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- I had to attend a black-tie wedding this June, so I decided to rent my tuxedo through The Black Tux. Prices start at $95 with free delivery and returns, and you can go through the whole rental process online, or head to one of the showrooms or select Nordstrom stores across the country.
- Your order is delivered 14 days before your event, and you’ll have 48 hours after receiving the order to try on the outfit and notify customer service of any issues.
- The brand also provides a garment bag to travel with your outfit easier, as well as all the materials to ship everything back after you wear it.
- My rental included a three-piece tux, shoes, and all the accessories for around $200, and I’d recommend it to anyone who needs an outfit for a formal occasion.
As an avid podcast listener, I’ve been inundated with advertisements for The Black Tux for a few years. People like The Ringer’s Bill Simmons to Earwolf’s Paul Scheer have all raved about how easy it makes the tuxedo rental process, helping customers find an outfit without having to deal with the awkward poking and prodding of a tailor.
I attended a black-tie wedding this June, and the podcast ads worked — I finally had a chance to try out The Black Tux.
While prices are in the same range as standard brick-and-mortar rental stores with base prices starting at $95, the convenience of completing the entire process online was especially intriguing. Plus, it had a curated collection of outfits that alleviated the normal stresses of shopping for formalwear.
There’s an option to go through the quiz and ordering process online or at any of the 25+ showrooms at standalone shops or at Nordstrom stores across the country or you can do a mix of both, which is what I did.
Read more: 9 places to shop for formal menswear — from custom tuxedos to monogrammed socks
The in-store experience
I visited The Black Tux’s NYC showroom to take the quiz and get a better sense of my size, but I did all the actual ordering on the brand’s website.
At the showroom, I went through the usual series of questions about my measurements and style preferences, and the website suggested sizes for the different parts of the tux. There are some weirdly specific questions like neck size and arm length, which I was unable to answer.
The questionnaire results were mostly right, but there were a few sizing discrepancies once I tried on pieces. The prescribed jacket size was slightly larger than my actual size, so Channa, the associate at the store, picked out a few different options for me to try on as well.
While being in a store for a proper fitting with an associate is helpful, the issue could’ve been solved if I’d taken measurements before completing the questionnaire so I could’ve filled it out more accurately. That being said, the brand offers $15 credit for alterations if there are minor fixes without having to send the whole package back — as long as you don’t get rid of any of the garment’s fabric.
Also, if there are slight adjustments that you need to make to your order before it arrives, you can call customer service and it’ll most likely be able to take care of your issue.
I was just attending a black-tie wedding and needed to take care of my own outfit, but if you’re a groom, you can set up a group order for your groomsmen and choose what you want them to wear. This way, a rogue groomsman won’t show up to your wedding in a multicolored Austin Powers-esque monstrosity.
The in-store fitting experience
The Black Tux fitting experience was incredibly easy and helpful.
I normally get very nervous about purchasing and picking out outfits for formal events without guidance from my girlfriend or parents, but the associate who assisted me was very helpful.
She let me try on all the styles I’d wanted, and beyond just blindly handing out compliments, Channa actually helped me make decisions about which styles to scrap, which to keep, and which ones to mix and match based on my personal style. It ultimately made me feel more confident wearing the tux.
She also gave me advice on things I had no idea about, like collar extenders and shirt stays, without making me feel like the complete novice I actually am. Additionally, she helped me realize I needed to shorten the length of my pant legs and shirt sleeves, and quickly added those notes into my profile.
In the end, I ended up going with a three-piece tux with a vest, shirt, pants, and all the accessories for around $200.
If you really have no idea about what you want for your tuxedo or the right sizes, visiting the store is probably the best option to achieve your desired look and fit. I walked out of the showroom feeling confident that I would look great for the wedding I was attending.
Read more: This startup is the easiest way I’ve found to rent a tuxedo for any event
The home try-on
The box arrived a full 17 days before the wedding. According to the brand, you can expect to receive your outfit 14 days before your event, so this was a nice surprise.
When I opened the box, everything was in its own labeled package, fit perfectly, and felt high quality. However, there was a slight shipping mishap — I had ordered a wing-tip collar shirt, but the shirt I received had a standard collar.
While I personally didn’t mind sticking with the standard collar, I reached out to the brand to see how it would handle the issue, and it ensured me that it would overnight the wing-tip collar shirt and I could send the standard one back in the pre-labeled package.
Wearing the tux
I flew from New York to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the wedding, and it was easy to fold the provided garment bag in half and stow it at the bottom of my Eagle Creek duffel. When the tux, vest, shirt, and pants emerged from my bag hours later, they were wrinkle-free.
At the wedding, I felt very confident in my entire outfit and received many compliments from my extremely-biased mom and girlfriend. I also got some compliments from a couple of less-biased buddies about the tuxedo.
It was a particularly hot evening in Ann Arbor, but my tux fit well so I wasn’t too constrained or drenched in sweat by the end of the party — that wasn’t for lack of busting several moves on the dance floor either. The shoes weren’t especially comfortable (many dress shoes aren’t), but I emerged from the party without any blisters or noticeable soreness.
Returning the tux
I got an email the day after the event with detailed instructions regarding how to return the package.
In the original package with the outfit, the brand provides a return shipping label and packing tape. Everything fit inside the box easily, and thankfully, The Black Tux asks that you don’t include your socks in the return package —which is nice knowing that you aren’t wearing someone else’s sweaty socks to your event.
All I had to do was bring the box to a FedEx dropoff point, but if there isn’t one near you, you can schedule for a FedEx pickup. You have to return the package within three days following your event, though a call to customer care should do the trick if you need more time.
The bottom line
Ultimately, The Black Tux made figuring out my outfit supremely easy. The associates I worked with were knowledgeable and helpful, and made me feel confident renting — and wearing — a tux.
I liked that I was able to complete the whole process online, and being able to return the package to my closest FedEx dropoff point was a huge bonus. I had friends who had to make more of an effort to return their tuxes to the physical store they rented from — and within a shorter window of time too.
My entire outfit — which included a tux jacket, vest, shirt, bowtie, cufflinks, pants, socks, a pocket square, and shoes — was around $200, including tax and a $5 damage waiver fee. This is pretty reasonable for so many high-quality pieces.
If you have a preferred tux or suit style and know your measurements, the online-only route should serve your needs perfectly. But if you’re looking for more guidance or are unsure of what sizes may fit you best, I’d recommend going into a store and working with an associate to find the look that works for you. Either way, I’d recommend The Black Tux for your next formal event.
Visit The Black Tux to rent a tuxedo or suit starting at $95
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Source: Business Insider – dbakst@businessinsider.com (Danny Bakst)