Buying a Tux

I bought my tux about 3 years ago from Charles Tyrwhitt & it is pretty good. You can probably get that done for under your $800 budget, and what I liked about the CT tux was the slimmer cut than most cheap rental tuxes.

Be careful though as they all have working buttonholes, which means you have to be close on the sleeve measurements otherwise any significant sleeve shortening has to take place at the shoulder rather than the wrist. They have good measurement charts on the website though so you can probably order the right one.

I bought my shirt @ Thomas Pink ... decent enough IIRC ... but I mostly bought it there because I was interested in their shirt studs. (CT does a double-sided shirt stud with MOP on one side and onyx on the other, but ends up being pretty bulky ... Pink studs are either MOP or onyx on one side and a thin plain silver backing on the other, so slimmer.)

I personally like like wing collars, it's a break away from the norm of turndown collars. A chance to do something different for neckwear and it is not weird with black tie.

However nobody here will probably do it.

French cuffs are key.

Originally Posted by ginghamphatts

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So should I go with French cuffs? I have yet to do these--I want to make sure the sleeves are tailored right, so will I need to consider French cuffs when I get the length tailored? I would assume.

G

Yes definitely French cuffs but all proper tuxedo shirts should have them anyway. It's a nice chance to wear cufflinks if you don't do so on an everyday basis. I would suggest getting the shirt first and wearing it when you buy your suit or have it altered, that way they can adjust the sleeves of the jacket to fit perfectly and show about 1cm of shirt cuff. The trick is of course to make sure your shirt slevves are the correct length first.

I inherited from my dad a pair of silver elastic metal sleeve garter thingies which he only used to wear with his dinner suit. Not really sure of their purpose, as if your shirt is sized correctly the sleeves will be the right length. I've never worn them but I keep them anyway for the whimsical intrigue.

I would consider JAB. I purchased their Signature PL tuxedo last month during one of (seemingly) their better sales - 50% off and second suit for $1.

It's a pretty decent tux that hits all the right marks - PL, single button, no vents, grosgrain (which I prefer over satin).

I also think they have 60% off sales semi-frequently.

Still trying to figure out where to find a pique turndown collar shirt that uses 3 studs rather than 4.

Originally Posted by Axel Ferguson

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I personally like like wing collars, it's a break away from the norm of turndown collars. A chance to do something different for neckwear and it is not weird with black tie.

However nobody here will probably do it.

Wings are correct. I prefer turndown myself.

Originally Posted by Sotiris

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Still trying to figure out where to find a pique turndown collar shirt that uses 3 studs rather than 4.
I sell such a pique tuxedo shirt for $125. I think the history behind it is that shirts used to have only three studs but stud sets were sold in sets of four with the extra as a spare, but then some fools thought that meant shirts should have four stud holes.

yes you need french cuffs.... imo

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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I sell such a pique tuxedo shirt for $125.

I think the history behind it is that shirts used to have only three studs but stud sets were sold in sets of four with the extra as a spare, but then some fools thought that meant shirts should have four stud holes.

That's great! Thank you.

Nice to hear the possible history behind the change too. I have two stud sets inherited from my grandfather, so I am very grateful for your response.

I've started looking into getting a tux for my wedding, it's still over a year away so I have time to look around, but I've grown fond of this slim shawl collar one from J. Crew. I wanted shawl to begin with, not that I don't like peak, but to me the shawl is a nice take on it IMO.

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/we...cr8YpIIPcXS32w


Anyone have experience with J. Crew tuxes? One of the reasons I was considering it aside form the fit and style was the fact that pants are purchased separately, which helps considering I usually take a 38 jacket because of my shoulders, but I'm a 28-29 in the waist, depending on the brand.

Look for the little loop under the back of the collar on the shirt. It stops your bowtie from sagging. Also, notch lapels are an abomination on tuxedos. Peak or shawl. I cut a deal with my pseudo-fiance that when we get married I can get a really nice tux. On that note, I'm curious to see how yours looks. Websites are always under perfect conditions with dudes who look nothing like real people.

I am normally a notch lapel guy, but the reason is that most peak lapels suck. I highly recommend a good peak lapel double breasted, just watch out for ones that are too wide.

Long time lurker, but I had to post this.

Go buy the JAB signature peak lapel tux in-store NOW. I picked it up today for $238.50. There is some corporate event going on today (15th) and tomorrow (16th) that has tuxedo's priced 70% off. I'm not a corporate member, but they gave me the price anyway. Even if you end up returning it...lock in the price.

Well, JAB is always having some sort of sale. The problem is that they can hardly do their "Buy 3 get 8" sale (or whatever it is) with formal wear. Gingham, Mark is completely correct about the peak lapel. It's great you decided to go that way. Wherever you get your tux from, save $100 or so for the single most important accessory you can possible get: proper tailoring. If you want your tux to look really great, make sure to take your tux to an independent tailor for proper fitting. Under no circumstances should you let the house tailor do anything whatsoever or take any of his advice. The tailors who work in-house at JAB or anywhere else are not there to make sure your tux fits you properly. They are there to help the sales person close the sale with as little trouble and expense as possible. Do not listen to a single word they say about anything. Instead, find a good alterations tailor who will give you unbiased advice about proper fit. He will make sure your new DJ is altered to actually fit you and you will, consequently, look excellent and will be within the top 5% of tuxedo-wearers even at serious black-tie events.

Originally Posted by naatkins

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I've started looking into getting a tux for my wedding, it's still over a year away so I have time to look around, but I've grown fond of this slim shawl collar one from J. Crew. I wanted shawl to begin with, not that I don't like peak, but to me the shawl is a nice take on it IMO.

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/we...cr8YpIIPcXS32w


Anyone have experience with J. Crew tuxes? One of the reasons I was considering it aside form the fit and style was the fact that pants are purchased separately, which helps considering I usually take a 38 jacket because of my shoulders, but I'm a 28-29 in the waist, depending on the brand.

It may be an OK tux, but I'd never pay $730 for it! That's only about $250 less than I spent to get one at the Zegna outlet store last month. You can most certainly do better for that money.

It is a nice looking tux, though, and were it 50-60% off, I'd say go for it.

Walking through an H&M recently, I did see some slim shawls there, though I did not check to see if all details were correct. The price, however, was under $200 for pants and jacket.