First suit, no budget restrictions

I'm looking to purchase my first "right" suit. I will need it both for work and for other occasions (also informal), so it should be pretty classic, nothing too fancy.

I know that suits are all about fit. I'm rather skinny, at 5'11'' and 148lbs, with a thin waist, so I want a slim fit.

Money is not an issue, but since it will be my "first" suit I'd avoid "top bespoke suits" (i'd avoid spending 5000+ euros on my first suit if I could, but I would if quality is worth it) because i'm still rather unexperienced. But I want quality and for that I was eager to pick a brand like Zegna (no ZZegna or "soft suits"), where the quality is better than other famous brands, since Zegna suits are canvassed and not fused as in other top tier brands. Of course it will be MTM.

This summer I'll be in Milan and I'd like to buy it there. Can someone advice me if it's better to buy a Zegna MTM suit or a MTM of another top brand, or to go to a tailor and have one tailored? If the latter, does anyone know a good tailor in Milan with outstanding quality but no "Kiton/Brioni's" prices? What's the best price/quality option?

In terms of bespoke... Musella Dembech in Milan I think is pretty good and should be under that number. There are probably lesser known tailors in that area that are cheaper. For cheaper well known options... take a few trips to Naples

Would not go with zegna. Many of the MTM I've seen is rather boxy and won't work well with your body type. You want a different silhouette. More compatible with your body type.

You have it reversed, going MTM is more risky. If you work with a competent tailor you will have a better experience. It's more about the tailor's experience and not your experience. If you work with a tailor in another city you have to be available for fittings. In MIlan go with Musella Dembech. They post here from time to time and you can see their work. I met them last year and saw the work. I wouldn't hesitate to have them make a suit for me.

You will learn more about fit and learn what your particular fitting issues are by having a suit made from a real tailor than working with a MTM garment.

Sartoria De Luca Di De Luca Tindaro is another good tailor in Milan

a) You might want to edit out your company name. Up to you.

b) Despos knows tailoring better than most (and were you stateside, anyone here would recommend you go to him for your first bespoke suit).

c) A lot of good stuff in Naples

d) I think N.H. Sartoria is another good option (though I know this only second hand) for under 2500 euros or so.

I'd try and find several pictures from each and try to understand what you like and dislike about the style.

Is this first suit going to be your only suit? How often will you be wearing it?

Yes, it will, but i'm sure gonna buy others. I just don't wanna buy 3-4 suits from one brand/tailor just to discover that they don't fit me or that they disappointed me anyhow.

With about 3 suits (navy, charcoal and black) that I'll have to wear at work (and maybe also in the "afterwork") I can rotate them pretty easily with different combinations of shirts and ties.

No budget restrictions but you dont want to spend €5,000 ? Sounds more like there is a restriction.

Its difficult to get the utopian suit that is perfect for all occasions and all times so perhaps you should look to narrow down your priorities? For a little over €2,000 you can get a bespoke suit from a good tailor in Naples. I'm afraid my knowledge of Milano is more high fashion than sartorial but potentially there are options there too. Of course remember that the italians have a fairly unstructured look which works great for your casual needs but may not work so well for your business needs.

The best thing to do is buy one suit from a tailor. See how you feel about it. Post pics here to see how others feel about it. Then you can make a decision whether or not to get more from there. Hopefully u can throw in a nice little write up with lotsa pictures while u are at it



L1991 said:

Yes, it will, but i'm sure gonna buy others. I just don't wanna buy 3-4 suits from one brand/tailor just to discover that they don't fit me or that they disappointed me anyhow.

With about 3 suits (navy, charcoal and black) that I'll have to wear at work (and maybe also in the "afterwork") I can rotate them pretty easily with different combinations of shirts and ties.

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Agreed. Just wanted to make sure you were leaving space in your budget for the next 2-3 as well. I would recommend you spend a bunch of time trying on RTW suits first to figure out what style you like and what you don't like about the fit of RTW suits that you are going to a tailor or MTM program to fix.

Also realize that getting a bespoke suit in Milan or naples will require being there for a few days at least.

Unless you're incredibly broad shouldered, your size should not be difficult to fit off the rack, and there are plenty of really great places in Milan. What silhouette do you like, apart from slim?

First suit, third suit, 100th suit, no black, mate.

I'd opt for buying different cuts of decent suits: one sleek, slim fit Continental cut, possibly shark skin for nice clubs/special occasions. One sack suit for boring crap like bank business/work. Then, maybe a British cut for an in-between or a double breasted suit for experimentation. Get your toes wet, so to speak, and find your style, that way when you do a custom suit, you know exactly what to go for.

I think I'm gonna go with a tailored suit. I like slim Continental cuts (with the jacket a little bit shorter) to highlight my skinny silhouette and I'd avoid "sack suits", which i find too "boxy". I don't know about two-breasted suits, I find them very classy, but I wouldn't want to look too pretentious, since I just started working...

Of course I'll avoid black, I could replace it with a midnight blu or some dark charcoal.

What I'm looking for is a sleek modern suit, that is great both for work and for nightlife/clubs.

And about Continental suits, what do you think about vent-less jackets? They underline the slimness of the body but are they too dated?

The last time that the Continental cut with ventless jacket was popular...