Suit for a performing musician

[mcclurecj]

I'm a music major (piano, if you must know) in college right now and am looking to move up from a rent-a-tux to the real world of wearing a suit. Here are my concerns - concert performances demand tuxedos or, during a few less-formal recital-like performances, concert black, aka. black shirt and black pants. I'd like to maximize my value, and ideally, I'd like to invest in ONE suit that could double as a "tux" and as a black suit for future use. How do I go about this? Simply invest in a great black suit and then throw a bowtie on and call it a tux? Will that suffice?


Also, any nice recommendations for a white / black dress shirt to go alongside this ensemble?

[Ben]

just buy a tux. nothing wrong with being more dressed up at the less formal ones. Hugo Boss makes a nice price point tux\


edit: also piano is awesome. nice work, I've always wanted to play

[YackoYak]

Agree with Ben, also because a black suit sees very little use. Some people here will say they are reserved for funerals. To me, a black suit isn't as versatile as a charcoal or navy.


Peter Bailey (on this forum) got some tux advice a couple weeks back and ended up with the Hugo Boss tux that Ben mentioned.


If you're worried about not getting enough use out of it to justify the price tag (you mentioned maximizing your dollar), consider going to a men's resale/consignment shop. I bought my 100% wool tux second hand for about $150.

[Ben]

also being a musician, this is the one time I would recommend a tux over getting a navy or charcoal suit, because I know black is required for performances. just clarifying for anyone who may look at this thread later on.


I think the tux will serve its purpose for both, you can dress it down with a regular tie much easier than dressing up a suit.

[bruschetta]

mcclurecj, I am also a performing musician with degrees in music (BM, MM). A black tux will be required throughout your career. A black suit is less useful.

[YackoYak]

BTW, Jos A Bank is having a sale today for 25% off. As everyone else has pointed out, you may want to invest in something nice up front. But if you really need something to tide you over, they already have a lot of their tuxes on sale now. You can get the Traveler Tailored Fit Tuxedo with Plain Front Trousers for $225 plus minor tailoring costs at your tailor:


http://www.josbank.com/menswear/shop/Product_11001_10050_298203


I was there recently picking up some pocket squares and checked out their tuxes as well. Although it's wool you can tell (by feel/draping) that this is a cheaper tux. I don't think it's easy to tell from 3-5' away though. A bonus is that their Traveler line is stain and wrinkle resistant.

[LesserBlackDog]

If you plan to go into music professionally, or even as a part-time thing, I'd chime in with everyone else and recommend getting a tux. A suit will look somewhat out of place, especially for evening performances. I went to a college with a strong music program and I always thought it looked a little awkward when guys would wear suits for their recitals. A suit is business wear, not evening wear.

[mcclurecj]

I admit, this is the advice I expected, so I may have to bite my lip and pull out the wallet after all.


Jos A Bank is just down the street, I might have a look at that soon and hope that the sale is still going on. Of course I'll rely on the tailor for the fine tuning. My main concert is quality and price (a slim fit would be lovely, as I'm a slimmer guy.) None of that polyester BS, and under, say, 500 dollars would be ideal.


I know Joe loves Indochino, they have a tux on their website, anyone know about this?