<p>Huge sigh of relief (sort of…). Just returned from Mens Wearhouse, rented a black tux with vest, shirt, tie, shoes, jewelry for $80. The special they are running ($150 to buy) did not include vest, shirt or shoes, so we opted for the rental. His gf is still not sure if she really wants to go to the prom at her school anyway, so we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. He already owns a black suit, lots of shirts and ties, so I figured this was the expedient thing to do at this time. This was a spur of the moment thing today because his baseball game was rained out and the next opportunity we were going to have to shop would have been over the weekend (7 days before the prom!).</p>
<p>Notched collars are unacceptable.</p>
<p>Why are notched collars unacceptable? I think that’s what my son just rented (and a tie!). No one said anything about it in the store.</p>
<p>It is fine, doubleplay. Lots of kids wear the tie instead of the bow. And many of the tuxes are notched. I am sure your son will look very dapper and no one will comment on the notch or the tie except to say how great he looks.</p>
<p>DS rented a tux the first time. Funny fabric, didn’t fit well (tall skinny kid)…</p>
<p>Next time, he wore a black suit that he owned and that had been tailored to fit, new very nice white shirt, and a formal tie we bought for the occassion. (he went for the long tie look) Wore plain black shoes. Looked better than most kids in rentals.</p>
<p>(He checked with the girlfriend first to make sure she didn’t mind.)</p>
<p>The tuxedo my son rented for the junior prom smelled like smoke/dry cleaning solvents. We hung it outside all day and it still smelled. There was an emergency last minute run to the drugstore accompanied with his sister and her friend to choose an appropriate cologne to mask the smell!</p>
<p>Definitely recommend buying if you plan to wear it 2 or more times and if you have more or less stopped growing. We bought one at the beginning of senior year for S cause he needed it for a choir he was in as well. The pants came with a nifty “growth” feature at the waist which he hasn’t needed in almost 2 years, but it’s nice to know it’s there. He’s worn it 5 times in HS and several times at college (for performances.) </p>
<p>And for prom, many kids at our HS either get a 2nd hand tux or something more interesting–older stylish jacket, sometimes white/white or black/black jacket & shirt combinations. For prom, a traditional tux is not necessary, as long as you can carry off an alternative!</p>
<p>S#1 went to 2 proms back-to-back weekends a few years back. The rental place had a multi-prom deal for a tux with 2 shirts. He picked it all up before the first prom and returned it all after the second. It was a few years ago but I think the extra shirt charge was only about $15.</p>
<p>okay leanid - you are being ridiculous. </p>
<p>Notched lapels are perfectly fine for semi-formal attire and very commonly worn. Peaks and shawls are old school and still very lovely too. My husband has an $800 tux with notched lapels and we have attended MANY a semi-formal function where ‘captains of industry’ run amuck in their notched lapels.</p>
<p>For prom, shirts with same color ties or ties that coordinate with the date’s dress are very trendy and all the rage, so… no worries doubleplay.</p>
<p>Wish I’d thought about selling younger s’s previous tux on ebay. He wore it exactly once, to a band recital, and then broke his collarbone and <em>poof</em>- no more band recitals (then he quit band). Tried it on for this yrs prom and he looked like Steve Irkle, so he took it to his school’s consignment shop to see if some future band member (or very small prom atendee) will buy it.
Bought a new tux/shirt/tie for about $150, including alterations, at Syms. Didn’t buy the cheapest one (1/2 wool, 1/2 poly) - but the next cheapest one (100% wool). Did the same for older s and he has had several opportunities to wear it (including to a casino night event at college this year). Was definitely worth the investment.</p>
<p>OK, I’ve kept my silence long enough… For you parents of sons…just be happy you’re not buying prom dresses, matching shoes, purse, jewelry, etc. In many cases, $150 would be a steal! And–God forbid–that she’d wear last year’s prom dress again this year!!! H found a beautiful (brand-new) dress on ebay that looks wonderful on D, so I’m a happy camper this year.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom-
HAHAHAHAHA. I guess this is one of the benefits of having a son. Wait-- we get to pay for the dinner and the limo and the prom tickets and the corsages… so I think it all works out in the long run.</p>
<p>Did your dau try the dress on somewhere before ordering it off ebay? Otherwise that is a HUGE leap of faith…</p>
<p>No, we decided to take the leap. There is a charity prom dress thing here for kids in some of the underpriviledged high schools. I figured if the dress didn’t fit, we’d donate it there. Luckily, it looks awesome on her…ebay prevails again!</p>
<p>got any pictures??
I always like the dresses kids make out of duct tape to enter the duct tape contest. Such clever designs!</p>
<p><a href=“Duct Tape, Packaging Tape, Moving, Shipping | Duck Brand”>Duct Tape, Packaging Tape, Moving, Shipping | Duck Brand;
<p>(click on “table of contents” and then the 2006 winners and the best of 2001-2005)
Check out some of these outfits!! All with Duct tape!</p>
<p>D was all excited about the concept of the duct tape dress. She and bf would have been voted most-likely-to-go-to-prom-in-duct-tape, I’m sure…but then I showed her the pictures from the website…she was quite humbled and knew that was no longer an option for them. Gotta hand it to the winners, though!!!</p>
<p>S will wear his father’s shawl-collared tux to prom…I’m not sure when exactly he got to be the same size as his father, but I guess that constantly empty fridge had something to do with it. I just ordered a black tuxedo shirt and white vest and bow tie…S likes the idea of a black shirt being a little different. He’ll finally get to wear his sterling Tiffany knot cuff links that were, in his opinion, the stupidest present ever.</p>
<p>I know a girl would be more expensive, but such fun to dress!</p>
<p>idmom,</p>
<p>I am sorry your husband spent such a fortune on what really amounts to a business suit. Just because “captains of industry” (business men = business suits) wear them that does not make notched lapels correct for semi-formal wear. I am not making this up. </p>
<p>As for “old school”, I would appreciate the term not being bandied about as if it were an excuse for a “he doesn’t know what’s going on” sort of thing. “Old school” people DO know what is going on and they find it hilarious that something as simple as a dinner jacket has been bastardized into something of ridicule – notched lapels is only one example in a whole slew of tasteless “adaptations” and (ugh) “updates”.</p>
<p>Leanid,
Who cares what someone else wears? As long as he looks nice and is happy, it’s fine. Remember in the '70’s when pink and lavendar ruffled formal shirts and all kinds of weird colored tuxedos were the rage? That would have been considered “incorrect” in other decades but was fine then. I am sure that the tuxedos you consider to be “correct” now would have been considered tasteless in the 18th century!
I feel kind of silly even responding to your post, but I couldn’t help myself!</p>
<p>there is an awesome vintage shop in our town…they have a whole section of tuxes–probably used to be rentals or whatnot, but for growing boys, they make a nice alternative to renting–the price ranges from 75-150 or so…</p>
<p>about the shoes–wear your own dress black shoes if you have them. the rentals don’t look very comfortable to me!</p>