Costumers? Buying/Dyeing a tux? Help me get this right.
July 13, 2015 7:57 AM   Subscribe

To start, I have a budget of about $250USD +/-. I need a hunter green tuxedo with tails, jacket and pants, matching. I cannot find one online at any price.

So, I have fallen back to potentially purchasing a white tuxedo and dyeing it. I do not want to screw this up. I know Dharma Trading Company has dyes that will dye polyester, but it needs to be boiled and I'm not entirely sure that I can boil a tuxedo without ruining it. Also, it needs to be dark hunter green - not avocado or kelly green.

Is there somewhere I can have it dyed for me? I'm in the Los Angeles area.

I am certainly still willing to purchase if anyone has a lead on where I might get one and I could definitely purchase fabric.

Help me make this happen by September 30th without throwing out a perfectly good tuxedo.
posted by Sophie1 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)
 
Is it for a costume, or for regular garment usage? If the former, I'd think fabric paint might be a more reliable way to get a uniform green exterior on a structured polyester garment.
posted by Bardolph at 8:08 AM on July 13, 2015


Was about to ask the same thing. There are fabric spray paints (mostly for upholstery, to give you some idea of the expected substrate and outcome) that could give you even results, with some careful taping and masking if there's any fancy trim or stuff. If it's for the stage, Krylon promotes their regular spray paints for use on fabric. I would not want to wear something that was coated with either for extended periods though.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:18 AM on July 13, 2015


Brothers Dye House will do individual garments, but it might be easier to just have someone make the outfit. There's lots of places in the garment district that will make this for you.
(Hint--tails are morning coats or cutaways, not tuxedos.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:19 AM on July 13, 2015 [4 favorites]


Response by poster: This is for a costume, but it should be wearable and look fabric textured up close.

Thanks for the terminology, Ideefixe. Very helpful.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:28 AM on July 13, 2015


Best answer: Hmm, I didn't think you could get something custom made on your budget but upon further googling, Tuxedo Wholesaler seems like they might be exactly what you need. Says they'll build to order from your fabric or theirs and there are hunter green options on their fabrics page.

I think the fabric spray paint would still be a good cheap backup plan. Just go really slow and use several light coats to keep the stiff and gloppy down.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:56 AM on July 13, 2015 [2 favorites]


I would be concerned that the satin trim on a tuxedo would respond differently to dye/paint than the bulk of the fabric so I wouldn't attempt to dye a complete tuxedo unless that's already your expertise. I suppose a professional dye shop might have easier solutions for that problem, or dyes on hand that would result in the same color in two different fabrics, but since you're risk averse, it seems like professionals (or avoiding the problem altogether) are a better choice. I'd imagine that a professional job would include unmaking the various pieces, dying them separately, and then reassembling them, by which time you might as well order a custom tuxedo from somebody like the link above.

And speaking from experience: painted fabric transfers its color to everything that rubs against it. If you need the clothing to, well, not look painted, have it made with pre-dyed fabric. Otherwise you'll end up with color rubbed off the collar and cuffs and onto the shirt worn underneath. At stage distances it usually doesn't matter, but up close it totally shows.
posted by fedward at 9:09 AM on July 13, 2015


Response by poster: Within one hour this was resolved. Yeahlikethat - I called and they are perfectly willing to do far more than I even expected. Woo!
posted by Sophie1 at 9:11 AM on July 13, 2015


Response by poster: RESOLVED IN FULL. The costume arrived this weekend and is perfect. Highly recommend!
posted by Sophie1 at 9:27 AM on August 24, 2015


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