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Inexpensive tuxedo advice

Ambient

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Hello everyone,

Senior prom is coming up in a few weeks and I'm looking to buy a tuxedo rather than rent this year. I'm tall but very thin (size 35-36R) so I was thinking of going with a simple black shawl lapel tuxedo with flat front pants. I would very much appreciate any advice you could give regarding style and where to purchase the tuxedo itself (hoping to spend less than $200 ideally). Also wool vs polyester - is it worth the price difference? I'd like to look my best for my date - definitely not going for the two-sizes-too-big look that tuxedo junction gave me last year!

Thank you all in advance.
 

MyOtherLife

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Welcome to Styleforum.
Nothing weong with a shawl collar as far as I am concerned.
Where are you located?
 

Ambient

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Thanks for the response, located in rochester ny but I have no issue with purchasing online if needed.
 

Bounder

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I was going to suggest Sears, which used to have really cheap stuff that you could actually see in person before you bought.

But either Sears has gone off the deep end or they need to do a bit more filtering in their marketplace/on-line offerings.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6203548807P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

:uhoh:

There are several places on-line that might have what you are looking for. For example,

http://www.etuxedo.com/tuxedo_separates/trevi_tuxedo.htm

If you don't already have them, you will need a vest/cummerbund shirt, etc. See blacktieguide.com for info on how to do it correctly.

BTW, I really commend you on making the effort to look decent. The key, with any suit, is taking it to a decent alterations tailor and being prepared to spend a little to make it your own. Even with a cheap tuxedo, you will look much better than 90+ of the people.

Having said that, I would not spend too much nor would I worry to much about whether it is polyester or wool as are going to a outgrow it pretty fast and you will probably beat it up at a wild afterparty anyway. At least, for your sake, I hope so.
 

Ambient

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Thank you both so much! Really appreciate your taking the time to help out. I'll be sure to have the tux altered to fit better, question though; can the tailor change the shape of the lapel as well? I would prefer a narrower lapel than what seems to be available in my price range and if that's possible, perfect!
 

TimelesStyle

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Thank you both so much! Really appreciate your taking the time to help out. I'll be sure to have the tux altered to fit better, question though; can the tailor change the shape of the lapel as well? I would prefer a narrower lapel than what seems to be available in my price range and if that's possible, perfect!


The one I linked to is pretty narrow, and shouldn't be that far outside your range (especially if you open a charge account and get an additional discount).

In general, it would be very hard to change the lapel shape and even if they could it would probably cost more than the tux itself.
 

Ambient

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I do like the Tommy Hilfiger one a lot, and it looks like there's even a 15% mothers day discount. I think I will actually splurge a little and purchase the jacket, thanks again for the response!

Do you have any opinion on pleated vs non-pleated shirts for this jacket?
 

TimelesStyle

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I do like the Tommy Hilfiger one a lot, and it looks like there's even a 15% mothers day discount. I think I will actually splurge a little and purchase the jacket, thanks again for the response!

Do you have any opinion on pleated vs non-pleated shirts for this jacket? 


I wouldn't try to do that jacket and other trousers; they won't match exactly and will probably look off...

As for shirts, I personally prefer a pique front (typically referred to as "Marcella") but it doesn't matter that much. If you do pleats I'd go with very narrow ones vs. the wider ones sometimes seen. H&M is definitely a good bet for these; I got one there that I use for theme parties (actually attended a "prom-themed" party this weekend and wore it with jeans) and it was about $20 on sale.
 

b9w4

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I just had my Senior Prom, this is the best picture I find that shows the look I was going for. (I couldn't find a good picture that got the ray-bans, lapels, pocket square, tie, pants, and sleeves together... this is a compromise)




I rented my tux from Men's Wearhouse and got this slim-ish fit, flat-front Calvin Klein. Since I wore my own shoes, I got to prom without spending more than about $125.

I believe the jacket is a 40 XL. I asked specifically for shorter sleeves and no break. What I got was a conservative amount of sleeve and a medium break. I bought and tied my own bowtie instead of using the cheap clip-on one they give you and stuffed in the pocket square to match my lovely date. Black-tie purists on SF will advise against matching your date; my girlfriend is not on SF.
 
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b9w4

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Also, in my experience with two of them, prom is not necessarily a place where anyone is going to recognize how fly you look (even when you do). The cheerleaders are still going to go for the football/basketball/baseball players despite the fact that they are wearing white tuxedoes far above the tropics.

(I also forgot to mention that I was wearing a citizen watch on a nato strap and that my socks had sharks on them, which is my way of saying don't take yourself too seriously.)
 
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shilleck

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I just had my Senior Prom, this is the best picture I find that shows the look I was going for. (I couldn't find a good picture that got the ray-bans, lapels, pocket square, tie, pants, and sleeves together... this is a compromise)




I rented my tux from Men's Wearhouse and got this slim-ish fit, flat-front Calvin Klein. Since I wore my own shoes, I got to prom without spending more than about $125.

I believe the jacket is a 40 XL. I asked specifically for shorter sleeves and no break. What I got was a conservative amount of sleeve and a medium break. I bought and tied my own bowtie instead of using the cheap clip-on one they give you and stuffed in the pocket square to match my lovely date. Black-tie purists on SF will advise against matching your date; my girlfriend is not on SF.
Looks good. Good for you.
 

Bounder

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Is that Vox's daughter you're dating? :slayer:



I wouldn't try to do that jacket and other trousers; they won't match exactly and will probably look off...

+1

Except there is no "probably." NEVER buy a tuxedo jacket with the idea of finding matching pants. You will be amazed at how many different shades of "black" there are. They will never match and, worse, it will be extremely obvious that they do not match when you are wearing them. In fact, it is generally not a good idea to send out just the jacket (or pants) to cleaned as there may be some very slight fading which will be quite noticeable when you wear them together.
 

TimelesStyle

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+1
Except there is no "probably." NEVER buy a tuxedo jacket with the idea of finding matching pants. You will be amazed at how many different shades of "black" there are. They will never match and, worse, it will be extremely obvious that they do not match when you are wearing them. In fact, it is generally not a good idea to send out just the jacket (or pants) to cleaned as there may be some very slight fading which will be quite noticeable when you wear them together.


The one exception to this, besides when the two pieces are purposefully different colors, is when buying from a mass manufacturer and plucking from multiple stores that happen to have different sizes in stock. Nothing wrong with buying my jacket at the Brooks Brothers in BH and then heading to Century City for trousers since neither had the same exact stock. In the era of separates it will be impossible to find pieces cut from the exact same bolt of cloth, but they need to at least be from the same series.
 

colinbc

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Save yourself the trouble of finding matching trousers and just get both the jacket and trousers from the same manufacturer or retailer.
 

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