The Prom Upgrade

I had a reader recently contact me in need of a little prom help. He wanted to look as tailored and polished as Bond did in the recent flick sporting the amazing, but not high-schooler affordable, navy tuxedo by Tom Ford. Remembering how ridiculous I looked at my prom in my oversized tuxedo, I knew I had to help so I went to work on the search for some affordable tuxedo and suit options that cost the same or less than a rental. Plus, all these options you get to keep! Trust me, once you have a tuxedo in your closet, you will find somewhere to wear it to on a regular basis! "If you build it, they will come."

First stop, and possibly your last, ASOS online shop… this ultra-affordable brand has an entire men’s prom options page! They are a one stop shop for those fellas that want to look extra stylish for their prom or really for any black tie dress code event. Depending on how adventurous you want to get, they have some pretty great tuxedos in various shades. Full tuxedo looks range in price depending on the style. There are some higher end options for those guys that have a little extra dough to spend but are still some really great options for less than $200 or less than $60 for just the jacket which is what always costs the most. Plus you can use the jacket on repeat for all kinds of fun events or random nights on the town. This online shop even has all the accessories you might need for the big night… belts, shoes, bow-tie options, cufflinks, etc.

Next stop, HM of course. This store is quickly expanding to bring some pretty stylish basics for the price conscious shopper. With a little tailoring, you can find a great affordable suit or tuxedo for less than $200! This store is a given that I’m sure most of you guys already know to check out so not much explanation to do here. Just do the extra leg work and take the jacket to the tailor for that perfect fit! Below is a great prom option for spring. Throw on a cool bow-tie and some shiny cap-toe shoes for a cool vintage look. 

Finally, if you're like me, concentrate on the most important piece - the tuxedo jacket. Spend most of your dough on getting a great jacket and everything else will look amazing. Slacks are slacks, no one is going to come up to you and ask where you got your pants... unless they are hideous and they want to know which brand to avoid! My go-to for affordable suit and tuxedo jackets is always Topman. They have the best fitting jackets, especially for thinner guys. Their tailoring is perfect so you won't have to take it in and spend extra time and money on that part of the formal prep! Just make sure the jacket makes a cool statement with some great styling: pocket square, cool bow-tie, or even just a great patterned shirt, buttoned all the way to the top without a tie [try a cool polka-dot shirt!]... try one of these jackets below:

Just remember fellas, these prom pictures will come back to haunt you for the rest of your life!! Make sure you spend a little time and make those pictures count. Trust me from experience. Man I thought I looked so cool in that metallic pink vest and tie that matched my dates dress! 

[picture/evidence would be pasted here but was destroyed in a mysterious house fire where only that one picture was torn, I mean burned, to ashes!]