But I Don't Need It To Fit Under A Wetsuit

January 12, 2007 5:46 PM

I am in search of a great tuxedo shirt.

I need a new tux shirt, as my old one is sweat-stained and worn.

The shirt ought to be very traditional; French cuffs, white, tuxedo-style collar. Modern tux shirts are kind of fun, but not what I'm looking for here. Ideally, it will be of good quality (often tux shirts are really super-thin, such that when you take your jacket off, you can see your skin through the arms) and it must fit my ogreish frame: 17.5/37.

It would be fantastic if it were some sort of "tailored fit" - I am neither skinny nor fat, and dress shirts in my neck size and arm length always seem to be too billowy for me. But, this is sort of secondary; I'm willing to have a tailor alter it if need be. I'm mostly concerned about having sleeves that are long enough, and having a quality garment that I will enjoy wearing with the rest of my tux.

And, of course, it would be nice if it were reasonably priced - under $50 would be great. I realize that this may be unrealistic, but it's worth a shot. My normal go-to source for shirts would be Gap (for casual stuff and/or stuff where I'm not terribly concerned about longevity) or Land's End (for stuff where I'm not terribly concerned about "hipness"), but neither of them sell tuxedo shirts.

I bought my last tux shirt at the Men's Wearhouse, where I got the tux. It is "size XXL" which, as you could imagine, is about the least helpful thing out there. It is too short in the sleeves and the torso (comes untucked all the time), despite being enormously cut through the chest and belly.

posted by rossination to clothing, beauty, & fashion (8 comments total)

I can recommend Brooks Bros. tux shirt unreservedly for all the qualities you recommend, including accurate sizing and 17.5/37.

It's above your price range at $118, though.
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:02 PM on January 12, 2007

Ikkyu2, that is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for, except for the price, natch. Please keep the suggestions coming!

(Now I have something to save up for/lust after, though).
posted by rossination at 6:26 PM on January 12, 2007

You may want to try eBay. You can often get brand new, brand name clothes for a fraction of the retail price. And they seem to have several options in your size. A good tailor will be able to make the body fit you just right if the size is right in other areas.
posted by decathecting at 10:26 PM on January 12, 2007

If you have someone to measure you, you could try Jantzen, though not if you have a deadline. Made to measure, and fits your budget.

Apart from the wait, people seem to like them.
posted by SoftRain at 12:11 AM on January 13, 2007

I wouldn't go with Jantzen for a single shirt. I've never seen anyone who got a wearable shirt on the first try, even with a tailor taking measurements and sending Ricky a favorite shirt to measure himself (which he returns, mind you.) It always takes a few iterations before the measurements are "on", after which you've got a source of cheap shirts for life, though. So it's not really cheap if you only want one shirt because of the startup costs.

And note that "though not if you have a deadline" is really more like "though not if you mind wondering if you'll ever get your shirt, and why Ricky isn't replying to any of your email, until one day you'll notice your credit card got charged and your shirts will miraculously appear in the mail a couple days later".

Alternatively, the folks on Ask Andy would probably have specific recommendations for you if nothing comes through here.
posted by mendel at 8:10 AM on January 13, 2007

check out some outlet malls in your area, they may have a Brooks Brothers store. I'd advise you to get a shirt from Thomas Pink but they're out of your price range, too (they'll probably last twice as long, though). and please consider losing the wing collar, it's more of a white tie thing, it looks way too stiff on a simple tuxedo
posted by matteo at 10:51 AM on January 13, 2007

Pink makes wonderful shirts but they have weird sizes. My arms happen to fall between two of their sizes, which given how common I am (17/33) you'd think wouldn't be possible.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:42 PM on January 13, 2007

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

I'd consider it, matteo, but I am a musician and the tux is mostly for stuff like, you know, playing in snooty orchestra concerts and what have you.
posted by rossination at 6:11 PM on January 13, 2007