REBECCA ROBERTS, host:
Have you heard? It's the weekend that never ends in D.C. right now. Night after night. Friday out to dinner, Saturday at the club - we just heard Jeannie Jones at Club Ibiza last night. The balls starts tonight and it all gets dressier as it goes along.
The other day, one of our producers complained that her husband got invited to one of the black tie parties, but he didn't want to wear a tuxedo. Was a brown suit OK? No way, our style mavens replied, and one of them, Marcus Rosenbaum, came to the tuxedo's defense.
MARCUS ROSENBAUM: Come on, guys. It's just a black suit with a bow tie with the added advantage of a cummerbund to hide that bulge around your middle. And if you wear a pleated shirt with nifty studs instead of buttons, I promise no one will mistake you for a waiter. You won't look funny, you'll look great. Well, maybe we all won't look great, but as one female colleague put it, we'll certainly look better.
So if you're heading out to an inaugural ball on Tuesday, or just to a neighborhood do, put on your tux with gusto. Just follow these simple tips and you won't regret it.
First, make sure you get a nice one, one that's made out of finely woven wool. Skip the polyester, spring for the real thing. Second, make sure it fits. A little loose is better than a little tight as long as it doesn't hang all over you. You'll probably be downing some pretty good food and drink. Third, stick to simple black and white. No plaid bow ties with matching cummerbunds that will look like you're going to the junior prom. Fourth, forget the patent leather shoes. Wear some nice black shoes, instead. Your feet should be as comfortable as the rest of you. And finally, a real bow tie please, not a clip-on. Bow ties are actually easy to tie. You do it just like your shoe laces, though you'll probably want to practice a few times before the big event.
Here's the secret, you want a real bow tie not so you can tie it, but so you can untie it at the after-party. I promise you, you'll be the coolest-looking dude in the place. My son will tell you it's one of the best lessons I ever taught him.
After my mother died, my father used to go on cruises to various parts of the world. He said he dressed for dinner every night. It's so easy, he said, all I have to do is to take one suit, his tuxedo, and two shirts. I can wear it every night and no one says he wore the same thing yesterday. I feel so sorry for women. They've got to bring so many different clothes.
My father was a wise man about many things, tuxedos included. They make you look elegant and feel elegant at the same time. Don't think penguin, think James Bond.
ROBERTS: Marcus Rosenbaum is a long-time NPR editor, although he's usually less formally dressed here in the office.