M
mfad17mo ago
duke

need tux for wedding, brand rec

Should have bought one years ago instead of renting 4-5x from TheBlackTux. Looking for a decent tux don’t want to spend a ton. This one comes to $715 after 20% sale. Any reason not to go with this brand? Any better options at this price point? https://www.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/hart-schaffner-marx-regular-fit-tuxedo?ID=1723005&CategoryID=3864 Edit: realized this one is notch lapel, which I think I don’t want? The better looking option is peak?
23 Replies
mattw2
mattw217mo ago
If you're time rich and are confident in your measurements buy a second hand one.
duke
duke17mo ago
Unfortunately not time rich… though I would have been open to 2nd hand. Didn’t find any on eBay in my size.
Bigelow
Bigelow17mo ago
Notch lapel tux is meh, go for peak or shawl How much time do you have before the wedding
duke
duke17mo ago
I have just a few weeks. After I posted that link I realized it was notch. Think I would prefer peak. Maybe I could get rush shipping from spier.
Chuckflowers
Chuckflowers17mo ago
I have the spier one and it’s great tbh, but a 40 contemporary jacket fits me perfectly. Only complaint is always the pants are a bit slim I will mention that buying a tux is really expensive and you should only do it if you have 3 black tie events this year or two including your own wedding AND you already have a suit you like Cause you also need (if you want nice stuff) tuxedo shirt - $100 proper cloth Black patent leather shoes - $300 Allen edmonds Studs and cuff links - $100 Cumberbund - $100 J Press (this one is soooo nice, genuinely feels good) Black silk tie - $50 - $100 Kent Wang/J Press/BB/Etc Would call it probably $1100 all in on the tux
duke
duke17mo ago
While I’m getting older and # of wedding I’ll have is decreasing. But I have two events this year one is black tie, other is optional. So I figured that would make it worthwhile. I already own fairly nice: two tux shirts, studs/links, two black bow ties. I would need shoes.. I already have three suits that I like.
Bigelow
Bigelow17mo ago
you can get away with well-shined black oxfords if you don't want to buy patent shoes
Chuckflowers
Chuckflowers17mo ago
Since you’re halfway there, I’d do it Used AE oxfords or opera slippers are easy to find on eBay Many folks have asked me if they should buy for myself wedding and I have gone from yes lemme send you stuff, to just rent one. But you’re way farther along
Capitan_scarlett
Capitan_scarlett17mo ago
if you are in london have a look in hornets kensignton, they have a lot of gorgeous pieces in there
duke
duke17mo ago
Im in Washington DC, but thanks! I’ll probably buy a pair of Allen Edmonds oxfords, shine em up
gimp
gimp17mo ago
I firmly rate notches in last place but they have been popular at times. I'll drop my long response when I'm at a computer
Spaaaaaaaaaaaace
Spaaaaaaaaaaaace17mo ago
I would echo spier mackay if you are on a budget. Measure yourself and look at their measurements.
pumaturtle
pumaturtle17mo ago
Hart Schaffner and max is pretty shit, I’d also go with Spier contemporary for Fit*
duke
duke17mo ago
Given the short time, found a place to rent one for $180. And then I can wait until spier has my size in stock and it’ll still end up costing less than that hart Schaffer..
gimp
gimp17mo ago
Okay finally at a computer. The HSM tux is one of those things we complain about: someone took a black suit and added lapel facings. Note all the standard suit bits: notch lapels, two button stance (ie, there would usually be a second button in line with the pockets or a bit lower, they just removed it but didn't change the button stance at all), dual vents, flap pockets. Cannot tell from photos but suspect the pockets aren't right either and doubt there's buttons for braces. Regardless of construction quality or wool quality, it's very clearly just a black suit with lapel facings. Wrong cut, wrong silhouette, wrong details. Cannot recommend
gimp
gimp17mo ago
Here's a thing I wrote up. I don't claim to be an expert, but I tried to collect the myriad disparate bits and pieces that people like, including most common and some less common variations, into one beginner guide.
duke
duke17mo ago
Reading through this now. Thank you!
HaveanA1day
HaveanA1day17mo ago
I would strongly suggest looking at eBay for used ones. Tuxedos are some of the best items to buy used since they are unlikely to be heavily used. For shoes, I got the AE Carlyle, not patent leather. Just as good for black tie or job interview: https://www.allenedmonds.com/product/mens-carlyle-plain-toe-oxford-dress-shoe-3022770
gimp
gimp17mo ago
Very personal-opinion, but I am not a huge fan of patent oxfords. I prefer black calf, either plain toe or cap toe, shined. But if you want them, my 1c is: Ironically, patent oxfords are the one shoe where I might possibly recommend a cheaper, cemented shoe, for the following reasons: - You are unlikely to walk much in these, so there is much less need for long term durable construction. - A cemented sole can be significantly slimmer, which may match the elegance of the shoe and intent better. - Patent leather is virtually all cheap plastic junky leather, so it seems almost a waste to spend money on better variants of the same crap. (In the old days, they used to make patent leather with a time-intensive process and it looked great, but I don't know a single maker offering that today, except maybe bespoke at a high price point. Everyone else just uses the plastic stuff...) - Save yoself some money, assuming you can find a shoe that looks good and fits well.
HaveanA1day
HaveanA1day17mo ago
I don't think cap-toe is well-suited for black tie. To be clear, the one I linked is not patent leather.
gimp
gimp17mo ago
Yes I saw what you linked, it's a good setup. On the first point, tons of people think cap toe is perfectly good for black tie. (To be clear, I mean people who actually go to these events regularly, own multiple tuxes, etc.) It's a point of contention and debate, which mostly tells me that you can do it and almost nobody will care except (a subset of) a subset of clothing nerds. Regarding second-hand: I am a 36R that is reasonably easy to fit, a lot of stuff off-the-rack fits me decently well with only modest tailoring. I spent probably six months trying to find a second-hand tux on ebay and other places. Virtually everything I found was, either: wrong cut, wrong details, notch lapels (sorry), annoying fit incompatibilities, or just simply not the right size. Or occasionally perfect size and details but had damage / wear not worth trying to fix, or occasionally perfect in all ways other than being so expensive as to not make it worth it. I did find formal trousers after a few months that fit decently, and got tailored to fit better. Of course, very shortly after I committed to having one made, I got not one but two jackets in the same week. But my point here is that you have to wade through a sea of inadequate stuff to get a good one, which is pretty much always the case, but usually when shopping second-hand you're open to a great many possibilities and your odds of finding something you like within a week or a month are much better, versus wanting a very specific thing which can take a while. Other people have echoed fairly similar experiences, where they said it took months to find a good tux or separates, and then of course there's shipping, alterations, maybe a second round of alterations, and if you're unlucky it's a bust and you have to try again. In other words: budget time for it.
HaveanA1day
HaveanA1day17mo ago
To me, cap-toe strikes me as business, defeating the purpose of black tie. Similar to tuxedos with notch lapels. As for patent leather, I just cannot imagine wearing it with anything other than black tie and am reluctant to buy shoes that I can only wear for such events.
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