Suits for groom + groomsmen on a budget -- MTM or OTR (34/36S nightmare)?

[Decaffeinated]

To make a long story short, I'm getting married in a few months and am going through the whole fiasco of suiting myself and my groomsmen. I know most of you on this board are against the whole "matchy-matchy" thing of the modern day wedding -- my fiance and I aren't too for it either, but unfortunately the parental units have a certain expectation of what things should look like. I was going to ask them to just wear a dark charcoal suit for the wedding and we'll just match ties/cufflinks/etc, but as we all know, suit colors may not match exactly (and neither me nor my fiance are the ones asking for such, so there's no leeway). I'm a short/slim build and more or less 17" across in the shoulders, so finding a well-fitting suit has been a bit of a struggle (ideally I'm a 34S-35S, as I've quickly found that 36S can mean anything from 16.5-18.5" in terms of shoulders which makes the sizing moot). Everything I own is pretty much MTM (TaT, Nialma, Moderntailor) or heavily tailored OTR, All my groomsmen are rather skinny as well (another one is also a 36S slim fit, but doesn't have as hard a time as he's got 18" shoulders). As such, rentals are pretty much out of the question (not to mention rental prices are nearly $200! around where I live). Would like to pick your brains as to the best place to look to get suits for myself & the groomsmen on the cheap. I don't want to ask them to spend too much since they're doing this for me, but I do want them to be able to walk away with a decent suit to keep. Considered H&M (too cheaply made), J. Crew (Ludlow shoulders far too wide), Zara (no 36s around me to try on), Indochino (horrible reviews), TaT (too expensive). Of course, BB Milano and RLBL are out of their price range for sure. It's been frustrating to say the least, since the 36S slim fit requirement makes it really hard (and eBay/B&S aren't an option since I'd need more than 1). Since I don't exactly have to match them, at this rate, I might just end up grabbing a Hickey 36S off Gilt the next time I see one (or splurging for a full retail RLBL/BB Milano) and taking it to the tailor, and asking them to get MTM or tailored OTR suits. Any stores/shop/advice you guys can point me to that would fit the size/price requirements would be fantastic, and thank you so much in advance. TL;DR version: Parents want similar suiting for at least groomsmen for my wedding. Rentals too expensive, don't want them to break the bank on a purchase. Seeking somewhat matching suits that at least include a 36S slim fit size.

 

[TheFoo]

Wait, so they have to all be exactly the same cloth? If you must have everyone match, wear dinner suits. They are more easily rentable in a variety of sizes and will look far less conspicuous when identical to each other. Matching lounge suits sounds beyond terrible. Forget what anyone says about the time of day. We're talking about the lesser of two evils here.

 

[Decaffeinated]

Tell me about it.
I wanted to just tell them: "wear a dark grey/charcoal suit" and be done with it. Black is probably the easiest for them to get away with (I'll wear a different color), but I know how you all feel about black
The ties and pocket squares will match. Isn't that enough?!

 

[kungapa]

Maybe this is slightly off topic, but the "parental units" asking your friends to significantly spend money over and beyond a wedding gift is a little presumptuous. If they are footing the bill for the clothes - fine.

I hope you are making it VERY clear to the people you are having buy very specific new clothes for your wedding are not asked to also give any form of gift.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by Decaffeinated

Tell me about it.
I wanted to just tell them: "wear a dark grey/charcoal suit" and be done with it.
The ties and pocket squares will match. Isn't that enough?!

Hmm. It's the matching ties and pocket squares that freighten me, actually. I asked my groomsmen to wear any grey or blue suit they liked. I only required a white shirt. Then, I supplied wedding ties, which I picked specifically to look different from each other. The ideas was to give the impression eash groomsmen had worn his own wedding tie.

Doesn't sound like that approach would be amenable to your folks, but you could try convincing them that what they're suggesting will be problematic because the suits will always be a tad different and it will look like everyone rented.

 

[Decaffeinated]

Originally Posted by kungapa

Maybe this is slightly off topic, but the "parental units" asking your friends to significantly spend money over and beyond a wedding gift is a little presumptuous. If they are footing the bill for the clothes - fine.

I hope you are making it VERY clear to the people you are having buy very specific new clothes for your wedding are not asked to also give any form of gift.

Believe me, I'm the last person who wants them to spend any kind of serious cash on this since they're doing me a favor. I told the groomsmen of the rental prices and they're all for purchasing. I'll probably let them spend up to what the rental would have cost and cover the rest.

 

[southbound35]

I would rent larger friends for your wedding party.

Seriously, though -- it seems you have three choices:
1) Rent tuxes - everyone matches, but no one looks particularly good.
2) Allow friends to wear their own suits within certain parameters - everyone looks reasonably good, but don't match.
3) Find an affordable MTM option - everyone matches and looks reasonably good.

Option 3 is optimal, but costly. Some here would argue, but I think most groomsman expect to pay for a tux rental ($200 sounds high, but not outrageous). However, I don't think it's fair to expect them to drop $500 (about the least one would expect to pay) for a decent MTM.

Since it seems the parents are driving the bus on this one, I'd suggest going the tux route. You might have to search, but I would have to think some tux shop, somewhere carries decent tuxedos in small, slim sizing. If you think you could get some use out of it after your wedding day, you could have your tux MTM.

If you do go the MTM route, I think it's only right for you to pick up the difference in cost of the MTM suit vs a reasonable tux rental.

 

[LittleTimmy]

Are you the groom of MY wedding? I am a groomsman for an upcoming wedding and I decided to diverge from the groom's orders to buy a mens wearhouse 3 button charcoal and get a TaT suit instead. I hope he doesn't get mad at me when I show up with it

While reading your post I got confused by some things. You first say that the bad part about letting the groomsmen choose is that the colors won't match exactly, but later on you say that the colors don't have to match exactly. Also, the dude who is a 36 is easy to fit because he has 18 inch shoulders? I find that such shoulders is more 37 and 38 territory in RTW.

I think you should ask Glostix where he got his suit because he got a cheap MTM and posted about it on this page http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=52943&page=96 . I better other users will be able to give you better leads but I think what he did is a good start.

 

[Decaffeinated]

Originally Posted by LittleTimmy

While reading your post I got confused by some things. You first say that the bad part about letting the groomsmen choose is that the colors won't match exactly, but later on you say that the colors don't have to match exactly. Also, the dude who is a 36 is easy to fit because he has 18 inch shoulders? I find that such shoulders is more 37 and 38 territory in RTW..

I think it's more the drop that we both need found in european/slim-fits. I just have an additional problem fitting in the shoulders as well .

In either case, I'll likely go with southbound's suggestion -- see if they have suits that will already fit the bill, and if not, with MTM / OTR tailored.

 

[Saturdays]

Tell the parents that this option can become very expensive, and unless they are gonna pay for it you are going to allow your friends and yourself color coordinate your existing suits.

Otherwise rental is probably your best option.

If not and you want to go cheap with above J Crew quality give a call to the UNIQLO outlet in SoHo and ask them for suits that measure up to you and your groomsmen. Pretty stylish and slim fitting for the most part, and the prices are pretty reasonable.
They may be out of stock of their nicer suits, but just make sure they have enough suits in the right sizes for everyone. Also I am not 100% sure if they will do a big order over the phone, but they have done smaller ones in the past for a few of my friends.