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Good Suits at Great Prices

bluhorseshoe

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I recently became a bank manager and am looking at adding more suits to my collection. I am a bargain shopper and absolutely HATE buying clothes at regular price. I always try to buy on sale. I've been wearing suits for the past several years and have worn suits such as kenneth cole, bcbg, alfani (I can see why people say they look cheap), calvin, etc, but as I'm reading other forums, most people consider those "low" quality. I've recently picked up a tasso elba online for a really low price, which I like their style. I've had a tasso in my closet, untailored for about a year. I really like the way the jacket fits and feels and will be getting the slacks tailored soon.

I don't want to look like the guy who wears cheap suits, but then again, I'm wearing suits daily, so want a decent selection without spending a ton of money on my wardrobe.

Any thoughts, feedback and reccomendations?
 

citizenshame

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Suit Supply. And if last year is any indication, they should open up their online "outlet" in a couple months where you can get killer deals on previous season fabrics.
 

bluhorseshoe

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Thanks. I've heard that on other forums as well. Curious, what kind of prices? Also, if you have any recommendations on suits under $600, please let me know.
 

12345Michael54321

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I am a bargain shopper and absolutely HATE buying clothes at regular price.

Okay. But do bear in mind that over the past couple of decades, it's become increasingly common for retailers to adopt a practice whereby their sale price is, in effect, the regular price.

For example, a $300 suit will no longer have a regular price of $300. Instead, its regular price will now be bumped up to $1000. But it will frequently be "sale priced" at $300, during "All Suits 70% OFF!!!" sales. (Jos. A. Bank is notorious for this, but it's by no means limited to just JAB. Why, I recently heard that there was a day in 2012 when Macy's didn't run a 1-Day Sale, although I suspect this is just an urban legend.)

So the purchaser is really just getting a $300 suit for $300. But he can delude himself into believing he's actually getting a $1000 suit for a great price.

The retailer sells almost no suits at the inflated $1000 price. Nearly all sales occur during the "70% OFF!!!" periods. Indeed, in an article in the Wall Street Journal, from 25 Nov 2013, the then CEO for J.C. Penny admitted that "the company was selling fewer than one out of every 500 items at full price." (Link to the WSJ story at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304281004579217863262940166, but I believe you may have to register or subscribe to read the full story.)

Admittedly, if all consumers behaved rationally, and after considering all relevant information, such techniques wouldn't work. But, of course, the vast and overwhelming majority of people do not necessarily behave rationally and consider all relevant information, which is why such techniques often work quite well. And why they are embraced by ever more retailers. (The utterly rational and well informed consumer is a fantasy existing solely in the dreams of undergraduate Economics majors.)

Well, just something to think about, for folks such as yourselves, who hate paying full price, and wait for a sale in order to "get a bargain."
 

bluhorseshoe

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I figured that. So Michael, what do you recommend at a moderate price?
 

Viral

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I figured that. So Michael, what do you recommend at a moderate price?


what's size are you? Sometimes common sizes are hind to find even at regular prices let alone when sales occur.....
 

12345Michael54321

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I figured that. So Michael, what do you recommend at a moderate price?


I recommend whatever is the best fit on you.

But if that's not a good enough answer for you, I suppose JAB's Signature Gold line of suits can be a worth buying when on sale at 70% off - so long as the over-padded shoulders don't look especially awful on you.

While I haven't purchased any lately, I've got a couple of Hart, Schaffner & Marx "Gold Trumpeter" suits in my closet. They're nice, affordable suits. And a 1990's vintage Hickey Freeman suit in a Prince of Wales pattern, which isn't really business appropriate, but which I very much like for non-business wear. Along with a couple of older Joseph Abboud suits which have held up well. However, I have no idea what's up with HSM, HF, and Abboud, currently. Maybe they're still fine, maybe they've gone running off in some bizarre fashion forward direction, maybe quality has plummeted. I just don't know, as I don't really keep up with such things.

I happen to like Brooks' 1818 line (Madison fit). It's probably a little overpriced for what it is (hey, the Brooks Brothers label comes at a price), but they're not bad suits, and given that I keep my suits for a good, long time, and wear them regularly, the extra expense isn't a deal-breaker for me. These account for maybe 65% of the suits in my closet. They represent most of my "everyday" suits.

But that's just me. I'm a 51 year old lawyer and business executive, who prefers fuller, more traditional cuts, and who has dressed in suit and tie on the majority of days over the past 26+ years. I'm also a larger man - not in the morbidly obese sense, but in the sense that I'm fairly tall, broad shouldered, and am built a whole lot more like an ex-linebacker who could stand to drop a few pounds, than I am like a jockey. And I live and work and socialize in a part of the country (mostly the NYC-to-DC corridor, with an occasional trip up to Boston or down to Richmond/Charlotte/Atlanta) and often within a social context, where conservative, "trad" clothing tends to be either expected, or at least highly accepted.

My point being, what I like works for me. But not everyone is exactly like me, and for all I know you may be not much like me, so my preferences may have little relevance to what would work best for you.

But when in doubt, buy the navy or medium-to-charcoal grey, wool suit suit which fits you best.

(And preferably - my admitted bias showing here - something which is not too far toward the extra close-fitting/short/narrow lapeled end of the spectrum, unless you both have the build for it, AND unless you will be wearing it almost exclusively in situations where wearing something "in the current fashion" is expected of you, AND unless you recognize that such "fashion" will likely have to be replaced pretty soon, in order to avoid looking ridiculous and dated.) (Honestly, I find it hard to believe that a bank manager would be expected to wear a "trendy" suit, to the extent that he'd be looked at amiss were he wearing a more traditional cut business suit.)
 
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bluhorseshoe

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Well, I'm not looking for recommendations on the best "fit" for me. I'm really looking for advice on quality suits at good prices (hopefully on sale). Also what doesn't look cheap.This is cause I plan to buy several since I wear suits daily. I hear on other threads/forums that "Tasso Elba" (Macy's House Brand) is a low quality, but not really a reason why. So far I've only tried on their suits and like the fit, not so sure about the durability.

I'm not much into fashionable and trendy suits. I like navy blue suits, gray suits and the occasional pinstripe suits, but only thin stripes. Nothing too loud. I'm not into the fitted suits cause those are all pretty much for very thin guys and I would look awkward in them since I'm closer to a medium-athletic build and 5 '10.

I'll check out Joseph Abboud suits since I've seen them on sale around the price range I want. I've also noticed that ebay has a decent selection and good prices, if you know your size. I just found this today http://www.ebay.com/itm/Michael-Kors-Modern-Fit-Solid-Navy-Blue-Two-Button-Wool-Suit-/141308969911?pt=US_CSA_MC_Suits&var=&hash=item20e6abc3b7 Michael Kors, which looks like a good deal and from what I hear, they're decent. Thoughts?
 

mensimageconsultant

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Suit Supply is "trendy" - skip it. Michael Kors is somewhat fashion-forward and not well-respected for menswear. Buying anything from eBay is high-risk anyway. It would be better to provide an approximate location or rely on websites such as Sierra Trading Post.
 

citizenshame

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Suit Supply is "trendy" - skip it. Michael Kors is somewhat fashion-forward and not well-respected for menswear. Buying anything from eBay is high-risk anyway. It would be better to provide an approximate location or rely on websites such as Sierra Trading Post.


Suit Supply does offer a number of trendy cuts and fabrics, but they also carry a great many staples suitable for conservative business dress. Check out the Napoli fit and the London fit for examples.
 
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facet

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Suit Supply does offer a number of trendy cuts and fabrics, but they also carry a great many staples suitable for conservative business dress. Check out the Napoli fit and the London fit for examples.


+1. I got a Napoli suit recently; I'd say the cut is pretty standard and perfectly fine for conservative business wear.
 

TimelesStyle

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How about Styleforum affiliate eHaberdasher's house brand, Benjamin? They are about $500-550, a good balance of modern and classic, high quality materials and about as high quality construction as you can find at that price point. They don't go on sale so to speak (slight markdowns on a few, from time to time), but are a very good value as is. And if you have any questions, Ben, the owner, is a regular here and great at answering them either in his affiliate thread or via PM.
 

comrade

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Suit Supply does offer a number of trendy cuts and fabrics, but they also carry a great many staples suitable for conservative business dress. Check out the Napoli fit and the London fit for examples.[/quote

I just checked out the Napoli and London models.
As the expert said, " Suit Supply is trendy!!"
 
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