The State of Black Tie: Your Observations - Page 48

I go to the opera here at least twice or thrice a year, and I usually wear my dinner jacket (SB, peak lapels). I have a vintage Pierre Cardin that I scored off eBay for €20 that miraculously fit me like a glove wiithout any alterations at all. Of course, I'm fussy, so I had the sleeves trimmed and shortened and the waist suppressed a tad. Mind you, I could try on 50 jackets my size at a shop, and if I'm lucky, two might fit me correctly. The fact that this eBay bargain fit me so well must have been destiny.

If I want to get super dressed up, but not go "all the way" with the dinner jacket, then I'll swap it out for my velvet tourmaline jacket and keep everything else the same: tux trousers, black barathea bow tie, vest or cummerbund.

Neither outfit ever fails to elicit compliments.

I would love to find a nice vintage tux, but I wouldn't even know where to start (and I live in NYC!)

Looking around in NYC - Suit Supply has a tux with peak lapels, but no waistcoat offering. Charles Tyrwhitt has the full package, but I don't know anything about their suit quality...

I believe they are half-canvassed, so close to Suit Supply. Brooks Brothers should also have a full ensemble. What is your budget? You could always do MTM. I know LS Men's will do tuxedos.

I am thinking BB will be the way to go, although CT does have a U-waistcoat which I could not find on BB's website . I would like to stay under 1500 which rules out Ercole, etc.

 

There has to be at least 1000 used tuxedos in the various vintage shops in NYC. You're not trying.

 

lefty

Fully agree - not trying. Like I said, I don't even know where to start - never was into vintage clothing shopping so I just flat out don't know where to go that would be high yield

Dude ...

 

lefty

BB should have a faile silk v-vest that would work as well. It is low-cut, so you won't look like you are going to the prom.

See that is the thing - there are too many choices, so a google search isn't all that helpful. Information isn't the problem, filtering is.

I think I'll just blow it off this year and wear my disliked tux for this round of parties, maybe pick up a velvet dinner jacket from SuitSupply to mix it up for Christmas parties. Then do the Mr. Ned thing sometime next year to get things the way I want them.

So, then the question is, if you do get a midnight blue tuxedo, do you get the waistcoat in the same material? Or do you match the waistcoat to the bow-tie (meaning black)?

To expand further, I think I am going with Mr. Ned after the holiday season. Figure I'll ask here if I have a complete list of things I should do/get?

Starting with this look as the base:


The plan
Jacket

• Peak lapel - grosgrain facings
• Midnight blue barathea fabric
• Single button
• Besom pockets - or should I omit pockets entirely except for one for a pocket square?
• Any reason to have working cuff buttons on a tux jacket?
• Flower loop to hold a boutenneire behind lapel

Waistcoat

• 2x1 DB U-waistcoat
• Shawl lapel - grosgrain facings
• Midnight blue barathea fabric body - or should this be black?

Pants

• Side adjustors/braces buttons
• Split, curtained waistband
• Midnight blue barathea fabric
• Grosgrain stripe
• Hidden waistband pocket

Anything I am missing doing wrong? Should I get pick stitching anywhere or other hand detailing?

 

Heaven forbid you should actually make an effort to find what you want.  Perhaps your mom can do the legwork for you then hold your hand through the process.

 

lefty

Am I supposed to feel the burn? Especially on a pretty unimaginative mommy crack?

Seriously, I ask for a lead on some high-yield vintage shops to look at since there are tons in NYC and I admit I don't do a lot of vintage shopping, and you get all butt-hurt? Maybe you are a bit too sensitive for the internet...

Looks like an interesting suit. I'm not clear on the barathea fabric. Aren't most dinner suits worsted? As for the body of the vest, if it is wool, I believe it should match the jacket body. If it is all silk, it should match the lapel facings.

 

As for the pockets, all dinner jackets I have seen have had besom pockets (or at least some kind of pocket). I would leave them in.

Working button cuffs are not essential on any jacket, but can be a nice touch.

I would skip the pick stitching, especially when dealing with a silk lapel.

This is an interesting point that I'm unsure about it. What do others think?