The Black Tux Review 2024
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Whether you're getting prom ready, or planning your fit for the next wedding you're attending, buying a suit can be a challenge. Unlike the rest of your wardrobe, buying a suit oftentimes requires knowledge of a slew of different measurements to nail the fit just right. And if you have multiple weddings to attend in one season, you may not want to wear the same suit to each event. Thankfully, the ill-fitting suit rentals of yesteryear are a thing of the past. The Black Tux is an upscale suit rental service that doesn't just have an impressive array of suiting options, but also takes a lot of the guesswork out of the suit rental process.
Recently, as I prepared to attend an out-of-town wedding, I thought it was the perfect time to give The Black Tux a test drive. The brand offered to let me test out their Medium Blue Suit, which you can rent from $168, or purchase for $475.
What is The Black Tux?
The Black Tux was founded in 2013 by Patrick Coyne and Andrew Blackmon. After less-than-stellar experiences renting suits for Blackmon's wedding, the pair set out to provide an alternative to the traditional tuxedo rental process. The company makes it easy to shop for your next rental from the comfort of your home, offering a Fit Survey and detailed instructions on how to take your own measurements for an accurate fit. If you prefer to get fitted in person, The Black Tux has its own storefront in Brooklyn, NY, and has also partnered with Nordstrom to offer an in-person showroom experience at 26 locations around the country.
Suit and tuxedo rentals from The Black Tux start at $149, and prices go up when you add on elements such as shoes, dress shirts, vests, cufflinks, ties, and other accessories. Rentals are delivered up to one week before the date of your event and can be exchanged within 48 hours of receipt. After your event, you can slap the included shipping label on the box and take the package to any UPS drop-off location for easy returns.
The Black Tux rental process
Since I had easy access to their Brooklyn showroom, I popped into the shop three weeks before the wedding. There, they took quick measurements of my chest, arm length, and outseam and then brought out a sample tuxedo for me to try on. After pinning the sample into place so it would fit my body properly, I was given time to look through their many options to select the suit I wanted to wear. Since I just needed a suit and would complete the outfit with my own shoes, tie, and shirt, it was quick and painless. All-in-all, I spent about 20 minutes in the shop.
The suit was delivered to my apartment a week before my event, and thankfully it fit as I had hoped it would—though you have 48 hours from delivery to make any exchanges if the fit isn't right. The suit arrives in a black garment bag, carefully packed into a slim cardboard box that is necessary for the return. Since the wedding I attended was across the country, I'd worried that this would be an issue for the flight, but thankfully the box fit snugly into my checked luggage.
Two days after the wedding, I packed the suit back into the box it came in, attached the included shipping label, and dropped it off at the UPS store near my hotel. If you can't bear parting with your suit, The Black Tux also offers a "Rent-to-Keep program," where you can put your rental price toward the cost of purchasing the suit to own outright, but I opted to ship the suit back.
What I like about The Black Tux
They have a wide variety of color and pattern options
The first thing I noticed about The Black Tux was just how many colors, prints, and patterns they offer to their customers. They currently offer 40 different tuxedos and suits, in everything from classic black suits and midnight blue shawl collar tuxedos, to more radical options like tartan plaid suits, rose-colored tuxedos, and even a leopard print velvet tuxedo jacket. These are suits that are designed to stand out and make a statement—a stark contrast to traditional suit rental companies that often only offer options in black, navy, and white.
They have extended size options
Many popular brands—both mass market and designer—cap their suit sizes at a 46 (and even at a 44 with some high-end designers). I was thrilled to see that The Black Tux is fairly size-inclusive, with each of their jackets offered in short, regular, and extra long lengths in men's sizes 34 to 58, and pants being offered in waist measurements 28 to 54 with inseams ranging from 26 to 36-inches.
The quality is outstanding, and renting is sustainable
Renting a suit for $168 might be a steep price to pay for some, but by comparison, the cost of buying a new suit and having it tailored to fit properly can be prohibitively expensive, even running $500+ at the low end. For trendier and more colorful styles that you might only wear once or twice, it just doesn't make sense to spend a small fortune to own the suit outright. The Black Tux makes it easy to stay on trend without the commitment of a full-priced designer suit.
Even more importantly, these don't feel like your run-of-the-mill rental suits (many of which cost around the same price as a suit from The Black Tux). Their suits feel well-made, include classic design details, and the textiles feel substantial and durable.