Penguin Formal Wear

Mercedes makes you feel welcome the moment you walk in her door. She has an eye for a great fit and her alterations are perfect. My son needed a tux for a few high school events, instead of re-​fitting him each visit, she kept the tux in the back with his name on it. All I had to do was walk in and she handed me his garmet bag all ready to go. That’s amazing service. Her prices are the best in town. She is a hometown hero!

Mercedes was a delight to work with. She has a good eye, had funny stories to tell, and while she didn’t have anything in the store for us that we felt would fit for my groomsmen and I, she helped us pick the perfect tuxes from her catalogue.
She had to do a couple of last minute alterations for me and one of my groomsmen, and did so quickly and skillfully. I’ll definitely be coming back here next time I need a suit or tux rental!

We are from out of town and due to some car rental issues, could not get tuxes at the place we originally planned to get them from. We googled the nearest rental and give Mercedes a call. $ 100 for same day tux. She was awesome and had tuxes as promised. She measured the guys and after a few alterations, had them out the door in less than 1 hour.

Live in the area but have never tried this place. Son needed a tux for a debutant ball and Penguin formal wear was on the list. mercades ws great! I had requested a special shirt my son was required to wear and she made sure to order it. This business is family owned and they could not have been nicer. We’ll be back!

Wow! Wow! Wow! Mercedes, where have you’ve been all my life?! I had less than 19 hours to rent and fit a tux for a performance in Bakersfield. All the other tux shops were snooty and refused to help. I called Mercedes (my first time) 90 minutes before she closed and she not only found a tux in my size but she fitted me and did the alterations while I waited! Not only that, I rented an all white tux and I was a hit. I’ve rented from her twice in the last month, and both times have been a positive and happy experience. I wish everyone in retail were as helpful and professional as Mercedes.
The second time the pants had to be to an exact specification for the performance. She nailed it.
A class act all the way. Thanx Mercedes, can’t wait for the next gig.
BTW, it’s best to call and talk to her before before you go to her shop to make sure she’s there. Best to let her know your coming. If you do come by and see her store closed check next door where her better half runs the vacuum shop. She’s sometimes in there.

This has been a disappointment overall.
Here’s why:
Mercedes, the store owner, is a nice lady. Great attitude. She’ll make clear that she will do her best to make you happy. Got it.
She’ll measure/​fit you within 10 – 15 minutes. Great.
She doesn’t have the best selection in the world, but the suit I was looking for just happened to be in her store. Awesome.
Picked out a tie, was told that everything is in the package. Cool.
A few weeks later, got my groomsmen fitted in less than 20 minutes. Nice.
This is where it got bad:
Picked up the tuxedos, opened them up to find that the tie colors were swapped (only my tie was supposed to be a certain color, but the groomsmen had that color and I had their assigned color).
Called Mercedes and she told me that she followed the order. Told her she was wrong. She attempted to correct it, and said she got it. BUT. SHE WANTED ME TO PICK IT UP AGAIN THE NIGHT BEFORE because it was out of HER way.
No.
Had to talk with her for a while until I finally convinced her to deliver it. I was in Long Beach. She was in Pasadena. No. Seemed like she wasn’t having it, either. She patched me to some guy who seemed annoyed and told me that they were going to deliver it.
I told them to deliver by 2pm to my wedding coordinator. What happens? We get it at 10AM and they didn’t even give it to the right person! They gave to the front desk person who has no idea what to do with them!
It just so happens that my coordinator got there a little earlier and confirmed with me… that… IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I GOT THE FIRST TIME!!! IT WAS STILL THE WRONG ORDER!!!
I called Mercedes and she tried to blame it on me for getting it wrong. I wasn’t having it. I’m about to get married in a couple hours at that time.
She said she’ll fix it, but that someone would have to drive ALL THE WAY UP TO PASADENA TO PICK IT UP.
Let me get one thing straight: if a store messes up your order, they are obliged to fix it. Traveling is something they must feel the need to make up for.
By this point the wedding party was very disappointed and we just went with what we had. My bride’s friend actually drove to pick them up, only to end up attending the wedding after it had begun.
I did not want to talk about this on the day of my wedding, but I did.
This was terrible.
And yes, you see all these ratings, and I don’t doubt that she did a good job.
She just didn’t do a good job with me.
Beware of getting your suits for your big day… from her.
End of story.

Mercedes did a wonderful job on short notice and had me fitted and looking great in less than 20 minutes !

This is the place to go if you need a tux! Mercedes is excellent and will find you the perfect fit.

I’m back to brag about Mercedes! Last time she helped us hem our curtains and this time she tailored a dress to fit me for Halloween. Super fast and very talented. Thanks again! We feel really fortunate to have you in our neighborhood!

Mercedes is the best! Got invited to a black tie event one day before the Saturday event. Panicking, I used Unilocal to find this place fairly close to home. Called and Mercedes said she could do same day no problem. Showed up at noon and she had me out the door within 20 – 30 minutes looking like a million bucks!
Side note: The shoes were not as nice, so I opted to buy my own that day. After I returned my Tux, Mercedes said she decided to buy nicer shoes for customers!
I would highly recommend this place, whether in a bind or not.

What fantastic service! I came into LA for a wedding and rented a suit back home on the east coast, and when my original suit showed up it was the wrong size and the wrong color. In a panic I looked up places on Unilocal in Pasadena and this came up. I called and spoke with Tony about my size, color and how quickly I would need it and he said no problem.
I arrived in LA the next day and went to Penquin Formal Wear to get fitted and make sure the color was correct and they were able to get me what I needed, VERY quickly, and at a VERY fair price.
If you are ever in need of a Tux or a Suit want EXCEPTIONAL service and a very fair price I would highly recommend stopping into Penguin Formal Wear.

I came here with my husband and daughter for a tuxedo rental. And we had a great experience. Our groomsman needed tuxedos and other stuff and Mercedes made it happen even though the wedding was less than a week away. She is super account, donating and has a great sense of humor.

I came here for my son’s prom. The price for a tux was half the price that Men’s Wearhouse was going to charge us. Mercedes was so patient when she did the alterations. She did a lovely job. She’s the reason we all need to support small businesses. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

I came here for the first time after all these reviews and to my experiences came pride and joy! The owner Mercedes was beyond helpful and gave her best opinions and informative advice about the differences between the tux fit and thus tried them on individually to see how i liked each one. She then assisted me with the pants, vest and tie, which really fit in with my partner’s dress. The procedures worked out very smoothly and the service was not only friendly, but giving precise opinions helped a lot! I park the on the streets by the tux shop, since the walking distance is relatively short. I will definitely return upon my upcoming wedding events. Highly recommended.

This place is great! I needed a tux for the Grammys and Mercedes hooked me up with an amazing tux for super cheap! Highly highly recommended for anyone in Pasadena! Mercedes is super nice too :)

I absolutely love this place. I always come here for my New Year’s party tuxedo and any alterations. I have referred several of my friends here and they have all been satisfied. The warm friendly service here is amazing.

Went here for my friend’s wedding and got 5 sets of tuxes plus kid tuxes. Excellent and helpful service, quick alterations (we had several out of state measurements to send in), and great product. Couldn’t be happier!

This place is really nice! If you’re looking for a small, family owned store with good tuxes for pretty inexpensive… this is the place for you.
I went to get a tux for prom and ended up getting tons of compliments about my James Bond look. She hooked it up with a very good tux.
It doesn’t look like much but the lady who runs it, Mercedes, is the sweetest lady and makes sure you leave looking at your best. The quality of the tuxes is good and they’re much much cheaper than more well known places (i.e. Men’s Wearhouse). I highly recommend Penguin.

These guys are amazing. Mercedes and John own this store and the Vacuum repair store next door, they’re great people.
I needed my tux on short notice for a benefit, Mercedes fitted me quickly while we chatted about the business, my own work, and it really took turned it into an exciting experience.

Found a surprisingly well appointed tuxedo for a moderate price at Penguin Formal Wear. Family owned and operated, which you’ll find out if ever you have an issue with your vacuum and go next door to the owners husband’s vacuum repair business.
I’ve rented twice from here.