Sub-$1000 Formal Wear, does it exist?

[Blackhood]

1. The Hire-Out stuff from a designer is often specifically made for this purpose- it is even worse than the RTW stuff you get in stores, which by and large is terrible anyway.

2. The man specifically stated that he wants to PURCHASE, so you telling him to rent second hand rubbish is utterly useless advice.

I don't know if English is your second language so I wont judge your reading comprehension but I would point out that the OP has been here 3 years, has 2,500 odd posts, it is therefore safe to say he may have heard of rental shops.

Try reading before posting next time.

 

[Sebastian_Flyte]

marks and spencer has a couple tuxes. not zegna, but will get the job done. i have some suits from them and the fabrics are quite nice-- they have some rather sartorial chaps in charge of fabric buying and do the best they can for the buck. Shipping to the US is like $25. http://www.marksandspencer.com/Autog...qid=1302771629

 

[musicguy]

Originally Posted by Blackhood

1. The Hire-Out stuff from a designer is often specifically made for this purpose- it is even worse than the RTW stuff you get in stores, which by and large is terrible anyway. 2. The man specifically stated that he wants to PURCHASE, so you telling him to rent second hand rubbish is utterly useless advice. I don't know if English is your second language so I wont judge your reading comprehension but I would point out that the OP has been here 3 years, has 2,500 odd posts, it is therefore safe to say he may have heard of rental shops. Try reading before posting next time.
Cheers, you took the words out of my mouth. @Sebastian_Flyte The fit pic of the model looks terrible, besides, it's semi-formal wear. Thanks anyway. I went to the cheap men's clothing stores today. JAB. Their tuxes were awful. SA told me they never carry tailcoats in that store, but I tried on their tuxedo. Even a 38, which should be a size too small for me, had the shoulder pads extending far beyong my shoulders. Divots! The peak lapel version had grossgrain lapels which was nice, but the fit left so much to be desired. Men's Wearhouse. No formal wear in their store either, but they had a cheaply made CK tux that fit fairly useably on the shoulders, sizing down to a 38. Unfortunately, notch lapel and they were trying to sell it for $500. So, the hunt continues.

 

[Loathing]

If at all possible, save up and have one made semi-bespoke by a reasonably priced tailor. It's an important piece for you, and if it fits perfectly, it will really make an impression. I know it's not the best advice, but it's the only route that'll make you truly satisfied.

 

[musicguy]

Originally Posted by Loathing

If at all possible, save up and have one made semi-bespoke by a reasonably priced tailor. It's an important piece for you, and if it fits perfectly, it will really make an impression. I know it's not the best advice, but it's the only route that'll make you truly satisfied.

Thanks. This is probably the best advice... sigh... time to save.

 

[pvrhye]

Tails are traditional dress, so they'd have pleats, but as a musician you sit all day. Be careful any pleats you have don't flare out so bad that people think you have a permawoodie.

 

[TimelesStyle]

Originally Posted by musicguy

Thanks. This is probably the best advice... sigh... time to save.

Just thinking about this: Do you ever frequent Washington DC? I have to believe that this is the best place to look, since that's the only city I can imagine anyone wearing one stateside where it's not part of a uniform (such as you're looking at it for).

 

[txmusician]

This is a huge issue. I too am a classical musician, and wear my tails about 38 weeks a year 3 nights a week. I have a crappy rental quality Calvin Klein set. I was told by a major tux distributor that the tailcoats are all the same, they just change the label to sell more of them. I wear my short tuxedo jacket a bit less, but it is much easier to find a nice normal tuxedo.

 

[Flartchy]

Two words: shop lift

 

[zarathustra]

Jos A Banks often has tails.

 

[musicguy]

Originally Posted by txmusician

This is a huge issue. I too am a classical musician, and wear my tails about 38 weeks a year 3 nights a week. I have a crappy rental quality Calvin Klein set. I was told by a major tux distributor that the tailcoats are all the same, they just change the label to sell more of them. I wear my short tuxedo jacket a bit less, but it is much easier to find a nice normal tuxedo.

Yeah, I think I read that somewhere too. I don't doubt that it's true. Nice to hear from another orchestral musician.

Originally Posted by zarathustra

Jos A Banks often has tails.
Yeah I went there:

Originally Posted by musicguy

JAB. Their tuxes were awful. SA told me they never carry tailcoats in that store, but I tried on their tuxedo. Even a 38, which should be a size too small for me, had the shoulder pads extending far beyong my shoulders. Divots! The peak lapel version had grossgrain lapels which was nice, but the fit left so much to be desired.
I'm going to Boyd's today. They're expensive, but I would like to see what options I have for OTR.

 

[jasonmarshalljazz]

try rocky's custom clothes. or mytailor.com. they can do it.

 

[musicguy]

Went to Boyd's today. They only carry one brand, Hickey Freeman, for tails. The won't even order any other brands. It was $1750. Didn't carry it in my size so would have to order it. Went to Brooks and they were really nice. They're getting it in my size to try on.

Tried on an awesome Isaia base s tuxedo at Boyd's. It fit really well. I didn't even feel like I was wearing a jacket. They were selling it for $3500 though. Might as well go bespoke.

 

[BLU8]

Indy Magnoli offers made-to-measure tails starting at $895. http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/even...dos-p-270.html

You could shoot him an e-mail to discuss features/details, materials, pricing, etc.

 

[landshark]

This is from a costume supplier, but this is a traditional white tie jacket: http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/store/000841.php 100% wool with contrast lapel At the cost ($200 just for the jacket), I imagine it would be better than a cheap rental, JAB, or any other non traditional form of white tie.