On Prom Night, "Nothing Beats" a Tuxedo

From the plain black tie to something a little flashier, Carlos Rosario of Dante Zeller Tuxedo Menswear has seen it all.

With many high schools already in — or gearing up — for prom season, young men looking to impress will be going to stores like the Dante Zeller on Bloomfield Avenue looking for the right suit or tuxedo.

Rosario, a managing partner of Dante Zeller, said the slimmer fit look is in style. He cited new styles from popular designers including Ralph Lauren and Joseph Abboud. He said his store also carries the “Situation Avalon” tuxedo, named after one of the stars of Jersey Shore, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

Asked who or what sets the styles young men want to emulate, Rosario said: “It’s a trickle-down effect. It goes from if you see a Kanye West wearing a certain style or someone who's popular with style with the young crowd, the kids are going to come in looking for something similar to what he had on.”

Though tastes and styles might change over the years, young men today are choosing tuxedos when going to the prom.

“They still go with the formal look because nothing beats a tuxedo. Nothing is as dressy as a tuxedo,” Rosario said.

The color of the man’s outfit will always follow the color of his prom date’s dress, Rosario said. When coming in to pick out a suit or tuxedo, Rosario’s advice is to bring either a photograph of his prom date’s dress or a piece of the fabric of the dress.

Stores aim to please, even if the request is out of the ordinary. Rosario said a man called recently asking for a tuxedo with a floral pattern on the jacket.

As for Dante Zeller itself, the Verona location at 65 Bloomfield Ave. has been in business in town for more than 50 years. Overall, there are more than 22 Dante Zeller stores in New Jersey and New York.

For people in this kind of work, this is their busiest time. “Our business almost triples and quadruples this time of the year in the months of May and June,” Rosario said.

He noted not only is it prom season, but it’s also around the time when people are getting married.

Rosario felt it was too soon to say if business was up or down compared to last year at this time.

“It’s still a little bit too early to tell how we’re going to end up,” he said. “It’s kind of like predicting a season in the middle of it.”