Berkley High’s seniors, a few hundred a year out of 1,193 students, have the prom tuxedo decision every spring, and for a Berkley senior the choice is unusually plain. A chart online, or a mirror south down Coolidge or Greenfield. The chart has never seen him. The mirror has.
What the mirror does
A consultant puts the jacket on him and looks at one thing first: whether the shoulder seam sits on the bone. If it doesn’t, the jacket comes off and the next size goes on, and the trousers are pinned to the shoes he’ll wear that night. That’s ten minutes, and it’s the difference between a tuxedo that looks rented and one that looks like his.
What the dress decides
Only the bow tie and the pocket square. The tuxedo stays black or midnight blue. Bring the photograph of the dress on his phone and the consultant holds the tie against it, which is more reliable than a color name typed into a box.
Three weeks out
Come in three weeks before prom, with the shoes. Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, hems the trousers to them, and a hem is a small job he can often do while you wait. The tuxedo goes back after the night, and a Berkley senior can return it on the way to something else.
More on tuxedo rentals, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
