First Tuxedo

[TaylorBee]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some advice on the route to take for my first tuxedo (RTW, MTM, Bespoke).

Context: My fiancé's sister's wedding is in late March, so that's the ideal time line. I will be getting married in October, and I would like the tuxedo to work for both occasions. I'm an early-career academic, so my budget is very strict. But I care deeply about quality clothing—I'm willing to spend as much as I can, given my limited resources.

Me, in terms of fit: I'm not tall (5'8"), and I have a longer torso which translates to short legs. My inseam is 29". I have a 40" chest and a 29-30" waist, depending on my activity level at a given moment. I have shorter arms; off-the-rack shirts, regardless of style, that fit well in the neck (15.5"), chest, and waist invariably have sleeves that hang down to my knuckles.

Me, in terms of style: I am style-forward, but generally not trendy, and a lover of the classics. For a tux, my ideal would be something that is timeless and not trendy but is still very cool and not stuffy.

A final note: I live in Columbia, SC, USA. We have some decent tailors and a Tom Jones, who my future father-in-law swears by, but very little else. Charlotte, Charleston, and Atlanta are all drivable for an in person fitting if necessary.

[unavaughan]

It's good that you are getting ready in advance. At my cousin's wedding, I thought that it was plenty of time and that picking a tuxedo was not such a big deal, not like a wedding dress for a girl. But I was wrong.