Obama to Buy First Tuxedo in 15 Years For Inaguration

[ellacott]

It's been 15 years since President-elect Barack Obama has bought a new tux -- and his inauguration is the perfect time to break that string. Obama, who during the campaign touted U.S. competitiveness and decried the plight of the American worker, plans to wear a union-made tuxedo by Hart Schaffner Marx to the inaugural balls on Jan. 20, said Bruce Raynor, general president of UNITE HERE, the main apparel union, which endorsed Obama early in the primary season.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/05/obama-to-buy-first-tuxedo_n_148787.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. It's SO easy for men to buy clothes. nt

[xchrom]

3. it's EASY if they dress badly. -- pu-leez. nt

[Captain Hilts]

4. You walk into H,S&M or Brooks and say, "I need black tie/dinner jacket" and

they make a few measurements, and you might be able to walk out with one. With some altering, it can take two weeks.

One store. One hour. And you've got a suit you can wear to EVERY formal event for the next couple years.

[xchrom]

29. obviously you know very little about mens fashion. probably biased in some sense. nt

[Hippo_Tron]

30. That is if you don't care about specifics

Yes, there is the fact that you only need one Tuxedo and that women need multiple dresses. Granted depending on how many formal events you attend, you may need a white dinner jacket or perhaps even tails but I'll assume the average man does not need these.

The difference between women and men (at least American men) is that women want to be the prettiest in the room whereas men don't really care just as long as the thing fits. But for that rare man who does actually care there are many many factors that go into buying a Tuxedo.

First, what kind of jacket do you want? One button, two button, three button, double breasted? Do you want the buttons to be regular or have felt tips? Pleated pants for flat fronts (for everything but a Tuxedo flat-fronts are clearly preferred these days but both can have their advantages with a tux). Cummerbund, vest, or nothing at all? Shawl, Peak, or notched lapels? If peak or notched lapels do you want them to be glossy or match the rest of the tux. Do you want a bow-tie or a regular tie? Do you want the shirt to show the studs or the kind that hides the studs? Do you want a pleated shirt or a regular one? Do you want a winged collar or a regular collar?

I won't even go into accessories but there's a question of whether or not you want patent leather shoes or just regular black leather shoes.

While there are some general rules about which options are better it largely depends on the size and age of the man wearing the tux. The guy on the top looks like he had the guy at the store pick out his tux for him. The guy on the bottom (Yes I know he's James fucking Bond) not so much.

[Hieronymus]

36. Then, a woman should do with one black dress .. no attention to style.

[Median Democrat]

2. Good - The Tuxedo He Rented For The NY Roast Did Not Fit Well

I understand that Obama is not super rich like a lot of Senators, but the man is President, and the tuxedo he wore to the NY roast with McCain just did not fit all that well on him. Heck, Palin spent $55,000 on stylist alone. The least that Obama can do is buy a respectable tuxedo, not a rent-a-tux that looks like it was previously worn by a teenager to prom.

<>

[ellacott]

5. Yes, that was a bad fitting tux

I'm glad he chose a union tailor. He's going to need a decent tux for his future state dinners.

[Captain Hilts]

8. I used to shop at Brooks Brothers because the stuff was made in the USA...

but they've been bought a couple of times since that was the case.

They still might have some stuff made in the US.

[Captain Hilts]

9. This is a bad-fitting one on FDR:

[Captain Hilts]

10. This one fits FDR a bit better...

[ellacott]

12. You can see by the way he's being held up that he has a disablity

But I can see how the public was fooled for so long.

[Captain Hilts]

20. Tommy Qualters looks FAR too serious doing it. Now, the other photograph is VERY...

famous for a couple of reasons. It is the visit of the Richmond, VA Governors conference of 1932 attendees to the White House.

The bad blood between the Roosevelts FDR AND ER and Hoover began that night. The governors were all invited to come to the WH to be received by Hoover. The Govs and their wives all lined up in the East Room. So, Eleanor is holding up FDR. Yes, it came in very handy his wife was so big. Now, remember, FDR is not only a big guy - he's top heavy, so he would really have to hang on and would often leave bruises on the arm of whoever had been holding him up. On this occasion Hoover showed up 45 minutes late. It was an ordeal for FDR and ER. Occasionally, someone would come up and offer FDR a chair and he would, of course, decline. By the end of the evening FDR and ER looked like NBA players at the foul line. They were both bathed in sweat and were in a lather because they were so angry. From that point on, as ER remembered it, they had it out for Hoover.

The state trooper holding him up here - and it appears to be the beginning of the evening rather than the end - is Earl Miller, the fellow that is now known for being Eleanor's boyfriend. Yes, 'boy' as he was 12 years younger than she was. Go, Eleanor! but Miller was smart not to look as though he was exerting himself holding up FDR. He's also the one that orchestrated the photo-op of FDR on horseback during the '32 election.

[ellacott]

22. Thank you for the history lesson

I didn't know Eleanor had a boyfriend. :)

[Captain Hilts]

24. Oh, yeah...

[Pirate Smile]

26. I thought Dems were required to have a bad looking tux? He met the requirement.

Now he can get a good looking one - which shouldn't be hard considering who will be wearing it. ;)

[Median Democrat]

28. Just Think - Some High School Kid At A Prom Is Wearing The Tux Obama Wore

...to the Albert Smith dinner.

[Hippo_Tron]

31. That was actually white tie (tails), more formal than a tux

Most men can't justify actually buying their own tails because there are few events that are actually that formal. But the President is an exception. Obama should purchase his own tails for state dinners and such. Especially someone as skinny as him. Skinny people generally just don't look particularly good in tails and so he needs to have a set that fits him as well as possible.

[AspenRose]

6. GASP how ELITIST!!!!

:sarcasm:

[Radical Activist]

7. A union guy named Marx?

Here we go. More fodder for the talk radio crazies.

Very nice to see that he's getting a union made tux. Once again he sets a good example by living his values.

[Captain Hilts]

11. I try, t r y TRY...

to buy union-made or USA made clothes, but it's nearly impossible for women to do.

I'll get my next suit made from scratch.

[Radical Activist]

13. Cothes are very difficult.

I've gone out to buy something and given up when I couldn't find anything I wanted American made. I don't buy clothes often anymore and when I do its usually during a trip somewhere else when I know there's a certain store that has American made or fair trade and organic clothing. It's a pain in the ass but I'm too lazy to learn how to sew.

[Captain Hilts]

16. I had this expensive suit I used to wear, and with it I'd wear a BB shirt that was just...

destroyed - frayed collar, etc. to emphasize to my students that I'd wear a frayed BB shirt before I'd buy a replacement made in China. Ya gotta have standards.

I just discovered at Saks Fifth Ave. will make a shirt to order for $100. I'm going to do that because I need just one shirt where the sleeves are the right length. That's a better deal than a $65 shirt that I have to fold up the cuffs a couple of times. I'm a rower and it's hard to find women's shirts that have room for my arms, etc. By the time I do, they're huge.

[ellacott]

14. That's going to be a great looking suit

[Captain Hilts]

15. It would be if I weren't the one in it, but I noticed that...

the jacket I had made from scratch in '83 I'm still wearing.

It's better to have two good, expensive suits, than several crappy ones that don't fit right and are cheaply made.

[ellacott]

18. Very true

I used to sew a lot. I made a blazer for myself and applied a lot of tailoring skills that are used in men's clothing. It turned out very well. Many of the women's clothing is made much cheaper than men's clothing. There is no comparison in quality. Even a lot of expensive women's clothing is not made as well as some moderate priced menswear.

[Captain Hilts]

23. Men's clothes are made to last and women's to last one year.

And, yeah, men's clothes are designed to be tailored for the wearer. Women's clothes never have any spare material at the seams. Damn.

And the vast majority of women's clothes are polyester. You go into an expensive men's clothing store and it's cashmire, linen, wool, etc.

[jillan]

17. But the real question is ---

will he buy new shoes :P

[ellacott]

19. hahaha

Good question. :)

[Captain Hilts]

25. He might get the old ones re-soled!

[TrogL]

21. I've got a spare that might fit him

[FloridaJudy]

27. Unlike most guys

He'll get a lot of use out of it, so it's a wise decision.

And unlike some guys, he'll choose wisely.

[Captain Hilts]

34. Hmm...The red jacket with black pants....nt

[FloridaJudy]

35. Only if he plans to grow a mullet. eom

[Cha]

32. I'll bet he'll be

stylin', too!

This is priceless.. "Obama, who during the campaign touted U.S. competitiveness and decried the plight of the American worker, plans to wear a union-made tuxedo by Hart Schaffner Marx to the inaugural balls on Jan. 20, said Bruce Raynor, general president of UNITE HERE, the main apparel union, which endorsed Obama early in the primary season."

[Grateful for Hope]

33. This thread is making me chuckle

Obama strikes as a man who has traditionally believed that the "man makes the clothes" instead of the lore that "clothes make the man".

I think he will be absolutely and impeccably tailored for his inauguration. This occasion is, I am sure, even more important to him than it is to us.

I can't wait to see both our President and his First Lady at this event.

[FarCenter]

37. Tuxedos are so informal; shouldn't he wear morning dress to swear in and white tie at the balls?

[FrenchieCat]

38. Loving it! Thanks for the post.....

he's gonna be looking georgous!

Cause at that Alfred Smith Dinner, was the first time I had ever seen Obama wearing something ill fitting. With his phisique, it is a crime to wear ill fitting clothes.

I'm looking forward to seeing his new Tux. He's gonna be Union Sharp and makes us all proud. Yeah!