2 suits with 2 additional dress pants for each or 3 suits with 1 additional dress pant for each? Plu

Hi,

This summer I will buy everything I need for a full time job. I will be wearing a suit every day including weekends.

Budget: Preferably less than 5,000 GBP (approx. 8,000 USD) including alterations.

Should I buy 2 suits with 2 additional dress pants for each or 3 suits with 1 additional dress pant for each? Would it be unhygienic to only have two suit jackets, as I will be wearing one every day? Would they be worn out quite fast (less than, say, two years)? I will buy 100% wool, fully canvassed suits. Would Super 110 be a wise choice, since they will get a lot of wear? I have read that Super 130, for instance, is more for special occasions, as those suits wear out faster.

How many shirts do I need? 5-10, or more? Should these be tailored as well? How many ties?

It seems like I should buy two pairs of shoes. Would very cheap ones (less than 100 USD each) suffice, or should I buy relatively expensive ones, such as Allan Edmonds and Ferragamo? What makes these brands’ shoes better than the cheap ones? Is most of the extra cost due to brand name? Would expensive shoes last longer? How long should they last when I’m wearing each pair every other day? How often should they be polished? Daily?

I am thinking about buying a 100% cashmere, dark overcoat for fall/winter and a camel trench coat in either 100% cotton or 100% wool for spring/summer. Spring/summer temperatures here range from only about 10 to 25 degrees Celsius (approx. 50 to 80 Fahrenheit). Would a cotton trench coat be too cold?

Due to high prices in my country I will likely import the suits, and perhaps some of the other stuff, from the UK, taking advantage of summer sales. Approximately how much would it cost to tailor a suit and a shirt separately in your country? It would probably be a bit higher here.

Thank you in advance for your advice! I do not know much about classic menswear yet, buy this site seems like a great resource

Where are you? How old are you?

3 suits would be better.

Veremund said:

Where are you? How old are you?

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Thanks for your replies!

I am in Norway. 23 years old.

You need at least two pairs of shoes. Three would be better. If you buy cheap shoes, they'll look like crap and fall apart after a year or two, and get worse looking with each year. Buy quality shoes. They look better, last longer, and even look better with time.

Have you looked at SuitSupply?

Veremund said:

Have you looked at SuitSupply?

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I did, but they only seem to have suits with very high S numbers; wouldn't those be too fragile for frequent wear?

Should a good pair of shoes last for several years if they're used every third day? Should they be polished between each wearing?

In Norway we have snow and ice for several months each year; would you recommend me to buy some cheap leather shoes as well and wear them on my way to work? Or should I buy overshoes and wear them over my expensive shoes?

Allen Edmonds seems to be mentioned frequently; do you know of any brands with better value for similar prices? I don't care about the items' brands, only about their quality.

Do you know roughly how much it should cost to tailor a whole suit?

Thanks.

You won't wear out a suit. You'll be sitting at a desk, not hiking. The pants get some wear over time, but having a second pair of pants with each suit will solve that problem. Three suits with spare pants will last years. And you'll eventually buy a fourth and fifth suit after a year or two.

You don't need to polish shoes before every wearing. But brush them off quickly whenever you take them off. In winter time, wear boots in the snow and slush. It's Norway! Are you in Oslo?

You don't tailor a whole suit. You buy one off the rack that fits perfectly in the shoulders and back. Maybe adjust the sleeve length, maybe have the waist taken in. But you should be able to get one off the rack that fits perfectly. It will take some searching though. You'll have to go to a store and try on lots of jackets.

I've had a look online; it seems like prices are not as bad in Norway as I thought. Importing a quality suit and having it tailored would not be much cheaper, if at all. Plus it's good to have knowledgeable staff at hand.

So I'll buy (with estimated costs based on web searches):

3 suits with 1 additional dress pant for each, plus tailoring in-store (included in the price) - £3,000?
3 pairs of leather shoes. £1,200?
Leather briefcase. £500?
Ties; how many do I need? Can be bought for less than £20 each, but should I buy more expensive ones?
Dress shirts; how many do I need?
Overcoat (£500?) I think I'll buy wool instead of cashmere, because wool is supposedly more durable. However, also cheaper (less "nice" fabric?). Any input on this?
Plus accessories such as cufflinks, tie bars, pocket squares

Do you think these prices are realistic?

Thanks.

Is it possible to say anything meaningful about how many years these suits and the other stuff should last? Or is it dependent on too many factors?

Thanks.

Too many factors. Make sure you rotate them (don't wear them on consecutive days) and try to avoid dry cleaning them. Once a year; or once every 6 months if you must.

Your list is solid, but I wouldn't worry so much about buying so many now. I reckon 2 suits, 6-7 shirts, 2 shoes and a few ties now. Then, after a few months, buy more. You'll find once you start working you'll find out a bit more about how people around you dress and how you're expected to dress -- you might even get some style inspiration as you see more people in suits day-to-day.

The risk with buying everything now is in 6 months time you realise you don't like/made a mistake with one or some of your purchases.

^ageed, though if the OP is wearing these shirts every day, he will need more than 7 to start with. I'd say you'll need 14 so that you have some to wear while the others get cleaned.

Also, I'd skip the extra pants right now. As others have said, there is a chance that, in 6 months or so, as you've gone through the process, you won't like anything you bought at the beginning. I'd minimize the investment and stick with 1 pair of pants per suit.

msulinski said:

^ageed, though if the OP is wearing these shirts every day, he will need more than 7 to start with. I'd say you'll need 14 so that you have some to wear while the others get cleaned.

Also, I'd skip the extra pants right now. As others have said, there is a chance that, in 6 months or so, as you've gone through the process, you won't like anything you bought at the beginning. I'd minimize the investment and stick with 1 pair of pants per suit.

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If so I should buy new pants in the same style (if I decide to do so) before dry cleaning the suit for the first time, right? Since I've read that colours may change when dry cleaning.

Do I need to get shirts tailored as well? How much should a nice cotton shirt with french cuffs cost?

Thanks to all of you for great advice!

qwert said:

Do I need to get shirts tailored as well? How much should a nice cotton shirt with french cuffs cost?

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Shirts you can probably get off-the-rack or, if you have a shirt that already fits you well, you can measure it and go for online MTM -- would cost less than $100 per shirt for a decent one. As fate would have it, I've just made a fairly comprehensive blog post about online MTM shirts. The key, however, is having a shirt that fits you well and knowing how to measure a shirt properly.

A shirt made for you by a tailor is probably around $200 -- I wouldn't recommend that for someone starting out. While you can get shirts altered by tailors, again, I would not recommend that -- I'm sure you can find one that will fit well enough.