Country Road suits (Australia)

Greetings all,

For Oz stylers, I've just picked up a new suit from Country Road and am very impressed. They're having a promotion that gives you a free pair of trousers when you buy a jacket, so I picked up a plain charcoal 2-button SB suit in CR's 'Performance' range. The suit is nicely cut, the fabric very nice indeed for the money. It's Italian wool from an unnamed source but has a nice drape and softness, a cut above anything else I have seen here below the A$1,000 mark. It sits quite nicely next to my Canali's and the suit cost only A$499. Kiton it is not, but for the money it is very good indeed. And if you join up with CR's club you get free tailoring.

If you are an odd size, the jacket and trousers are available as separates, so you're not stuck with a fixed drop. Trousers also available as flat front or pleated.

Cheers,
picard2bridge

Hi p2b, I like the CR suits for the price point as well. They've re-cut their suits this winter (apart from the Performance range) and are a bit slimmer now.

The free pants with jacket deal is a great bargain!

Last time I looked at CR it was a fused suit made in China. Is that still the case?

IF it is, I would probably prefer getting Corneliani from STP for only a little more.

Yes. The suits are still fused and still made in China (That in itself is not a bad thing as I will explain later) and they have an annoying keyhole button hole in the lapel. The cut isn't bad. But there is alot of suits with a similar fabric, cut and construction to Country Road out there that are probably cheaper.

I purchased a suit in Japan from a store called The Suit Company. Basically because of my size it was one of the only RTW brands out there that fit me. It has a sewn canvas interlining and lapels, pick stitching everywhere, kissing working buttonholes and much better than the stuff I see in Australia. Cost about $300.00 when converted to Australian Dollars. It is still made in China, but seems on a par with my mid tier Italian Suits (Cantarelli, et al)-

The fabric is made on Inner Mongolian Cashmere/Wool Blend

You can get better stuff on ebay or Sierra Trading Post (Corneliani is a good starting point)

An Adelaide boy I see....theres a couple of us now...some of us sensible enough to flee though At that pricepoint in Australia, I think you are better off buying Anthony Squires.

I believe M@t used to work in selling suits when he was in Adelaide, he could probably tell you what the good budget suits are avail in Australia- I think Flair is one of them. I didn't realise the CR stuff was now cut a bit slimmer. The price point is quite good, I always thought they were a tad overpriced for what you got, but $500 is a good point. Incidently I think CR have a VIP sale starting tomorrow, so this thread is somewhat good timing.

Who here shops at Henry Bucks?

Yeah, I used to sell suits at Myer Adelaide.

I think the Flair stuff is decent if you have a few hundred to spend and not much more. Better made than the Studio Italia stuff, which has trendier cuts. Comes up on semiregular heavy markdowns too, you end up paying like 150 or 200 for them - and theyre a great buy for that.

Should give a plug to that place in by the airport - its a Stafford shop, but they manufacture for Squires and end up with heavy markdowns on decent stuff. I still wear a 7 yr old Squires Decathlon (the 3% lycra line) - its a great traveller.

Bucks always feels so unwelcoming in Adelaide...act like pricks...but then, Im a western suburbs kid - could smell my poverty from the other end of Gawler Place.

Thanks M@t I was pretty sure you had recommended Flair before and I agree its good value. The store you are referring too is at harbourtown, the squires store actually closed down on grenfell street and now the only place to get it (aside from the clearance house) is in the DJ's store.

True about Henry Bucks, but you gotta love their sales, which only go for one day.. The reason I asked is I think thats the only place you can get Canali in Adelaide to my knowledge.

The Henry Bucks sale - when their prices are reduced to the merely outrageous.

As far as I know Bucks is the only Canali outlet in Melbourne too.

m@t have you any experience of Dom Bagnato? I see a bit of it around.

yeah my good mate George used to run the Squires store on Grenfell Street, but moved over to run the Ralph Lauren counter at DJs now.

I dont know anything about Dom Bagnato - I was long gone by the time Myer started stocking it.

Originally Posted by California Dreamer

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The Henry Bucks sale - when their prices are reduced to the merely outrageous.

As far as I know Bucks is the only Canali outlet in Melbourne too.

m@t have you any experience of Dom Bagnato? I see a bit of it around.


Dom Bagnato is made by Cambridge (A New Zealand Company) who also make suits for Pierucci and Calibre (So I have heard).

Much finer products than the Australians.

Squires are okay for a fused suit. I like some of their fabrics for some of their suits, particularly for their sports coats. But I think somehow their cut isn't quite right.

I wander in to Henry Bucks from time to time, and even though I am a boy from the Eastern suburbs whose parents sacrificed life, relationship and sanity to send me to the 'right' school, they still look at me as if I am a leper invading their hallowed store.

The curious exception was 3 or 4 weeks ago when I wandered in and was immediately enveloped with warmth by a very lovely young blond woman in a ridiculously short skirt and equally ridiculous but oppositely sized heels. She thrust a glass of good bubbly into my hand and welcomed me to the store. I was unsure that I was in the right shop, frankly. Mind you, I think I was wearing a Canali jacket at the time, 70% silk 30% wool. Saw a very similar Canali there for $1800, but wool only and not as nice a drape. I thought of telling them that I had got mine for 8 pounds on ebay but decided they would probably escort me from the store without allowing me to finish my champagne.

On the CR v AS v Flair debate, the fabric in this CR suit of mine is very nice to wear, with a lovely drape and far nicer in that department than anything I have seen in the other brands mentioned at anything like the cost, and it's already being getting comments, which is what it's all about and surprising at the price.

I also bought a lovely suit at Axel Beer's a couple of months ago. Superb Bower Roebuck cloth, 3 button navy with very fine and subtle blue pin-stripe. Lovely cut, fit and just top draw all round. It had apparently been prepared for someone who had pulled out of the deal at the last moment, and they had discounted it heavily because of the larger than usual drop. This is tailored in New Zealand, where there does seem to be some very fine tailoring going on, all sheep jokes aside.

Thanks for the Adelaide tips. Keep them rolling in--so hard to find decent clothes here. Spent a year in the UK recently and was spoiled for choice, but having returned, alas...

p2b

Dom Bagnato makes good suits, even if they are fused. You never get any shoulder ripple. Nice fabrics, usually italian. The 2 button 'Rigoni' model is an athletic cut, slightly big in the shoulder and chest; slim in the waist of both coat and trouser (which are flat front). The 3 button 'Galonero' doesn't have as much waist suppression, but isn't boxy; and comes with a single pleated trouser. I'd say Dom suits are superior to Rembrandt.

I believe Cambridge also make the suits for AG - Arthur Galan. I also believe Henry Bucks is the only Canali outlet in Sydney.

Originally Posted by picard2bridge

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On the CR v AS v Flair debate
sorry, I should clarify that.

CR vs AS is a debate as they are priced similarly at circa 1k.

Flair is a different kettle of fish. The others are far nicer, no doubt - but Flair costs about a third of what they do, and is good value at that pricepoint - but there is no comparison between their wools and the wools of AS or CR.

oh - but at 1k, Id probably be visiting Joseph Uzumcu, not the CR store, or otherwise old Joey Izzo, the Sicilian tailor on Hindley Street. That guy's so cool.