Packing a tuxedo, a business suit, and everyday clothing too

Could he possibly rent a tux there? Or would a dark suit work? Perhaps you could pack the dress items in one suitcase, check it going over, then ship it back when he's done with those items (assuming you'll be staying after the business stuff to do the touring stuff).

If it is a one time usage, then renting the Tux would be the only way to go. The cost of return shipping would exceed the cost of renting. You can do things, which we do, is to have a high quality, black leather walking shoe that would double as the dress shoe for the suit and tux. You can live without the black, shinny, tux shoe. When you say bicycling I don't know if you are including biking gear, shoes, etc., Obviously you can bicycle in standard street clothes and most European do. However, if talking about multi performances over days, then it is two bags where renting doesn't work.

Will he absolutely need a tux? The style today is less formal, you often see stars on the red carpet with something similar to my "travel tux" intstead of a full tuxedo. My "travel tux" is a black suit, well shined plain-toed black dress shoes - rather than patent leather (preferably something that can also make a decent walking shoe like a pair of Eccos), white shirt, monochrome tie in black, red, silver or gold with complementing pocket square. One or two tie and pocket square choices are normally plenty to cover formal needs. The black suit works fine for business meetings too. Add a different color shirt and a couple of matching, less formal, ties to give yourself different looks. A second business look could be to add a nice sports coat with a pair of nice slacks (mix/match with the previously mentioned shirts and ties). Use both pairs of pants and shirts as "walking around" clothes also rather than packing extra. Wear one of the coats on the plane to reduce packing.

If you wash regularly, three or four sets of socks/underwear are plenty. My socks are always identical pairs of black crew socks, cushiony enough for walking but plain enough to wear with a suit. They're identical in case I lose a sock, or two, during the trip. Right now, they're black underarmor socks in non-cotton that can be sink washed and hung dry overnight. My underwear are also underarmor (boxerjocks), they can also be sink wash/dried overnight. If the dressy shoe makes a good walking shoe, add one other pair of light casual shoes so you don't wear the same shoe all the time. A walking shoe, trail runner, or light hiking shoe is a good choice. I always test my travel shoes in the store; if they feel heavy, they're out. There are many really good shoes now that weigh about nothing. Throw in a pair of warm-up bottoms and a pair of swim trunks that can double as shorts, a rain shell, a non-bulky sweater, or two (depending on the time of year), and you'rer set. The trick for me is always to boil my pack list down to the minimum I need rather than packing an extra outfit for everything. I go further than most people because I'll always whittle down my list until it's carry-on capable - including trips where I have businesswear/tux requirements.

I will assume the tux is required for performances so the business suit can't do double duty. My husband took his dress suit to Italy on our recent trip, as we had tickets for La Scala. He packed it carefully in a packing envelope and it stayed safe and unwrinkled at the bottom of his 22" roller bag until the opera, the last night of our trip. The extra shoes went in his " one personal item" bag which is one of those accessory bags that slips over the roller bag handle. I did the same with my evening dress and shoes, and we had no trouble with carry-on for the plane and walking thru airports, train, etc. If he had needed a tux as well, that would have gone in another packing envelope, probably at the bottom of my bag. We still took trail shoes, running/hiking clothes, etc. And it all fit in the carryon size. He did take the suit jacket to a dry cleaner for a light pressing for the fold creases, as we arrived in Milan the afternoon of the opera, as there wasn't time for the fold lines to disappear from hanging.

Hey guys I'm assuming "concert performances" means that yes, a real tux is required, not a faux not-at-all-a-tux suit mean to represent the tux. In which case all the advice about how to wear completely inappropriate shoes for any formal attire is rendered useless to begin with. My advice for Laura is that packing light is a goal, but not a religion. People get by even when they have to pack more than they'd rather. Do the best you can, you'll survive. Packing envelopes seem helpful. If the suit is wrinkled, most hotels or neighborhoods will be able to quickly iron or steam it for you.

That was my assumption as well. (That the tux is essential and the suit is not an acceptable substitute.) I just hope Laura doesn't think I was pressuring her into offering to carry the tux in her bag, just because I said I would have done that for my husband. My stuff packs pretty small, and we are pretty committted to "carry on" when we fly over. But if they are willing to check a bag, both sut and tux, each in its own packing envelope, can go in a larger (24") roller bag.

Sarah may be right. My only experience comes from packing my tux (including patent leather shoes), once, and realizing I didn't really need it. A tux is now something I won't pack unless I'm absolutely certain it's required.

Thank you, all of you. Good ideas and advice. Depending on the concert requirements, we'll either pack light or pack one extra garment bag with formal clothes and check it.

Tuxes are not always required for concert performances, can you check with venue concert is at?