diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php
index 1381d5f394..49ef6224f7 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php
@@ -808,29 +808,29 @@ class Application
             $title = sprintf('  [%s]  ', get_class($e));
             $len = $strlen($title);
             $width = $this->getTerminalWidth() ? $this->getTerminalWidth() - 1 : PHP_INT_MAX;
+            $formatter = $output->getFormatter();
             $lines = array();
             foreach (preg_split('/\r?\n/', $e->getMessage()) as $line) {
                 foreach (str_split($line, $width - 4) as $line) {
-                    $lines[] = sprintf('  %s  ', $line);
-                    $len = max($strlen($line) + 4, $len);
+                    // pre-format lines to get the right string length
+                    $lineLength = $strlen(preg_replace('/\[[^m]*m/', '', $formatter->format($line))) + 4;
+                    $lines[] = array($line, $lineLength);
+
+                    $len = max($lineLength, $len);
                 }
             }
 
-            $messages = array(str_repeat(' ', $len), $title.str_repeat(' ', max(0, $len - $strlen($title))));
-
+            $messages = array('', '');
+            $messages[] = $emptyLine = $formatter->format(sprintf('<error>%s</error>', str_repeat(' ', $len)));
+            $messages[] = $formatter->format(sprintf('<error>%s%s</error>', $title, str_repeat(' ', max(0, $len - $strlen($title)))));
             foreach ($lines as $line) {
-                $messages[] = $line.str_repeat(' ', $len - $strlen($line));
+                $messages[] = $formatter->format(sprintf('<error>  %s  %s</error>', $line[0], str_repeat(' ', $len - $line[1])));
             }
+            $messages[] = $emptyLine;
+            $messages[] = '';
+            $messages[] = '';
 
-            $messages[] = str_repeat(' ', $len);
-
-            $output->writeln("");
-            $output->writeln("");
-            foreach ($messages as $message) {
-                $output->writeln('<error>'.$message.'</error>');
-            }
-            $output->writeln("");
-            $output->writeln("");
+            $output->writeln($messages, OutputInterface::OUTPUT_RAW);
 
             if (OutputInterface::VERBOSITY_VERBOSE === $output->getVerbosity()) {
                 $output->writeln('<comment>Exception trace:</comment>');
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
index f3c3298866..36721601ed 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ class OutputFormatter implements OutputFormatterInterface
     /**
      * The pattern to phrase the format.
      */
-    const FORMAT_PATTERN = '#(\\\\?)<(/?)([a-z][a-z0-9_=;-]+)?>((?: [^<\\\\]+ | (?!<(?:/?[a-z]|/>)). | .(?<=\\\\<) )*)#isx';
+    const FORMAT_PATTERN = '#(\\\\?)<(/?)([a-z][a-z0-9_=;-]*)?>((?: [^<\\\\]+ | (?!<(?:/?[a-z]|/>)). | .(?<=\\\\<) )*)#isx';
 
     private $decorated;
     private $styles = array();
@@ -163,6 +163,8 @@ class OutputFormatter implements OutputFormatterInterface
     /**
      * Replaces style of the output.
      *
+     * All escaped tags and tags that reference unknown styles are kept as is.
+     *
      * @param array $match
      *
      * @return string The replaced style
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/ApplicationTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/ApplicationTest.php
index f78d8de107..7f73aa1a4d 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/ApplicationTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/ApplicationTest.php
@@ -429,6 +429,9 @@ class ApplicationTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $tester->run(array('command' => 'foo3:bar'), array('decorated' => false));
         $this->assertStringEqualsFile(self::$fixturesPath.'/application_renderexception3.txt', $this->normalizeLineBreaks($tester->getDisplay()), '->renderException() renders a pretty exceptions with previous exceptions');
 
+        $tester->run(array('command' => 'foo3:bar'), array('decorated' => true));
+        $this->assertStringEqualsFile(self::$fixturesPath.'/application_renderexception3decorated.txt', $tester->getDisplay(true), '->renderException() renders a pretty exceptions with previous exceptions');
+
         $application = $this->getMock('Symfony\Component\Console\Application', array('getTerminalWidth'));
         $application->setAutoExit(false);
         $application->expects($this->any())
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/Foo3Command.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/Foo3Command.php
index 7349bc355e..43a35076e3 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/Foo3Command.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/Foo3Command.php
@@ -17,9 +17,13 @@ class Foo3Command extends Command
     protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output)
     {
         try {
-            throw new \Exception("First exception");
+            try {
+                throw new \Exception("First exception <p>this is html</p>");
+            } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                throw new \Exception("Second exception <comment>comment</comment>", 0, $e);
+            }
         } catch (\Exception $e) {
-            throw new \Exception("Second exception", 0, $e);
+            throw new \Exception("Third exception <fg=blue;bg=red>comment</>", 0, $e);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3.txt b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3.txt
index c639924238..72a72867f3 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3.txt
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3.txt
@@ -1,17 +1,25 @@
 
 
-                    
-  [Exception]       
-  Second exception  
-                    
+                           
+  [Exception]              
+  Third exception comment  
+                           
 
 
 
 
-                   
-  [Exception]      
-  First exception  
-                   
+                            
+  [Exception]               
+  Second exception comment  
+                            
+
+
+
+
+                                       
+  [Exception]                          
+  First exception <p>this is html</p>  
+                                       
 
 
 foo3:bar
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3decorated.txt b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3decorated.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eb4181c2b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_renderexception3decorated.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+
+
+                           
+  [Exception]              
+  Third exception comment  
+                           
+
+
+
+
+                            
+  [Exception]               
+  Second exception comment  
+                            
+
+
+
+
+                                       
+  [Exception]                          
+  First exception <p>this is html</p>  
+                                       
+
+
+foo3:bar
+
+
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
index 497630e87c..08bd02e852 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
@@ -113,7 +113,10 @@ class FormatterStyleTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->assertEquals($style, $formatter->getStyle('test'));
         $this->assertNotEquals($style, $formatter->getStyle('info'));
 
-        $this->assertEquals("\033[34;47msome custom msg\033[0m", $formatter->format('<test>some custom msg</test>'));
+        $style = new OutputFormatterStyle('blue', 'white');
+        $formatter->setStyle('b', $style);
+
+        $this->assertEquals("\033[34;47msome \033[0m\033[34;47mcustom\033[0m\033[34;47m msg\033[0m", $formatter->format('<test>some <b>custom</b> msg</test>'));
     }
 
     public function testRedefineStyle()
@@ -137,7 +140,7 @@ class FormatterStyleTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
     public function testNonStyleTag()
     {
         $formatter = new OutputFormatter(true);
-        $this->assertEquals("\033[32msome \033[0m\033[32m<tag> styled\033[0m", $formatter->format('<info>some <tag> styled</info>'));
+        $this->assertEquals("\033[32msome \033[0m\033[32m<tag> styled \033[0m\033[32m<p>single-char tag\033[0m\033[32m</p>\033[0m", $formatter->format('<info>some <tag> styled <p>single-char tag</p></info>'));
     }
 
     public function testNotDecoratedFormatter()