of floral designs, especially in embroidered or fabric styles.
Next week we'll look at more prom color trends, but for now we'll move along into some style shifts.

Pants/Shorts

When is a dress not a dress? When it becomes a pantsuit or romper, maybe? This trend started creeping into the prom dress market a couple of years ago and now is making its debut onto the wedding scene.
Yes, a straight-out pantsuit from a bridal company, which looked like it could have been inspired by Hillary Clinton's closet, made its way onto the runway of the fashion show at DMC. More common is the pant or short option appearing beneath the flowing fabric of the bridal or prom gown. Some of these trains are detachable, allowing the wearer to dance away her wedding or prom night in the comfort of a summer romper.

Shimmer

The shimmer is back for Prom 2019 and even spilling over into bridal fashions. And by shimmer we mean sequins, small and large, plus what the designers are calling shimmer tulle and shimmer jersey. Not too many years ago, designers had to glue glitter onto their tulle or jersey fabrics to get a little sparkle, unless they wanted to sew on sequins.
Now the shimmer is woven directly into the fabric, giving you a glow that won't wear off as you party the night away.

The Meghan Markle Effect?

Maybe the trend of extreme cathedral veils and long trains would have taken hold by itself, but the royal wedding put the trend into hyper-drive.  It's hard to say at this point if it's a trend girls will want to introduce into their prom dresses, but it's certainly going to make an impression in the bridal market.

We'll be bringing you more of our Dallas discoveries in coming blog posts, but you also can gain extra sneak peeks through our social media accounts. And by mid-November, your 2019 prom styles will begin appearing in our store. We hope you are as excited as we are.

Looking Under the Hood

If you are looking for a prom dress that makes you look good, you also need to look for a prom dress that was made good. Not all formal dresses are created equally.Not too many of the customers who cross our door have a great deal of experience buying formal dresses. Nor do they have a mom with a sewing room that's littered with fabrics and all the various materials that go into constructing quality garments.
So how is a girl to know if the prom dress she is dreaming about really is made good?
To some extent, she's going to have to trust the brick and mortar store or online shop that sells her the dress. But with a few tips, she also can make some judgment on her own about the quality of the dress she is about to purchase.

Compare Price to Product

If you shop around for a while, or look for legitimate online retailers, you'll begin to get an idea about how the price of the dress compares to the features of the dress:
• More bling = more dollars: Good quality beads cost money, so the more beads you see on a dress, the more they are going to add to the price of a dress. Sequins are less expensive than beads, so a dress can sparkle with sequins and cost considerably less than a bejeweled dress.
• Lace can be pricey: When the lace trend began a few years ago, prices were quite high as makers had fewer suppliers to choose from and they had to pay up for lace fabrics. Lace dress prices have come down considerably as more lace has is manufactured. But unique, heavier laces that require more time and threads to manufacture still can raise the price of a dress.

• A weighty issue: Heavier weight fabrics are higher quality and come at a higher price. This applies to every type of fabric, from jersey to satin to chiffon to tulle. These heavier fabrics hold up better to the stresses of wear and also are easier for a seamstress to work with on alterations.
You still can buy a good quality, inexpensive dress, but don't expect it to have all the frills of a 

Construction Details

Checking the construction details of a dress also is a way to understand the quality.
Better-quality formal dresses will have more solid construction and bra pads built into the dress so you don't need to spend extra money on an expensive brassiere.
Even the seam allowance will be greater on better formal dresses so seams can be reinforced and more easily altered.
Fabric edges also should be finished on each layer, except tulle, which will not fray, though a tulle finished edge will indicate a truly top-line dress.

Where You Buy

Of course, if you're purchasing your formal dress from an online retailer, you won't be able to check all of these details yourself until you have the dress in your home. A reputable online seller should be willing to answer your questions about quality before you purchase the dress and offer to accept returns if you are unsatisfied with the quality when you receive the dress.
A few years back, one of our suppliers had posted on its website a list of know scam websites that sold fake or knockoff dresses. The list was a pdf, two rows wide in very small type and ran about 4 feet long.
If you want to be ensured of the quality of your prom dress, your best option is to purchase from a local retailer who understands the quality you desire.

The Belle of the Ball: To Be or Not to Be

Have you always had a princess fantasy? Did you dream of dressing up in a sparkling dress with layers upon layers of tulle and chiffon? Did your imagination have you surrounded by a court of maids preparing your stunning frock? Followed by being surrounded by a court of suitors waiting to carry you away on their white horses?
Maybe your fantasy didn't take you that far, but still many girls dream of wearing a billowing ballgown for their special event, be it prom, wedding or even a military ball. After all, what's more handsome than a soldier in his dress uniform with his stunning wife in her elegant ballgown.
Often, a bride envisions herself floating down the aisle with hoops of white skirt surrounding her, trailing a train that glides along behind her and her distinguished father. At her reception, she spins around the dance floor with her newly minted husband, all eyes captured by her beauty, turning misty at the dreamy atmosphere of the perfect evening.
Of course, when we work with our young Latinas preparing for their quinceañera, the special 15th birthday party, we understand that the bigger and frillier the ballgown the better. These gowns reach billowing proportions that most girls never even imagine. All variations of ruffles and floral designs in the layers of chiffon also grow in popularity.
What has continued to amaze us each year are the number of prom girls who long for the poofy, but not too poofy, ballgown to fulfill their own childhood fantasies.
Ballgowns have followed many of the trends over the past few years, now featuring the illusion shoulders or the off-shoulder sleeves. Some also feature long sleeves sparkling with the beading of the bodice.
Another change many parents are relieved to see is the old wire boning in the hoop petticoats has evolved into the plastic materials that allow the skirts to swirl while dancing but collapse when sitting, eliminating that fear of the skirt flying up and exposing the garments beneath.
What would be your fantasy dress? Come share your vision and we'll see how we can make it a reality.

Tracking Tuxedo Trends for 2018

In looking back through our blog archive, which it's hard to believe goes sporadically back to 2009, we've never given much consideration to what our guys are wearing. And we are pleased to be able to provide a full line of tuxedo rental and sales service, plus accessories, for men (of course, women are welcome to don tuxes, as well).
So as we get back into publishing a regular blog (shooting for every Thursday, if you want to follow), we decided it's high time the guys get a little attention. There's no better place to address men's fashion as we head into prom and wedding season than to look at trends in men's tuxedos. For the moment, let's look at two trends that have jumped out:

Fit

A couple of years ago, we started receiving requests from our younger customers for a tighter-fitting tuxedo, especially the pants. Admittedly, with their adjustable style, tuxedo pants can offer some pretty baggy fits for slender gentlemen.
Initially, tuxedo pants came in two basic fits, pleated pants and flat-front pants. Pleated pants offer a little more room when sitting but still lay nicely when you are standing -- perfect for the bigger guys. But at that point the thinner fellows only had the flat-front option, which still offered ample room in the seat.
Several years back, more modern tuxedos started coming with the modern slim-fit pants, which eliminated some of the baggy complaints. The slim-fit pant gives a more tapered look, but with the advent of the skinny pant in ready-to-wear fashion, many younger men still didn't feel this look was slim enough.
Last year, Jim's Formal Wear began providing us with an ultra-slim pant that seems to satisfy the quest for a truly skinny look. If you're not familiar with this style, you can expect the pants to hug your thighs and taper to the ankle, where they need to be hemmed above the shoe top as they are not wide enough to drape over the shoe. The cut of the seat also means the waist rides lower than traditional tuxedo pants, so you get a completely different look with an ultra-slim pant.
Jackets also have become more snug fitting from the slim fit to the ultra slim. You can expect an ultra-slim jacket to strain across the stomach when you button it.

Color

The tuxedo purist might say the only true tuxedo is a black tuxedo or maybe white, but grays and blues have been gaining a greater share of the tuxedo market in recent years. (No, we're not talking about the sky blue tuxedos of the 1970s.)
Last year's addition of a steel gray option to the Michael Kors Wedding Suit lineup from Jim's (a tux that debuted in 2016 in black and navy) proved popular in both prom and wedding tuxedo rentals.
Shades of gray have been strong choices for wedding parties for several years. But it's hard to pin down a favorite as Jim's offers options in steel gray, medium gray and heather gray, each of which draws fans. A heather gray suit from Allure Men has been added to the Jim's catalog this year.
Blues also have been gaining ground the past few years, to the point this year it has been our most requested color for the guys booking their wedding tuxes early. While the navy wedding suit seems to be the leader so far, Jim's has added an indigo blue tuxedo from Ike Behar this year to add a fourth blue option (cobalt and slate are the other two).
No matter your preference of fit, style or color, ETC boutique is happy to work with you to find the perfect look for your wedding, prom or any other special event. Our extended hours in the mall make it easy for you and the members of a wedding party to make it in for measurements and fittings.
You can preview the entire line from Jim's Formal Wear on their website, where you have the option to build your tux and book it through ETC boutique.

Something New from Something Old

A real fashionista knows that as soon as you clean out your closet, those old styles you're giving away to charity will be coming back into fashion. Whether it comes back as retro or returns as something brand new most likely will depend upon how long it's been out of fashion.
One trend that's been making a comeback the past couple of years as something brand new is the off-the-shoulder look. Off-the-shoulder blouses and dresses permeated the fashion scene in summer 2016 and the trend has carried onto the prom dress runway for Spring 2018.
Off-the-shoulder dresses are everywhere, from gigantic ballgowns to slinky fitted jersey dresses. They are adorned with jewels or stripped bare. They vary from skinny straps to straight across long sleeves. They drape or hug the arm.
While they have adorned the red carpets and filled the racks of your favorite ready-to-wear outlet, off-the-shoulder styles have not come without controversy. This is largely because the original off-shoulder looks were in Victorian fashions of the early 19th century, representing the restrictions women faced, not only in their fashion choices, but in their very movements. These pesky sleeves would only stay put for women who performed no tasks more rigorous than sipping tea or embroidering.
As women gained a place outside the home, they needed sleeves that allowed them to work and move with comfort and convenience.
But each time the off-the-shoulder sleeves come back, they appear to do so by sending a message from women that they can be strong and sexy. And exposing those bare shoulders provides that hint of allure that is perfect for the prom season.
As Brooke Jaffe, fashion director for women's ready-to-wear at Bloomingdale's, told the Washington Post, “I don’t know many women who hate their shoulders.”
If you're looking to show off a little shoulder with a fun off-the-shoulder dress this prom season, come see all the various options our designers have for you.

What's on Your Color Palette for Prom 2018?

One of the fun aspects of the formal wear business when prom season rolls around is to see what colors the girls are searching for in their dream dress.
We might have some indications based on what colors were big the previous year and what seemed to be starting to catch fire. For instance, two years ago, burgundy dresses caught a few girls' eyes, and last year burgundy and wine were big winners.
Given what we are seeing from our providers this year, that trend is going to get even stronger. Navy has been a big up-and-comer the past three years and still seems to be gaining traction over the once-popular royal blue.
However, if we listen to the experts from Pantone who analyzed the colors passing down the runway last fall during New York Fashion Week, a whole new set of colors could be on girls' minds when they head out prom dress shopping.

The Pantone Palette

Let's look at that Pantone is predicting:
• Meadowlark: This bright yellow is more likely to appear in highlight colors in florals and prints rather than as a dress color.
• Cherry Tomato: A slight orangey red certainly could find its place in our runway as reds never seem to go out of style.
• Little Boy Blue: The sky shades of blue have been finding a small niche in the market so it will be interesting to see if it reaches new heights this year.
• Chili Oil: Burgundy will be a likely substitute for this earthy brown red.
• Pink Lavender: We're in a college town where purple reigns supreme but the lilac and lavender shades started to draw their admirers last year.
• Blooming Dahlia: This orangish-pinkish blend is unlikely to find a home here as the coral craze a few years back never caught on with the Kansas girls.
• Arcadia: This green with a hint of blue buys into the peek into a trend we are seeing with requests for the darker green shades like hunter green, jade and even emerald.
• Ultra Violet: We already mentioned we are in a purple town, so this darker shade could find its way into the prom lineup – and even some mother of the bride styles.
• Emperador: This rich chocolate has not shown up in our dress lines, but it's close cousin mocha is making a play.
• Almost Mauve: This vintagey pale purple with a hint of gray could attract attention for the retro girls.
• Spring Crocus: Only the special girl who wants to stand out at her prom will opt for the bright magenta tone.
• Lime Punch: The neon yellow-green tone again could appear in some wild prints.
Pantone also offered up a Classic Color Palette for spring that looks a little more traditional with Sailor Blue (nearly navy), Harbor Mist (medium gray), Warm Sand (neutral beige) and Coconut Milk (off white) that would more closely define our tuxedo customers.
Whether you want to play along with Pantone or strike out on your own daring color adventure, ETC will help you find a unique dress to fit your style and personality.