Talk of 30 Year-old Tuxedos Scares Retailers and Skeeves Consumers

By Paul Pannone

Growing discussions about the abuses of tuxedo rentals are being picked up by major news sources, raising awareness to old merchandise and the valueless products served up by unscrupulous retailers. For over a decade tuxedo rentals have fallen out of favor because of the stigma attached to them. But according to the Wall Street Journal, tuxedos may be making a comeback.

According to the WSJ story, “Tuxedo makers are updating their styles, narrowing the shoulders and other nip-tucks to make the tuxedo fit more like a suit. This, they say, can help men feel more at ease in a tux.”

The sudden talk about tuxedos coincides with eWedNewz coverage of perpetrators renting outdated merchandise, of which the worst we’ve seen is a nearly 30 year-old brand, Pierre Cardin, still advertised online. Less conspicuous but just as disturbing are names like After Six that has undergone three ownership arrangements in the past decade. The name is currently owned by Dessy Dresses.

The discussions expose tuxedo rental stores that, for whatever reason, have not invested in new merchandise. Some are still renting garments bought in the 1990′s and some still advertise styles from the 1980′s. The eWedNewz information is reaching consumers in all Social Media forums. Consumers say they’re disgusted and will be asking the age of garments when renting, from now on. The news is making guilty store owners exposed by the stories cringe, as manufacturers talk about linings with the year they are manufactured to identify how old they are.

Fashion editor dismisses Huffington Post knowledge of men’s formal wear for incorrectly calling a morning cutaway “tails”.

According to the members of the tuxedo business and other wedding industry forums, the bad rap given to tuxedos and countless stories are always featured as a way to get negative attention supported by people who have no occasion to wear them. Responding to one of the many negative stories– this one from the Huffington Post– are tuxedo people who until recently have not had anything to be proud of. For nearly a decade, tuxedos have declined in importance, following the fall from favor of the wedding business.

“I guess Mr. Bell-Pasht and the groom didn’t use a professional tuxedo specialist who rents only new styles made of quality fabrics not polyester. The specialist has the fashion expertise and knowledge to advise the groom that the outdated look that was being requested was a fashion blunder.

Many of our groom’s choose an elegant, classic style to compliment the bride dream look for himself and the other men of his party. Possibly one of the reasons that the men all match is to assure the bride that all of the men will show up dressed appropriately for the day; not looking like they may be going golfing, fishing or bar-hopping.

PS One hundred for polyester–They OVERPAID for garbage,” according to Joyce Gill of 1888mytuxes in New York.

Gill, a leader in the competitive New York market and others including Lynette Robinson in Utah, are encouraged by the growing discussions about tuxedos. Robinson is a respected veteran of the wedding industry. In her outspoken way she responded:

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Joyce. Nearly every wedding party includes a guy who would show up in jeans and a tee-shirt if left to his own devices. It also reminds us that all tuxedo shops aren’t created equal. In our shop a customer can rent our top of the line designer tuxes fitted to the customer for around $100.”

Robinson is also a member of the Wedding Water Cooler, a outspoken cross-section of wedding industry experts, including the tuxedo business. Weighing in from the cooler, Robert Brunelle of Main Street Formals in Massachusetts told eWedNewz:

“(The story is) just a pretentious bitch-session by some cheap-ass douche-bag. I bet he wears black-rimmed glasses and flip-flops. Rest assured, every time I get some prima donna who wants to wear his own [whatever], I know he’s a little twit who thinks that everyone is going to be looking at HIM. Accept the honor and responsibilities of being a groomsman like a man (i.e., with a thank-you, a smile, and your unmitigated cooperation), or simply decline and shut the %^&$ up. Or–and this is a really good way to show your appreciation for your good pal’s gesture of friendship–blog how you were humiliated by participating in his special day. What an asshole.”

Fashion expert, Jim Duhe, also a member of the WWC responded by saying:

“This story seems more like filler than a legitimate complaint about industry standards.  As we all know, powder blue tuxedos and ruffled shirts go back to the 1970′s.  However, there probably are people who would be delighted to rent them if they could find them.  Everything old is new again.

The percentage of American men who own a tuxedo is astonishingly low.  Therefore, going through the gate, you’ve got to appreciate the fact that the author of this piece is within a tiny minority of the population.  If you take a single example and position it as the norm, you’re bound to be off base.  An unbalanced opinion seldom if ever can be rationalized to suit the needs of the masses.

There’s no question that many women complain about the horrible dresses they have been forced to wear as bridesmaids.  However, this has nothing to do with the fact that beautiful, stylish bridesmaids dresses always have been available within the bridal marketplace.  In fact, many manufacturers make a point of designing gowns that can be worn again after the wedding.  Going as far back as The House of Bianchi in the 1970′s, simple linen bridesmaid dresses with tasteful bolero jackets were available through hundreds — maybe even more than a thousand retailers country-wide.  The bridal industry shouldn’t be held accountable for the fact that some women have no personal sense of style or taste.  They insist that their bridesmaids conform to their own low taste level.

So why are there so many complaints about ugly bridesmaid dresses?   Stories about practical solutions aren’t nearly as entertaining as disasters,” says Duhe.