The tux industry doesn’t care that guys are supposed to be easy.
By Courtney Danielson
Do you know how difficult it is to pick out a tuxedo?!
I (naively) assumed that it couldn’t possibly be more complex than finding the dress, which wasn’t easy for me. After all, guys are easy. And Chuck is especially low maintenance when it comes to this kind of thing. (And he looks good in everything!) A shirt, a tie, some pants — done!
But no. I was wrong.
You see, the thing about tuxedos is that there are about 18 million parts. Do you like this shirt? Awesome — but does it work with that jacket? No. How about these pants? Or these? Slim fit or regular cut? And the jacket — tails? Wide lapel? Narrow lapel? Black, grey, charcoal? Don’t forget a tie — bow tie or necktie? How about skinny? What about a cravat, since it goes with that shirt style. And the color of that tie, folks? Suspenders or a cummerbund? Neither? Both? What about a vest? Oh, and the shoes. Are they renting shoes or wearing their own? Will they be wing tip? Patent leather or matte? And socks. And pocket squares. And button cover thingies. And cuff links…it just. kept. going.
Seriously, with a dress you look at it and say, “Eh, not me,” and move on to the next. Or you add it to the pile of “maybes” or “love these.” You have a few favorites and you narrow it down. Maybe you’re picking between a couple colors (white, diamond white, ivory, champagne, blush) but at the end of the day it’s ‘does this one item look good on me?’
When we went to get Chuck fitted for his tux we were both completely overwhelmed by the choices and combinations of options. We left the shop absolutely exhausted. We were at the rental shop (we toyed with the idea of buying the tux, but seriously, when would he wear it again? Although…when will I wear my wedding gown again?) for at least two hours.
But we got it done.
I have a dress. He has a tux. Bridesmaids and groomsmen are set. Our moms have their dresses. Invitations are out.
It’s almost show time, folks!
Yes selection in tuxedo is difficult because when you go for it you need to select a proper shirt and a proper tie to look it perfect.