• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Best Suits under $500

A. Jones

Active Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Greetings gentlemen.

I am, obviously, a noob, venturing to begin the journey of assembling a respectable suit wardrobe, after spending a considerable amount of time and money in adding pieces that I now find lacking in the overall quality which I now seek.

I wish to replace several of the suits I currently have in rotation. However, I am not at the point in my career (or marriage) where I can justify paying over $500-600 for a single suit. I know for some this may sound preposterous, but, alas, that's where I am at.

Also, to compound matters, I reside in a city (Oklahoma City) where OTR purchasing options are limited to several poor quality outfitters, but few higher quality ones. I have, therefore, expanded my search to include online stores as well.

Here's where I need your help. I have narrowed down my options to a few brands, and I'd like your help in selecting amongst my choices. The following are some of the brands of suits I am considering:

Banana Republic
J. Crew
Lands' End
Jos. A. Bank (Signature Gold line)
Joseph Abboud
Hugo Boss

If you have ever owned suits from any of these makers, please do chime in with your thoughts. And if you have any suggestions of better options at this price point, I'd love to hear it. Thanks.
 

minervau

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
284
Reaction score
10
Could you provide more of a description of what type of look you're going for? Do you want slim-cut suits, or are you looking for a more traditional American sack suit?
 

xCoffee

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Messages
47
Reaction score
0
If you're looking at about $500, you could consider MTM Thick as Thieves. TaT has been active here on the forums, and many members have vouched that they are an excellent value. This would save you the need for extensive tailoring.
 

A. Jones

Active Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Well, I'm a bigger guy, huge for SF standards. I'm 6'3", 220. I wear a 44L and at that size, the suits tend to very boxy and sack-like. So, now I tend to look for slimmer fitting suits to reduce the amount of alterations necessary to make the suit presentable.
 

minervau

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
284
Reaction score
10
Ah yeah, TaT generally does slim suits for smaller guys. They're MTM, so I'm not saying they can't help you, but I don't know that you're the type of guy they had in mind when they opened up shop.

What is your waist size? If you're a more athletic body type, i.e. drop 7 (chest - waist = 7), then some of those options you mentioned (Land's End, Jos. A. Bank, Joseph Abboud) may not work so well for you.
 

Twotone

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
1,019
Reaction score
43
Try Hickey Freeman Collection (not LTD) when on sale.

Twotone
 

gaseousclay

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
1,256
Reaction score
237
I have a Hugo Boss suit that fits me quite well and only cost me $300 at Nordstrom Rack. despite everyone's aversion to HB I think it's a fashion forward suit that looks decent - just don't pay full price for one
 

gvibes

Senior Member
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
313
Reaction score
0
Once you have found a jacked that fits right, I find that it's generally not too difficult to find stuff online that fits right. I got lucky on a perfect fitting jacket from here or ebay or something, so I know what measurements to look for for what IMO is a perfect fit for me. Then, I just keep my eyes on ebay and here for jackets or suits that meet those requirements. If you are shopping slightly used or grey market, 500-600 goes a long way. You can pretty easily find new or like new fully-canvassed suits in that price range from companies like RL blue labe, canali, or corneliani.
 

slappy

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
Messages
557
Reaction score
5
6'3'' doesnt seem huge for SF standards from the posts Ive seen. Though people 6'3''+ seem to be pretty skinny on here
 

vincerich

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
537
Reaction score
2
JAB Sig. Gold goes for $328 with regularity. It's tough to beat it at that price OTR. JAB suits are your typical boxy suits, but with knowledge of what you want, a tailor can make it look GREAT.
 

southbound35

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Messages
994
Reaction score
38
I realize $500 isn't the sweetspot pricepoint for most of the OKC retailers, but it couldn't hurt to call and ask some of the nicer stores if they have any 44L on sale in that price range and, if not, when their next sale might be.

A few suggestions (if you haven't tried them):
-Steven Giles (whose store is on Country Club Dr., off Grand and May) is a good guy.
-SJ Haggard in Nichols Hills Plaza might have a few near that price point. I worked with Denny Wehba for years when he was at Harold's; I heard recently he is working at SJ Haggard now.
-Parkway in Edmond. I've only visited that store once and didn't do a whole lot of looking at suits, but the fella who helped me (can't recall his name) seemed very knowledgeable and the store had a nice selection of sportswear and dress shirts; I suspect their suits are good enough if you can find one on sale (i.e., presuming they have them, I wouldn't buy one of their $500 suits for $500).
 

A. Jones

Active Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by vincerich
JAB Sig. Gold goes for $328 with regularity. It's tough to beat it at that price OTR. JAB suits are your typical boxy suits, but with knowledge of what you want, a tailor can make it look GREAT.

Honestly, this is what I'm leaning toward, despite SF's inexplicable contempt for JAB. And there is a store in the city, and I like being able to try on the suits.
 

A. Jones

Active Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by southbound35
I realize $500 isn't the sweetspot pricepoint for most of the OKC retailers, but it couldn't hurt to call and ask some of the nicer stores if they have any 44L on sale in that price range and, if not, when their next sale might be.

A few suggestions (if you haven't tried them):
-Steven Giles (whose store is on Country Club Dr., off Grand and May) is a good guy.
-SJ Haggard in Nichols Hills Plaza might have a few near that price point. I worked with Denny Wehba for years when he was at Harold's; I heard recently he is working at SJ Haggard now.
-Parkway in Edmond. I've only visited that store once and didn't do a whole lot of looking at suits, but the fella who helped me (can't recall his name) seemed very knowledgeable and the store had a nice selection of sportswear and dress shirts; I suspect their suits are good enough if you can find one on sale (i.e., presuming they have them, I wouldn't buy one of their $500 suits for $500).


Thanks! I've never heard of these stores, but I'll be certain to check them out. Do you know what brands they typically carry?
 

Steeze

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
241
Reaction score
7
Go try on a RLBL in 44L at Saks or a RL store. If it fits, there are a bunch on ebay last time I checked with buy it now prices around $500 or 600. Since you won't be paying tax cost will be the same as buying a $450-500 at retail. And you will be getting a beautiful, fully lined, fashion forward $1900 suit that is definitely SF approved. Provided it fits you. http://cgi.ebay.com/2150-Polo-Ralph-...ht_3409wt_1127
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.3%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 15 10.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.3%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,147
Messages
10,578,744
Members
223,877
Latest member
brendascheerer
Top