OT: tuxedos

[vqdriver]

how many of you actually own your own? we have a fundraising event that's black tie and there's no way i'm walking into a friar tux like i'm going to prom. a part of me says i could get away with a black suit and tie, but then i absolutely hate hate hate being underdressed. is there such a thing as an "adult" tuxedo rental?

[MattTuck]

I own one. Whether or not I fit into it at the moment, that's another question!

Go with a black tie and a black suit, you'll be fine.

[dave thompson]

Most any reputable tux rental store will have a suitable tuxedo for you. In an earlier life, my wife was an exec at McDonalds. They had many black tie parties where a tux was required. I had no problems finding a nice black tux at a variety of rental stores.

[roydyates]

how many of you actually own your own? we have a fundraising event that's black tie and there's no way i'm walking into a friar tux like i'm going to prom. a part of me says i could get away with a black suit and tie, but then i absolutely hate hate hate being underdressed. is there such a thing as an "adult" tuxedo rental?

I own one. Got it twelve years ago for a cousin's wedding. Then I went ten years without wearing it. But then in the last two years I've worn it three times. If you dislike being underdressed, buy one. This may be a sign you are entering a phase in life that includes formal occasions. I predict you will have another fundraising dinner next year.

[echelon_john]

buy one, and have it tailored properly. poorly fitted rental tuxes stick out like a fart in church. you'll be more confident in a tux you own, even if you only wear it a few times a year. also, go classic; notch lapel, not a shawl collar. you can dress it up or down with tie choices.

[Ken Robb]

One of our musician pals just posted that he bought a new tux this week at Men's Fashion Warehouse in 20 minutes. If there is ANY chance that you will wear a tux 3-4 times in the next ten years you should really think about buying one. The rentals have never fit as well for me and each time you rent one there is lost time renting, getting "fit", and returning it.

When you own one you know what to do when you are invited to a "Black Tie Optional" event.

[echelon_john]

buy one, and have it tailored properly. poorly fitted rental tuxes stick out like a fart in church. you'll be more confident in a tux you own, even if you only wear it a few times a year.

you don't have to spend a ton; even a place like men's wearhouse will have some options well under $500 that will look good and last a long time; just make sure you store it well, air it out, and keep the moths away.

[one60]

found a wonderful barely used, midnite blue ool tux at a vintage store. A little tailoring later & it was perfect. $75 for the tux, $50 for tailoring. Other than really wide peaked lapels, most tuxedos will still be in style no matter when its made. A nice vintage one is likely handmade of better material than you'll get for under $1000

[chuckroast]

One of my sons got married last year and I rented a tux for the first time in a quite a while. I had low expectations but was pleasantly surprised at the quality and fit of the rental (Men's Wearhouse).

[djg]

Yeah. There came a time when I saw two black tie events coming a few months apart, and sort of expected a third not long after. Went to SYMS (RIP) and bought a perfectly nice tux and had the right alterations made. Ages ago, but a suit that's worn 1, 2, or 4 times a year can last a good long while, and a conservative black tux stays reasonably in style.

You can rent a perfectly good tux -- at the right place you can rent darn near anything -- but adjusted isn't the same as tailored. I don't think that everybody "needs" one -- not by a long shot -- but you can pay off a decent tux with a very small number of rentals (and that's before you attach any value to the time you spend making arrangements and returning the darn thing with each rental). Plus, you know, there's no hand-wringing if an invite says "black tie optional."

[gasman]

I own one but just by being in the right place. Went to rent one 10 years ago, it fit perfectly and they were selling it as used. Same price used as for a single rental. Never needed altering and I use it at least once a year. classic black never goes out of style.
Rent one and if you think you will need one in the future (you will) just bite the bullet and buy one.

[rwsaunders]

Most any reputable tux rental store will have a suitable tuxedo for you. In an earlier life, my wife was an exec at McDonalds. They had many black tie parties where a tux was required. I had no problems finding a nice black tux at a variety of rental stores.

+1. I bought a used tux from a rental store ten years ago, and a new tux shirt and a few bowties from Nordstrom's as I need one for work 2-3 times/year. It was pristine and still looks good. Jos A. Bank runs specials on them every one in a while too.

[DukeHorn]

I own my own tux. Sort of necessary when I was living in D.C. with the number of black tie events that cropped up over the years. Also have had to rent tuxs for wedding parties since my tux didn't quite fit the general scheme.

Just picked up a new Hugo Boss tuxedo jacket off of ebay for $80. May not get as much play as your suit but then it'll also last longer that way. Probably a worthy investment.

[katematt]

I got mine from ebay as well. I believe from a rental clearance, if its black, by half way through the night no one notices. One of my better ebay purchases.

[csm]

I've got one. Reminds me to find an event to wear it to.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[CaptStash]

Funny you should ask. I had been itching to buy one for years, then out of the blue a very old Seattle Tux rental establishment announced that they were going out of business. I purchased a beautiful (New!) Christian Dior Tux Jacket for $20.00, pants for $15.00 and a simple classic tux shirt for $10. Now I am all set up, and the tailor is even putting buttons for braces in the pants for me. I got lucky and a 41R fit me perfectly. And tot top it all off, I was on television buying it.

go figure.

CaptStash....

[pdmtong]

I own one. Armani black label. Going to wear it in a few weeks. Also have a JW Nordstrom tuxedo jacket. There is a difference.

[KidWok]

Capt...where was this? I might need to pick one up!

Tai


Funny you should ask. I had been itching to buy one for years, then out of the blue a very old Seattle Tux rental establishment announced that they were going out of business. I purchased a beautiful (New!) Christian Dior Tux Jacket for $20.00, pants for $15.00 and a simple classic tux shirt for $10. Now I am all set up, and the tailor is even putting buttons for braces in the pants for me. I got lucky and a 41R fit me perfectly. And tot top it all off, I was on television buying it.

go figure.

CaptStash....

[scrubadub]

At the last few "black tie" fundraisers I attended, most people were not wearing tuxes. I actually felt a bit overdressed since the older crowd (aka people with money) were mostly just in suits. Still glad I wore my tux though.

I guess "black tie" doesn't mean what it used to these days.

[yngpunk]

Check places like Mens Wearhouse or Jos A Bank where you can buy a decent tux for not much more than the price of a rental. Might also want to check out places like Filines Basement, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. as they often have tuxes and accessories for cheap.

Once you own a tux, you'll find more and more reasons to wear it out...going to the symphony or opera...wear the tux since you won't look that out of place.

One suggestion though...if you're going to get a tux, be sure to get the patent leather shoes to go with it.

Also, go with a vest versus cumberbund.

[echelon_john]

I got my first tux at Filene's Basement; it's a Hart, Schaffner & Marx, really beautiful, and I think I paid $299 for it. $75 worth of tailoring, and it was good to go.

To echo what others have said, if you have it, you'll wear it. It's always better to be the guy in a great fitting tux at a black tie optional event.

[oldpotatoe]

One of our musician pals just posted that he bought a new tux this week at Men's Fashion Warehouse in 20 minutes. If there is ANY chance that you will wear a tux 3-4 times in the next ten years you should really think about buying one. The rentals have never fit as well for me and each time you rent one there is lost time renting, getting "fit", and returning it.

When you own one you know what to do when you are invited to a "Black Tie Optional" event.

'Black Tie Optional' was never 'optional', really

[Jaq]

Every man should own a tuxedo and a white dinner jacket, & appropriate accoutrement. Every woman should own a Little Black Dress.

[chwupper]

The real question: do you tie your own bow tie ( :help: ) or wear a fake one?

[MattTuck]

The real question: do you tie your own bow tie ( :help: ) or wear a fake one?

Tie your own. It's fairly easy if you know the trick.

[yngpunk]

Tie your own. It's fairly easy if you know the trick.

+1 Buy a cheap one and practice. Then get one to go with your vest, but don't have to match

[Bob Ross]

One of our musician pals just posted that he bought a new tux this week at Men's Fashion Warehouse in 20 minutes.

When I was gigging fulltime as a freelance bass player I bought my tux from Men's Wearhouse. Completely painless experience, and I got a lot of use out of that monkey suit over the 10 years I owned it...probably could've gotten another decade out of it if my waistline hadn't been so uncooperative.

But I wound up renting a tux for my wedding, from whatever the local Tuxedos-R-Us place is, and frankly that suit looked just as good as the one I owned. Definitely not a prom nightmare look, just a simple elegant black tux that fit me surprisingly well and mercifully didn't smell like a horny teenager's wetdream.

[FlashUNC]

'Black Tie Optional' was never 'optional', really

+1. Whenever it says "Black Tie Optional", just omit the optional bit.

If you're feeling adventurous, a tux in a deep midnight blue is just a subtle enough difference without looking too cheesy. And it looks black under some artificial light.

[CaptStash]

Capt...where was this? I might need to pick one up!

Tai

Too late Tai! It was at Brocklin's in Capitol Hill. Local news was there because it was the last day.

CaptStash....

[CaptStash]

Also, go with a vest versus cumberbund.

Not so much for some of us. My physique appears to have been put together by committee. Giant hands, super short fingers, gorilla long arms, long legs and a very short torso. For me, vests look...well, stupid. Plus a cummerbund can be quite slimming.:banana:

Captstash....

[PBWrench]

I bought mine ten years ago from Men's Wearhouse and wear it every other year or so. Dressing up in a tux with cummerbund and studs is kinda cool. Martini shaken please.

[wildboar]

Does anyone own one of these?


http://www.primalwear.com/p-331-the-ritz-blue-ls-cycling-jersey.aspx

[Louis]

Does anyone own one of these?

Anyone who shows up at a wedding (especially his own) wearing that is a true cycling stud.

[downtube]

I have one, I don't wear it for me. My wife seems too enjoy it when we get all dressed up and attend a special event. We attend 3 to 4 events a year so it has paid for itself a few times over. Hey you only live once, so go ahead and splurge, you can always pretend you are part of the Rat Pack.
chuck

[eippo1]

Jos a Bank does have a lot of bang for the buck. I have a suit, topcoat and numerous shirts from there. Hit them on a sale and you can get nice stuff for a song.

I do own my own tux that I get to wear once a year for a charity event and generally love wearing it. It is a very nice hand tailored one that fits me perfectly. Funny thing is that it was not made for me, but my uncle. He has the exact same proportions as me and at times purges his clothes to get new stuff. As a result, I have a very, very nice wardrobe full of clothes that are way beyond anything that I could ever afford or even justify having made for me.

[mjbrekke]

I was at the end of a ride one Saturday and passed a garage sale that was closing up and beginning to throw away everything that had not sold. Scored a full tux and a set of tails, both of which fit beautifully. I use them for singing and choral directing gigs.

[TheWolfsMouth]

I didnt even own a white dress shirt until 15 minutes before I got married.

[torquer]

First, a little joke:
I got a designer tux: Oscar de la Rental...
(Apologies to Car Talk.)

Seriously, I bought an Armani tux about 15 years ago, in a passing fit of perceived affluence. (Bought a brand new CF bike with DA build that same year.) Never regretted either purchase; still have the tux, even though I've probably worn it less than 10 times, but next time I do wear it I won't have to worry if it's in style or not. (The bike's been replaced twice, FWIW.)

I was thinking about tuxes a few weeks back after trying out a Surly Pugsley in the snow: I realized that just like most guys probably need a couple suits in their closet before a tux can be justified, the Surly (which costs about as much as I paid for the Armani) would be fun to own, but I "need" about four or five other bikes more. YRMV.

[11.4]

What kind of event, and where? I go to major arts events and medical galas and such, and people who rent or have hand-me-down tuxes really stand out. A good fitting suit done conservatively looks better and no black tie event is completely black tie. If it's particularly stylish, note that people follow tux fashion as much as women follow haute couture, and even wearing a ten-year-old expensive tux tailored for you can look pretty dated. Like looking like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. This is especially a problem in parts of the country where people dress up more, like DC, NY, Boston, DFW, Chicago, etc.

The alternative is to do your own version of black tie. Just wear a black suit, add an alternative shirt such as a white silk T-shirt, a black string tie or nothing at all, etc. It actually is the best look in formal events (and I have to go to a couple a week in major cities). I have tuxes, tails, dinner jackets, and more, but I'll either go off the end with something very fashionista because it's the standard for the event, or I'll make up something. I've seen black tie events where guys show up in black leather motorcycle jackets with tux shirts underneath, and black leather jack boots. Done right, it gets a lot of nods.

[Ozz]

I own my own...once I got a real job (:cool:), I found myself going to various fundraising galas a couple times per year so it was really a no brainer to buy my own. Nordstrom Rack had some nice Hugo Boss tuxes...I think I paid about $500 for it. Over the years I have added a couple vests, shirts and ties to mix up the look a bit. I've also ditched the bow tie for a regular tie.

Like 11.4 points out..."even wearing a ten-year-old expensive tux tailored for you can look pretty dated"....adding some color spiffs it up.

Cheers.

[spiderman]

how many of you actually own your own? we have a fundraising event that's black tie and there's no way i'm walking into a friar tux like i'm going to prom. a part of me says i could get away with a black suit and tie, but then i absolutely hate hate hate being underdressed. is there such a thing as an "adult" tuxedo rental?

Fit is as important as your bike
And if you don't tie your own
You ride clinchers

[dub1308]

Does anyone own one of these?


http://www.primalwear.com/p-331-the-ritz-blue-ls-cycling-jersey.aspx

That is awesome. To bad I would not be able to wear that one...

[dub1308]

Jos a Bank does have a lot of bang for the buck. I have a suit, topcoat and numerous shirts from there. Hit them on a sale and you can get nice stuff for a song.

I do own my own tux that I get to wear once a year for a charity event and generally love wearing it. It is a very nice hand tailored one that fits me perfectly. Funny thing is that it was not made for me, but my uncle. He has the exact same proportions as me and at times purges his clothes to get new stuff. As a result, I have a very, very nice wardrobe full of clothes that are way beyond anything that I could ever afford or even justify having made for me.

If you go to Banks this weekend you can get a buy one suit and get 3 free sale. I do not know what it includes I just saw an ad for it.

[echelon_john]

With Banks, you get what you pay for.

If you go to Banks this weekend you can get a buy one suit and get 3 free sale. I do not know what it includes I just saw an ad for it.

[dub1308]

With Banks, you get what you pay for.

That is VERY true but if you need a cheap suit than that is not a bad deal.