Q. I'll be getting married this fall, in the evening. I'll be wearing a charcoal suit most likely with houndstooth or glen plaid tie. whenever i mention the suit choice to people, they wonder - it's in the evening, why not a black suit? my reply is usually "it's not a funeral." is there a more, um, eloquent answer to that?

A1. (By @Veremund ) No, because black suits are for nighttime. That's why tuxedos / dinner jackets are called "evening attire" and are normally black (or a color so dark that it appears black).

A2. (By @unbelragazzo ) To me the silk facings give the tuxedo a richness that the black suit on its own doesn't have. Without the facings, a little bit of color helps to enliven the suit. Navy and charcoal are also more forgiving for a wider variety of complexions. Then there's the funereal connotation of the black suit. But I wouldn't say a black suit is terrible, just obviously not as nice as a tuxedo while kind of trying to be like one.



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