Men's Tuxedo Shirt with Pleated Bib, Point Collar on Stand & Two-Button Cuffs
Introducing a shirt pattern for the classic men's tuxedo shirt with a finely pleated bib front – Black-Tie Elegance with Crisp Tailored Detail.
When To Wear
This tuxedo shirt is the essential partner to formal tailoring, making it perfect for:
- Black-Tie Events: Weddings, galas, balls, and evening receptions worn with a tuxedo, dinner jacket, or tailcoat.
- Stage & Performance: Ideal for musicians, conductors, and performers who need a sharp, photogenic shirt under stage lights.
- Ceremonial & Special Occasions: Graduations, award ceremonies, and any dress code that calls for formal evening wear.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Classic straight-cut shirt with a curved shirttail hem.
Front: Separate pleated bib panels with 11 fine pleats on each side and a topstitched front placket with button closure.
Collar: Point collar on a separate collar stand.
Back: Back yoke cut double for a clean inside finish, with a pleat on each side for ease of movement.
Sleeves: Long sleeves with sleeve plackets, two pleats at the hem, and two-button cuffs with rounded corners.
Style: Refined and formal, ready for shirt studs and cufflinks if desired.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Requires accurate pleating, precise edge-stitching, and experience with collar stands, sleeve plackets, and cuffs.
Fabric Recommendations
Choose fine, smooth shirting fabrics that hold a crisp pleat:
- Cotton poplin or broadcloth
- Cotton voile or batiste for a lighter shirt
- Fine cotton sateen or silk-cotton blends for evening wear
Avoid thick or very soft, drapey fabrics, which will not hold the pleats.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible shirt interfacing (firm woven)
- Buttons: 6 shirt buttons (10–11 mm) for the front and collar stand + 6 buttons (10–11 mm) for the cuffs and sleeve plackets
- Shirt studs and cufflinks (optional)
Cutter’s Must
From Main Fabric:
- Back – 1 piece on fold
- Pleated Panel – 2 pieces
- Back Yoke – 2 pieces on fold
- Collar Stand – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Front – 2 pieces
- Front Placket Facing – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces on fold
- Sleeve Cuff – 4 pieces
- Sleeve Placket – 2 pieces
From Fusible Interfacing:
Cut the following using the corresponding main pattern pieces:
- Collar – 1 piece on fold
- Collar Stand – 1 piece
- Sleeve Cuff – 2 pieces
- Front Placket Facing – 2 pieces
Important Information
Before cutting your fabric:
- Print and lay out pattern pieces to determine yardage.
- Check mirrored pieces, notches, and grainlines.
- For striped or patterned fabrics, align carefully for symmetry.
Seam allowances are included: 1 cm (3/8") on all seams, 1.6 cm (5/8") on the Front and Back hem, none on edges placed on the fold. The dashed line on each piece is the stitching line.
Assembly Instructions
1. Preparation
- Fuse interfacing to one Collar piece (upper collar), one Collar Stand piece (outer stand), two Sleeve Cuff pieces (outer cuffs) and both Front Placket Facings.
- Transfer all notches, fold lines, pleat lines, the slit line on the sleeve, the hem and topstitching lines and the button and buttonhole positions to the fabric.
- Use a fine needle (70/10) and a short stitch (2–2.2 mm). Press every seam as you sew.
2. Pleated Panels
- Each Pleated Panel has 11 pleats. Fold the fabric along the first solid fold line and bring the fold to the dotted placement line next to it. Pin and press.
- Repeat for all pleats so that they all face the same direction: towards the side seam on the finished shirt (make the two panels as a mirrored pair).
- Edge-stitch each pleat close to its fold, or baste the pleats across both ends if you prefer soft pleats. Press well from the wrong side.
3. Attach the Pleated Panels to the Fronts
- Place the Pleated Panel on the right side of the Front, matching the pleats to the marked pleat lines and the panel edges to the neckline, shoulder and centre-front edge.
- Press the free (outer and lower) edges under by 1 cm and edge-stitch them to the Front.
- Baste the panel to the Front 5 mm from the neckline, shoulder and front edge.
4. Front Plackets
- Right front (buttonhole side): sew the Front Placket Facing to the front edge with a 1 cm seam, right side of the facing to the wrong side of the Front. Press the seam towards the facing. Fold the facing to the right side along the fold line so it covers the seam and the raw edge of the pleated panel, press the free edge under by 1 cm and edge-stitch both long edges of the placket.
- Left front (button side): sew the Front Placket Facing to the front edge, right sides together, with a 1 cm seam. Turn the facing to the inside along the fold line, press the free edge under by 1 cm and edge-stitch.
5. Back Pleats
- Fold the pleat on each side of the Back along the marked lines, in the direction of the arrow, and baste across the top edge.
6. Back Yoke
- Place one Back Yoke (outer yoke) on the Back right sides together and the second Back Yoke (yoke lining) on the wrong side of the Back, with the Back sandwiched between them. Stitch through all three layers with a 1 cm seam. Press both yokes up and topstitch close to the seam.
- Sew the front shoulders to the outer yoke only, right sides together.
- Roll the Fronts and the Back up inside the yoke lining ("burrito" method) and stitch the yoke lining to the front shoulders over the first seam. Turn right side out through the neckline, press and topstitch the shoulder seams.
- Baste the two yoke layers together along the neckline and the armholes.
7. Collar
- Sew the two Collar pieces right sides together along the outer edges, leaving the neckline edge open. Trim the allowances at the points, turn, press and topstitch 5–6 mm from the edge.
- Place the Collar between the two Collar Stand pieces, interfaced stand on the upper (outer) side of the collar, matching centre back and the notches. Stitch along the upper curved edge of the stand. Trim the allowances to 5 mm, turn and press.
8. Attach the Collar
- Sew the interfaced Collar Stand to the neckline, right sides together, matching centre back, the shoulder notches and the front edges. Clip the curve and press the seam into the stand.
- Turn under 1 cm on the inner stand so the fold just covers the stitching and edge-stitch all around the stand.
9. Sleeve Plackets
- Cut the Sleeve along the marked slit line.
- Sew the Sleeve Placket to the slit and press it along its fold lines so the narrow side forms the under-lap (towards the back of the sleeve) and the wide side the over-lap.
- Edge-stitch the over-lap, stitching across the top of the placket as marked to secure the end of the slit.
10. Set in the Sleeves
- Sew the sleeve heads to the armholes before closing the side seams, matching the shoulder notch to the yoke seam.
- For a flat-felled seam, trim one allowance to 5 mm, fold the wider allowance over it, press towards the shirt and topstitch. Alternatively, overlock the allowances together, press towards the shirt and topstitch.
11. Side and Sleeve Seams
- Sew the side seam and the underarm sleeve seam in one continuous seam, matching the armhole seams.
- Finish with a flat-felled seam (as in step 10) or overlock, and press towards the back.
12. Sleeve Pleats and Cuffs
- Fold the two pleats at the hem of each Sleeve along the marked lines, in the direction of the arrows (towards the placket), and baste.
- Sew an interfaced cuff to a plain cuff along the sides and the lower edge, right sides together. Trim the allowances, notch the rounded corners, turn and press.
- Sew the interfaced cuff to the sleeve hem, right sides together, with the placket edges flush with the cuff ends.
- Fold the inner cuff over, turn its edge under by 1 cm to cover the seam and edge-stitch. Topstitch around the cuff along the marked line, about 6 mm from the edge.
13. Hem
- The hem allowance is 1.6 cm. Press the raw edge under by 8 mm, then turn again along the hemline (another 8 mm).
- Stitch along the marked stitching line, about 6 mm from the finished edge. Ease the curves of the shirttail with the iron.
14. Buttonholes and Buttons
- Make a horizontal buttonhole in the Collar Stand, vertical buttonholes on the right front placket, and buttonholes in the cuffs and sleeve plackets at the marked positions.
- Sew on the buttons. For white-tie or black-tie wear you can use shirt studs instead of the front buttons and cufflinks at the cuffs.
15. Finishing
- Give the shirt a final press. Press the pleated panels from the wrong side over a towel so the pleats keep their shape.
