I bought what I think is all the duct tape I needed last night. Got a 12 in. x 30 ft. box of big tape (silver), two rolls of 1.9 in. x 60 yds. (silver), two rolls of 1.9 in. x 60 yds. (white), a roll of 1.9 in. x 20 yds. (red), as well as a multi-color pack of electrical tape in case I need some color accents. Add in my anticipated cost of candy, and I’ll have myself a duct tape and candy tuxedo for under 80 bucks. A bargain at twice the price!!
I’m thinking of buying a used suit from the thrift store for 20 bucks to take apart at the seams and use as a pattern. So…$100. About what it would cost (I think) for renting an entry-level bland and boring tuxedo. Plus I can keep mine for future re-use. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve wished I’d had a duct tape and candy tuxedo on hand!!
Wow, I bet this suit is going to be sweltering hot to wear – duct tape doesn’t exactly breathe. You’re going to be stylin’, though.
Amusing Anecdote: Back in the seventies, my dad’s company was going to have a black-tie event. After the announcement, he overheard some smartass say, “Betcha Smith wears blue jeans!” Now, my mom ran a fabric store at the time and one of her best friends was a seamstress; dad went to them, and in time for the event he had a light-blue brushed-denim tuxedo, with the pant-leg stripes and the lapels done in darker blue denim. The look on the smartass’s face, according to dad, was worth the effort.
How are you planning on attaching your panels to each other? I’m not sure sewing them would work (gum up the needle, you betcha!)…are you going to duct tape them to each other? Glue?
Why, I’ll tape them together, of course! The only thing besides tape and candy I intend to be used in the construction will be a bit of string to sew on the buttons. Which I hope will also be jujubes. But I may have to use real buttons, covered in duct tape (to match color, of course) if the jubes are not sturdy enough.
I’m anticipating some serious hotness. I’ve thought of slicing out strips of the back “fabric”, and then cover the back with duct tape “feathers” that attached at just one corner and overlap, so as to cover the fabric. Don’t know how feasible this is, or how time consuming.
Wow, you’re right. The 12" duct tape sheets (I had no idea such a thing existed!) and the Green Goblin (not to mention the lubrication) probably took days, not hours, off your project.
I’m a pretty bad seamstress - meaning I sew stuff, but spend about 1/4 of my time ripping stuff out, and I can rip about 3 inches of good quality seamwork a minute. That’d be a couple of days just to take apart the suit for a pattern. The Green Goblin was definitely the way to go!
Thanks!! I’m actually pretty pleased with how it’s coming out so far. I’m considering seeing if I can find some miracle chamois stuff at Walmart or similar to line it with. It won’t be any less hot, but at least all my sweat will have somewhere to go!
Thought I’d drop back by your album to see how you’re coming along on your tux, and it looks GREAT! Can’t wait to see the finished result. (nice heart!)
Thanks DWD! Thank you very much for the idea. That worked out perfectly. We really were the toast of the party. All in, it took about $75 to $100 in supplies, and somewhere between 35 and 45 hours of sweat equity. I’m bloody exhausted, and it’s not just because I had more than my fair share of spiced rum last night! It definitely was a hoot to do. But I’d better start thinking now…what the hell am I going to wear next year in order to top it.
You know, I might do the same thing again, but with a different design. Why not, I say!
I forgot to add…surprisingly, it wasn’t anywhere near as hot as I expected it to be! And I’m a sweater on the dance floor at the best of times! I even danced in my coat for quite a while. It helped that they had two big fans facing the dance floor. But still!
