The Return of The Great American Style?

[caption id="attachment_1075" align="alignleft" width="311" caption="Even when he was young, Leo always knew how to carry a tuxedo with class (via thehollywoodreporter.com)"][/caption] We've been eagerly following the shift in the way that the world interprets men's formal style for a while now – waiting somewhat hungrily for the good old fashioned tuxedo to regain its spotlight. Though the past few years have been defined by a rebellion of sorts, against the strictness of the traditional formalwear aesthetic, we still believed in the power of the tux. Now it's beginning to pay off as more and more gentlemen mature beyond that phase and return to the lovely and forever loving embrace of yesteryear. Come Spring 2013 we'll have one of Hollywood's most anticipated new offerings in our corner, fighting the good fight for the timeless look that we all know and love. It's called The Great Gatsby, and something tells us that you might have already heard about it, if not because of the movie itself then through its source material. We won't give away any spoilers on the chance that any of our readers are unfamiliar with the twists that the story takes, but we can share that the eponymous Jay Gatsby is a wealthy man who throws a wealth of extravagant parties, and therein lays a large chunk of our excitement. Because it's set in the heart of the heat of the Roaring Twenties' party scene, the film will act as a showcase for the energy, luxury, and liveliness that was once synonymous with black-tie and white-tie affairs. It doesn't even matter that it's a decade short of a century since those glory years because there's a timelessness to the film's costumes that easily transcends the era, and we're hoping that will get a lot of men thinking about what they can do with their tuxedos in accordance with the traditional formal look. Then there's the matter of its stars. With Tobey Maguire playing as Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton portraying Tom Buchanan, and Leonardo DiCaprio starring as the Great Gatsby himself, there's going to be ample opportunity for men's formalwear to shine, both onscreen and offscreen – or so we expect. [caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire looking all dapper in The Great Gatsby (via collider.com)."][/caption] More than that though, The Great Gatsby is giving us cause to hope that people will start to collectively challenge the popular misconception that wearing formalwear for men, such as tuxedos, tuxedo vests, ties and cummerbunds, is evocative of stuffiness, obligation, and all things dull and decidedly un-hip. After all, how could anyone possibly believe otherwise amid the movie's strong visual reminders of how dynamic and fun it is to, well, class up the joint? Of course we're not quite at the point where we're wiping our entire social schedules in anticipation of the wealth of formal affairs we'll be invited to attend, but we wouldn't want to either. It would pain us to see men's formal fashion become a flash in the pan, especially at a time when it's so close to its return to the spotlight.

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