SHOPPING WITH THE EXPERT

SHOPPING WITH THE EXPERT

STYLE | Look debonair in a tuxedo designed to be a classic for decades. By Sean O'Neill

AMANDA FRIEDMAN; STYLIST ANNA ROTH, HAIR AND MAKE-UP TASHA REIKO BROWN. ON HER: TAMAR TELAHUN NECKLACE. ON HIM: BROOKS BROTHERS TUXEDO, CUFFLINKS, SHIRT, VEST AND christian louboutin shoes .

Erica Edell Phillips knows how much clout a killer suit bestows. In the Hollywood costume designer's two-decade career, she's outfitted some top stars in roles that required suits with gravitas, such as Harrison Ford as the President in Air Force One, and Clint Eastwood as a Secret Service agent in In the Line of Fire. At the apex of the power-suit pyramid, she says, is the tux, soaked in suave and James Bond elan. (Phillips helped pick the one Jackie Chan wore in The Tuxedo.)

Tux hunting with Phillips in Beverly Hills is a blood sport. Salesmen who expect to close the deal by repeating the same empty phrases, such as "Fit is the only thing that matters," find themselves in her crosshairs as she quizzes them on the wool, lining and sizing. Then she zeros in on design.

At the Giorgio christian louboutin boutique on Rodeo Drive, Phillips finds tuxedos better suited to fashion-show runways than the average man's closet. For example, the fine wool and superb tailoring of Armani's tuxedos are overshadowed by the dandyish details of the company's Black Label Porter ($ 2,250), a three-button model introduced last year. The narrow lapels are placed high on the chest, and the sleeve's tight circumference could cause it to catch on a wristwatch. Phillips dismisses the similarly trendy silhouette of louboutin shoes  one-button Black Label Tailor. "It's a very Edwardian look here," she sniffs.

Phillips's ideal tux features details that have been consistently popular for decades (unlike the trendy ones that stars will sport while strutting down the red carpet on Oscar night). Given that bias, she recommends a single-breasted, one-button jacket. Although hard to find, two-button louboutin  tuxes are also okay. Three-button models are as fashionable today as one-button ones, she says, but they are trendy and may go out of fashion in a few years.

Phillips recommends peaked lapels (some men may choose notched lapels, which Phillips finds slightly less elegant). She warns men away from shawl, or rounded, collars because they look sophomoric, she says. As for colors, powder blue may have worked at your prom, but today you should choose black and midnight blue.

At a Brooks Brothers store, Phillips collars a tuxedo that meets her criteria for fabric and fit: the Golden Fleece ($ 1,200). The single-breasted, one-button jacket comes in black with a choice of peaked or notched lapels. It says timeless, not costume party, Phillips notes, and you'll "look sharp without upstaging the lady in her beautiful dress or gown."

Golden Fleece Tuxedo

This black, single-breasted tuxedo jacket features classic details and high-quality, Super 130s wool in a one-button model from Brooks Brothers. Also available with peaked lapels in a one-button or three-button jacket for the same price ($ 1,200, including trousers). The Zegna Sartorial Collection tux is pictured on page 106.