The invitation is for the Peninsula Grand Ballroom at the Marriott, 200 West Big Beaver, and it says black tie optional. Most men have no idea what they have just been told.
Permitted is not the same as equal
It means the hosts will be in tuxedos and you are permitted not to be. Read that carefully. The optional half is a courtesy to the man who doesn’t own one; it is not a suggestion that a dark suit is equal. If you are at the table with your own leadership, wear the tuxedo. If you are a guest of a guest, a charcoal suit with a white shirt and a dark tie is correct and nobody will look twice.
The rental that passes for owned
A tuxedo fitted in person, on our floor, with the trouser broken once on the shoe and the jacket closing without a pull, passes for owned from six feet away, which is as close as anyone at a gala gets. Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, does that fitting; the basics are often done the same day, depending on the garment and current workload.
Rent or own; either way, come in with the shoes. We are off I-696 at Greenfield.
Also for Troy: Troy High and Athens: Two Proms, the Same Sizes. More on tuxedo rentals, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
