The Story Behind Tom Francis’s Scene-Stealing Tony Awards Tuxedo

Twenty minutes ago, Tom Francis was covered in blood.

It’s Sunday afternoon, about an hour before he’s due at the Tony Awards, and the actor is lounging in his suite at the Baccarat Hotel, wrapped in a terrycloth robe, scarfing down rigatoni bolognese between hair and makeup touch ups. Looking at him now, you’d never know he’d just been brutally murdered during a matinee performance of Sunset Blvd., the production for which he’s nominated for Best Actor in a Musical. Such is the life of a busy Broadway actor.

That boundless energy and down-for-anything attitude is precisely what impressed the New York menswear designer Todd Snyder most about Francis after he saw Sunset Blvd. during its opening week last October. “I was completely blown away by Tom’s performance,” says Snyder. “His stage presence is unmatched, and it translates to what he wears on the red carpet—classic Hollywood leading man vibes that feel effortless.”

Not long after, Snyder and Francis had dinner together at the urging of Sunset producer Tony Marion. “We became fast friends,” says Snyder, who began regularly dressing Francis for major events from that point forward. Last month, the designer devised a striking khaki-colored tux for Francis’s first-ever Met Gala, before putting the actor in an elegant light blue ensemble at the Drama League Awards a couple weeks later. Naturally, the duo ran the collaboration back for the Tonys—and in the suite beforehand, their natural chemistry was on full display, with Snyder and Francis clinking beers as they deliberated over necktie and pocket square options.

For the Tonys, Snyder provided Francis with a bespoke tuxedo in rich, raisin-toned sueded linen. The fabric, Snyder explains, is famed “for its exceptionally soft, peach-like feel,” which makes it “less prone to wrinkling than traditional linen.” The suit was paired with a traditional pleat-front shirt and a matching bowtie. It’s the most effortless I’ve ever seen a tuxedo look—just enough slouch so as not to look stiff, and the softness of the deep aubergine hue in that suede-like texture made the fabric seem to melt like chocolate. Embroidered inside the pocket was a personal touch:

Exclusively for Mr. Tom Francis
The 78th Tony Awards
June 8th, 2025

“We’re both fans of proper tailoring, and I was envisioning a kind of sophisticated ease when I was designing this look,” says Snyder.