Tuxedo Advice - Page 2

Stefano Ricci

Notch lapel isn't going to please anyone here. But, you can hardly beat that price. I just went the ebay route myself for a Hickey Freeman bespoke peak lapel single button myself. Pocket flaps was the only detail I was unhappy with, but my tailor said just tuck them in, rather than remove them. He's doing some other minor work.

That said, you can still do please everyone with the details.

I bought socks and the (presumed to be drakes) cummerbund and semi-formal tie from ASW. http://store.asuitablewardrobe.net/evening.aspx. I'll see what it is when it gets here next week.

I can't recommend Will's blog or store enough. He ships extremely promptly and answers questions thoroughly.

A straight or diamond bowtie will set you off from all of the clip-ons out there.

Please go with a turn down collar rather than wing.

Wing collar is truly for white tie. Turn down collar is really for evening suits. I'd recommend the website http://www.blacktieguide.com/ for more info on details.

I too am in the market for a tuxedo, I need it (tailored) for Oct 6th.

If I am going to buy a sub par tux (i.e. from a brand i'd never buy a suit from) - should I just go and rent one - and save for a real tux at some point - this is my real dilemma now.

Should I pray for a good one for ~$500 from GILT?

Should I go in the corner and cry?

If anyone has or knows of a 38 short tuxedo for sale ( 1 button, peak lapel ) - i'd be highly interested.

Notch lapel tuxedos are definitely not excellent but I have to admit, that is a really good deal, even from Banks. Their normal sales are only 70% off.

As for the accessories, you need a shirt, a cummerbund, braces, preferably white, a self-tied bow tie, shirt studs and cufflinks.

The shirt you have is acceptable though not ideal. Wing collars are really more appropriate with white tie. Plus, using a wing collar means that people can see the band of your bow tie which means that the little length-adjuster thing will be visible on the back of your neck, which looks lame. If you can, get a pique shirt with a turn-down collar.

Don't worry too much about the brand of your accessories, pay more attention to ensuring that they are correct. To be honest, there is little point in spending hundreds of dollars on a cummerbund. And, no, it shouldn't have white dots on it, polka or otherwise. Technically speaking, the cummerbund and bow tie should match the facings of your lapels. In other words, if you have satin lapels Iti goes without saying that they will be black), you should have a satin cummerbund and a satin bow tie. If you are lucky enough to have grosgrain lapels, you should have a grosgrain bow tie and a grosgrain cummerbund -- which is pretty hard to find and will probably cost you more than your tuxedo. Don't worry, you probably have satin lapels anyway.

If you want to splash out, get silk moire brace in, of course, white. No one should ever see them but they are really cool.

Shirt studs and cufflinks are typically sets though I have seen people do it with "matching" studs and cufflinks that aren't actually sets and it can look really good. Black onyx sets are quite common and pretty inexpensive. MOP was also traditional but less common these days. But this is an area where you can go for something a bit more distinctive if you want. It needs to be tasteful and flashy is the antithesis of black tie, but that still leaves you a lot of scope. Cufflinks and shirt studs are really the only jewelry that men traditionally get to wear so feel free to indulge yourself a little. There are, for example, some really nice and yet distinctive cufflinks and studs online in sterling silver that are still pretty reasonably-priced. Take the money you saved on your DJ and spend in on this. Because of the nature of black tie, links and studs are surprisingly noticeable, especially if you go for something other than the basic onyx. so it makes sense to put some effort and cash into getting something you are happy with.

No. It will cost you almost as much to rent one as to buy a cheap one. But, once it is altered, you will look far, far better in even a cheap tuxedo that you own as opposed to a rented one.

ha, can't argue with USD 65 for a tux!

i would argue a cummerbund is optional, but whatever floats your boat. also may consider a waistcoat, given all the money you saved.