Entry level business suit...

To keep myself buoyant I have started doing a bit of business along side my PhD. Meaning I will need to have a set of 'power suit' for my meetings. I am thinking of getting the one below and tailoring the cuff and hems (if required the trouser waist and jacket back). Do you think its an ok entry suit? (Note: I know almost nothing of a suit so I wondered if I you could kindly give me your verdict).

http://www.next.co.uk/g38310s4

Thanks in advance

p.s. may be a crass idea but do you think the jacket could get away as a sports coat? I'm hoping it could double up as a daily use jacket with my jeans too.

At that price, it probably fits like absolute crap, and it probably still will after you've finished with the waist and hem. For someone who doesn't know much about suits or how they should fit, I would HIGHLY recommend against buying a ready to wear (rtw) suit on the internet. If you're going to buy a rtw, then make sure that you can go into the store and try it on first.

If you're only going to own a few suits, then maybe you should think about treating yourself and having a few made for you. You can have a suit built from the ground up, or you can buy a made a measure (mtm) suit. With mtm, most of the details are already decided on, but the suit's made to fit your measurement. They get mixed reviews here, but for a suit that's in the 300-600 dollar range, I'm a fan of some online mtm companies. You measure yourself, pick the suit and wait for it to arrive within a few weeks.

Search the forum a little more before you decide. Particularly pay attention to threads that talk about how a suit should fit.

What is your field?
Not only is the suit probably very low quality at that price, but in
certain business environments it would be a negative. It's
too flashy, like something a used-car salesman might wear.

Solid light gray suits tend to look cheap to me. With some texture? Sure. In a plain wool (is that even wool)? Better to get a darker gray or a navy.

The idea that cheaper clothes don't fit as well amuses me.

That suit looks awfully cheap and not very well made. Plus it looks like it might be made of Polyester Anyways, I would splurge on a nice suit for yourself. If you're just gonna use it as mainly a "meeting" suit, you should just spend the money on something a little less cheap looking. I wouldn't even consider wearing that suit jacket as a sportcoat with jeans either. You'll get eaten alive! Maybe buy that 3 piece and only wear the vest and pants with a nice shirt and tie. Otherwise, check out the Marketplace above. Perhaps an SF member will help you score a deal! Good luck with everything!

YRR92 said:

The idea that cheaper clothes don't fit as well amuses me.

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Why is that? My higher end jackets certainly fit and drape better than their lower end counterparts. More attention paid to details tends to equate to a better fit (among other things).

Thank you all for your reply. My field is medical supply trading and I do understand where you are coming from in terms of quality I tried a 900 pounds birds eye suit on yesterday and I don't know how to explain it but it felt a lot better.

The suit is meant to be 100% wool but would it be possible if you could post me a pic of a nice wool suit? I just need to know what I should be look for.

In the mean time I'll be checking out the marketplace and the alteration advice thread (to get an idea how a correct fit should look).

Again thanks for your help

biged781 said:

Why is that? My higher end jackets certainly fit and drape better than their lower end counterparts. More attention paid to details tends to equate to a better fit (among other things).

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No question, nicer material drapes better. Also, cheaply constructed shoulders tend to be less forgiving -- but if Jos. A Bank makes a suit that fits the proportions of my body, and Kiton doesn't, then the JAB will fit better off the rack.