Rental tux alternatives

[Brian278]

My sister is getting married in a little over a month, and I'm an usher, and she recently decided that she'd like to have the ushers wearing tuxedos because the other usher is also a groomsmen and will be wearing a tux. Knowing me, she was nice enough to consult with me as to what kind style I tux I wanted (at which point I parroted back the SF-approved choice: single-button, peak lapel, bow-tie).

Now, I fully plan on investing in my own tuxedo at some point but don't really want to spend the money right at this moment on something I don't love or the $1500 to get something I do. She's getting the groomsmen tuxes at Men's Wearhouse and has arranged for me an appointment. Having only rented a tux once in my life, for my senior prom, I'm not to informed about different levels of rental tuxes. Are there nicer tux shops with higher-end tuxes? What kind of price difference are we talking here? I would of course offer to cover the cost of my own tuxedo if I went this route. Also, is it worth getting a bow tie separately to wear with it since I will get one eventually anyway? I'm assuming most rental bow ties are pre-tied, so would that at least remove the outfit from cookie-cutter rental tux mediocrity?

And since I'm sure someone will tell me to shut up and wear whatever my sister wants as it's her wedding, I assure you, she will not care one way what I do as long as I'm wearing a tuxedo. Her fiancee won't care less/doesn't know the difference either, so there is no effect whatesoever on their enjoyment of their wedding, and in fact, they are trying to save money where they can on this whole thing so me paying for my own tux would be something of an additional wedding present in their eyes.

Thoughts?

 

[kuwisdelu]

If you do go the rental route, I'd probably just go with the Men's Warehouse route. (And would encourage the other usher/groomsmen to go with the single-button peak lapel model, as the other two options MW offers are....too horrible to speak of here.)

"High-end rental tux" is pretty oxymoronic. No matter what, if you're renting a tuxedo, you're still going to encounter the same problem of it not being fitted and tailored for you, and that will be more immediately obvious (at least to an SF eye) than anything else that would make it "high-end."

It seems you do plan on buying a dinner suit sometime, though. Is there anything you can afford now that you *would* love? Or at least be very, very satisfied with?


And yes, I would at the very least least buy a self-tie bow tie, rather than rent a pre-tied one.

 

[JohnShaft]

This advice isn't exactly what you asked for so feel free to pass on it BUT if you would rather spend roughly the same as renting and end up with your own decent dinner suit then it may help.

First, get your measurements down pat then hit the high end consignment shops and ebay. You'd be shocked at the decent and even good and better quality dinner suits available gently worn in those places. I'm talking around $200. And that, or higher, is what I hear about rentals these days. It may not be the suit you keep all your life but it sure will come in handy.

If you're going to end up wearing someone else's trousers anyway, you may as well get to keep them.

 

[FidelCashflow]

There's really no good option for black-tie events if you don't want to splash out a ton of money on a tux. That's why I hate them.

 

[bbh]

I purchased a decent quality dinner suit (tuxedo) from Marks and Spencer in the UK while I lived there. I believe that they ship internationally, so it might be worthwhile to check them out.