As far as your suit pants, these will have traditional belt-loops. However, suit pants can also be worn with suspenders and sometimes there will be buttons added along the inside of the pant waistbands and makes for a nice alternative to not wearing a belt.

Shoes

Usually, patent leather shoes are worn with tuxedos (black is the obvious standard) while loafers, oxfords, and pretty much anything else are acceptable with a suit. 

Socks

You didn’t think we would get through this article without talking about socks, did you? With your suit, feel free to wear whatever socks work with your shoes, just make sure that they aren’t white, too thick, or can be seen too much. A patterned sock is nice to break up the monotony of the suit as well as can showcase a little personality. 

When it comes to your tuxedo, there are a few rules when it comes to socks: 

• Wear them. Don’t forgo socks. People do it and it takes away from all the hard work put into wearing a tuxedo to begin with.
• Wear black socks. Unless you are wearing a white or ivory tuxedo, always wear black socks. This is not the place to wear your socks with the popcorn or puppies. You can show your personality with a pocket square.
• Make sure you are wearing formal socks. These are thinner and stretchier than your average sock.

Events

So now that you know the differences in the garments themselves, it’s time to address the most important difference of all – where do you wear them? Tuxedos are normally reserved for black tie events and the evening.

They are perfect for formal weddings, galas, charity events, and the opera. They signal that an event is special and thus, are more appropriate way less often than a suit which can pretty much be worn at any time of day or almost any occasion (other than black tie, obviously).

Wear your suit to work, a nice dinner, and most weddings. However, if the wedding invite says “black tie optional,” see how the groom is dressing and follow suit (pun intended!).