Tuxedo Rental

[Orsini]

...Orsini, the cumberbund is not black? I have never heard such a thing...

Both Flusser and http://www.blacktieguide.com/ recommend they not match and I agree. I believe it makes you look like the maître d'. I like burgundy (an excellent color), but Vatican red and bottle green are good as well.

 

[Spatterdash]

Couple of points...

I didn't say anything was wrong with wing collars, the article I was thinking of did. I agree that the wing collars in the rental market these days are... well, eeesh, ya know?

Also, I have an off the wall example, but I just recalled where I have seen a self-made cumberbund with fringed tails - "Addams Family Values". Gomez wore one while dancing in the bistro with Morticia.
I'm glad I stick with vests/waistcoats.
My compliments to Orsini. www.blacktieguide.com is a fantastic resource and should be required reading for every gentleman - brides, too, since they make a lot of these decisions for their grooms.

 

[Orsini]

Couple of points...

I didn't say anything was wrong with wing collars, the article I was thinking of did. I agree that the wing collars in the rental market these days are... well, eeesh, ya know?

Wing collar is still OK for evening semi-formal/black tie but it is just too fiddly for me. Unfortunately, it has picked up some baggage from the abuses of the rental shops.

Also, I have an off the wall example, but I just recalled where I have seen a self-made cumberbund with fringed tails - "Addams Family Values". Gomez wore one while dancing in the bistro with Morticia.
I'm glad I stick with vests/waistcoats.

That might be good for Halloween.

My compliments to Orsini.

Thank you kindly.

www.blacktieguide.com is a fantastic resource and should be required reading for every gentleman - brides, too, since they make a lot of these decisions for their grooms.

This is really an excellent source. The gentleman who writes it is, I believe, an amateur who has really done his homework!

 

[MisterCairo]

One rents a car if need be.

One does NOT rent clothing or shoes.

Even to bowl.....

 

[John in Covina]

One does NOT rent clothing or shoes. Even to bowl.....

************
I read that good bowling shoes are also good for learning to swing dance in!

 

[Erik]

Another recommendation to purchase your own. And it isn't necessarily an expensive venture - Tuxedos can often be had for surprisingly reasonable amounts if you put the time in to find them on the clearance racks.

 

[MisterCairo]

I bought a relatively inexpensive tux several years ago while in law school (there was a ball each year). I saved rental fees three times, more than paying for the tux, shirt, tie and tabs, just in law school. A few uses since then, and I really can't complain.

It wasn't vintage, but getting a style that isn't too "in" or "now" will ensure a classic look for years to come.

I'm told one should also ensure "expandability" to extend the life of the suit, as waistlines have a habit of creeping!

 

[Orsini]

I bought a relatively inexpensive tux several years ago while in law school (there was a ball each year). I saved rental fees three times, more than paying for the tux, shirt, tie and tabs, just in law school. A few uses since then, and I really can't complain.

It wasn't vintage, but getting a style that isn't too "in" or "now" will ensure a classic look for years to come.

I'm told one should also ensure "expandability" to extend the life of the suit, as waistlines have a habit of creeping!

Just a few trips to the rental shop avoided, and you break even. And once you have your own black tie rig, you are sure to find excuses to wear it.

Here's a trick: you and your date get all gussied up in evening semi-formal/black tie and go to a nice restaurant. They will think you are either going to or coming from some posh event and are probably someone important. You will probably get a better table, better service, and be fussed over to no end. All because you dressed more nicely...

 

[de Stokesay]

Here's a trick: you and your date get all gussied up in evening semi-formal/black tie and go to a nice restaurant. They will think you are either going to or coming from some posh event and are probably someone important. You will probably get a better table, better service, and be fussed over to no end. All because you dressed more nicely...

This also works with a regular suit. When dressed casually, one often gets ignored by salespersons, waiters, &c., but if dressed in a well-cut and well-fitting suit, he will command instant respect and will receive much better service. I see this every day.

One primary thing to consider, about the original question or wedding-wear, is that it is imperative to take the dinner jacket (if that is what you are wearing to your wedding) to a proper tailor, not just an alterationist who can only shorten cuffs. Be prepared to spend some money (perhaps as much as $100) to get your new, or old, dinner suit fitted properly. Even if you own it, nothing screams rental as much as a suit that doesn't fit properly. This is because rental agencies prefer the loose fit as they can stuff a wider variety of people into the same suit without costly alterations. The result often looks like 50 lbs. of poo in a 70 lb. bag. Really, the cost of getting your suit fitted properly will make a whole world of difference, and since you are going to wear it again anyway, becomes cheaper with each additional wearing.

Finally, give your groomsmen the option of buying or renting, as they prefer, because not everyone is in the same financial position and they are doing this for you. There is no point in imposing on them too much, but since it is your (and you bride's day), you definately have the right to dictate the type of dinner jacket that they will wear.

de Stokesay

 

[hargist]

Yeah, that's what I'm doing. I decided to stick with the tux that I already have. I bought it a couple years ago and it's already altered to fit me. Plus, it has all the features I like, which is why I bought it in the first place.

I'm going to tell my groomsmen to get their tuxes wherever they want, but I'm going to lay down some rules so nobody clashes too much.

Ultimately, I like the idea of wearing my own clothes rather than some rental.

 

[Midnight Blue]

This is really an excellent source. The gentleman who writes it is, I believe, an amateur who has really done his homework!

Correct on both counts! I'm glad you like the site.

 

[Doh!]

I'm going to tell my groomsmen to get their tuxes wherever they want, but I'm going to lay down some rules so nobody clashes too much.

This won't clash with much... right? Or would tails and spats show up the groom too much?

 

[Edward]

I'm another vote for going for the 'non-matching' look for the men. I suppose to most folks it doesn't look 'costumey' especially, as for the average person nowadays all formal clothes seem costume. for me, tough, the ideal would be to have the appearance of all wearing something plucked from each person's own wardrobe to fit in with the dress code of the occasion. S'how I'd do it if ever I married, anyhow.

Using a purchased tux 3 to 4 times will pay for the tux over renting and they really don't need to be all with in a year's time. A tux depending on style can often be used for a a special evening out with your new bride or for better parties at Christmas and New Years. Also if you host a party sometimes it is a good choice, it helps your to be the Master of Ceremonies.

Absolutely.... A few years ago, I bought a dj, trosuers and shirt for twice the cost of the going rental rate. Wore it four times.... a saving of 100% of the cost of renting. The dj and trousers I wore during my university days had a similar number of outings before I outgrew them - and those cost me a grand total of GBP3 in a charity shop. Presently I most often wear an early 40s db dj and trousers, grosgrain lapels, very nice cut, purchased on ebay and tailored in to my waist for less than the price of one hiring of some nasty contemporary confection. And I absolutely agree with all who say that once you own black tie, you find occasions to wear it.... heck, I've found exactly the same thing with white tie.

The black tie ensemble you have in your wardrobe sounds excellet.

Question: I hear of so many weddings in the US where the men go black tie... is it the norm to have evening weddings over there? I don't recall a black tie wedding I've everf heard of in the UK, but that is, I believe, to do with some technical law about weddings having to be during daylight hours or some such...

 

[Lensmaster]

Question: I hear of so many weddings in the US where the men go black tie... is it the norm to have evening weddings over there? I don't recall a black tie wedding I've everf heard of in the UK, but that is, I believe, to do with some technical law about weddings having to be during daylight hours or some such...

Just because men here wear a tux at their wedding doesn't mean the event is being held in the evening...sadly.

 

[hargist]

Just because men here wear a tux at their wedding doesn't mean the event is being held in the evening...sadly.

My wedding is right on the edge of evening, at 5:00pm, so I opted for black tie.

 

[hargist]

This won't clash with much... right? Or would tails and spats show up the groom too much?

Looks good to me, except for one thing. Your lapels aren't peaked. They're notched.

Just looking out for you, Doh. You wouldn't want anyone laughing at you.

 

[hargist]

Waistcoat

I have one other question, gents. What are your opinions regarding waistcoats? I kind of like them over cummerbunds, but how necessary are they really? I think I'm definitely going with a white waistcoat with my black tux, but I was wondering what your views might be.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

My husband bought a single button tuxedo before our wedding, but also found a good price on a tailcoat only.

If you are wearing a white waistcoat, you are going with tails then?? For our quasi-Victorian style wedding, my husband wore white tie and tails (the vest fabric matched my dress, but no hat) and the groomsmen wore regular single button tuxedos and their vests matched the gals' dresses. With him in tails it made him stand out just a little bit from the other guys.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

We just learned this this year in gearing up for white tie art deco events- with a waistcoat/vest you would wear white suspenders underneath it, not a cummberbund. A cummerbund is the alternate instead of a waistcoat/vest I believe.

I have one other question, gents. What are your opinions regarding waistcoats? I kind of like them over cummerbunds, but how necessary are they really? I think I'm definitely going with a white waistcoat with my black tux, but I was wondering what your views might be.

 

[anon`]

Waistcoat or cummerbund... one or the other (but never both at once!) is absolutely required with a single-breasted jacket. I myself cannot abide the cummerbund with a black jacket since landing a wonderful three-piece ensemble about a year ago, but to each their own. White waistcoats are, in a sense, more authentic than black, as early black tie lifted many of its details from white tie dress codes, waistcoat among them. I personally would love to get my mitts on a vintage white waistcoat, but that has not yet shown itself to be in the cards, as it were.

Both are superfluous with a double-breasted jacket: you cannot see either when then jacket is buttoned, and we all know what happens if you admit to wearing a double-breasted jacket unbuttoned around here