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Tuxedo Tips and 'Tails'

Hot Tuxedo Tips, That Will Keep You Cool.

Every sport has it's drawbacks, every career choice it's downsides, every hobby has it's unexpected expenses. Why should playing a stringed instrument be any different? One of the BIGGEST discomforts, expenses, and downsides experienced by classical musicians is their concert dress, and the main culprit in particular....tuxedos.

As a woman, I may not be able to empathize with my fellow male musicians, but I can and do sympathize. Men....you have my sympathy! If I'm ever annoyed at my nylons rolling down at the waist or my high heel shoes click clacking across the stage, I only need to look at the men in tuxedos trying to get a comfortable range of bowing motion through their stiff sleeves or sweating bullets before the performance even begins and the anger I feel over my concert dress situation dissipates. I heartily applaud all men out there that perform musical instruments in a penguin suit. I do not envy you. That's not to say that I don't approve of the traditional black tuxedo concert dress. On the contrary, as an audience member I quit enjoy formal black concert wear.

While I am not a man and do not fully understand what it is like to perform in a tuxedo, there are experts out there that do understand and do specialize. These tuxedo tips are dedicated to all of my penguin-suit-wearing, melting-under-the-lights friends. Hopefully you'll find something on this page that can help you.

Tuxedo Tips

Finding a Tuxedo that fits the 'bill'.

Probably one of the biggest issues is actually finding a tuxedo, and finding one that is in your price range. Let's face it...musicians aren't the highest paid professionals. Well, the money-saving mother came out in me. I have done some price comparison shopping and came up with an affordable answer.

Buy 1 Suit, Get 1 FREE! MegaSuits.com 250x250 Megasuits sported the most affordable prices for the highest quality. Plus they always have some real perks like: FREE SHIPPING, good sale and clearance items, and a large selection of black tuxedos some of which came with a free dress shirt and tie.

Tuxedo Tips on Size and Fit.

My husband's biggest complaint when doing any shopping, especially online, is "what if it doesn't fit?" or "how do I know what size to get?" Megasuits has a pretty extensive page on sizing and measurements, complete with illustrations. Click on the picture above and find 'men suit size chart' on their left navigation bar. Here are some other simple tips that will let you know if your tux is fitting right.

  • The pants should fall someplace on the top of the shoe, and will incline downward a little at the back. Be careful though that it does not fall on the foot too much or else it will look sloppy.
  • If you are tall, take extra care to measure the length of the jacket carefully. One sign of a good fitting jacket is that the fingertips touch with the bottom of the jacket sleeve.
  • Check to make sure your suit jacket fits well enough to give you a full range of motion, both buttoned and unbuttoned.
  • Test the collar. Can you fit the finger between the collar of your shirt and your neck? If you can't fit one or you fit more then one, it is not the right size.
  • Make sure your vest buttons comfortably and hits just below the waistband of your pants.
  • A little bigger around the middle? Try wearing a lower-buttoning jacket, it will elongate and thin out your upper body.
  • The cuffs of your dress shirt should fit somewhere between the knob of your wrist and the base of your thumb.

    • Tuxedo Tips on Comfort.

  • If your arms feel too bulky in the tuxedo, wear a short sleeve shirt underneath. This will relieve some of the heat and heaviness that is sometimes associated with tuxedo's and performing.
  • If you can afford to get a tailored suit, talk to your designer about the situation. Some fine tailors have been known to make little adjustments for musicians like raising the right armhole.
  • Be conscious of the fabric you choose to play in. Tuxedo's can be hot. If a tux feels hot in the dressing room, just imagine how it will feel under the bright stage lights!

    Tuxedo Forum

    Do you have some tuxedo tricks or tips that have worked well for you, please share your ideas with all of us!

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