Salary vs Suit prices

[Quadcammer]



Income is not the only factor in purchasing high end suits. What are your other expenses? i.e. higher morgage payments on a more expensive house, a better car (or a fleet of cars), emphasis on savings etc ... it is all relative. Kids can quickly turn a high salary into a comfortable living rather than one of lascivious impulsiveness. If you have priorities that are directed at clothing, then even a $100K salary will afford the utmost luxury if one sacrifices a nice car for a beat up old one, or a nice house for a $900pm appartment.

obviously. I think this was operating on averages.

 

[mlongano]



You think people earning $25k per year can afford $1k to $2k suits.

Thats a full month's income.

I say:

Under 25K> $300 suits
$25k-$50k> $500 suits
$50k-$100k> $800-$1000 suits
$100k-$150k> $1k to $2k
$150k+ $2k+

This assumes things like living expenses are commensurate with income. Obviously someone who scrimps on other stuff to buy a nicer suit could afford more.

We all scrimp on some things to afford the items which we consider to have a high priority...which is which depends on the individual. We can all point to millionaires who wear inexpensive clothes, and people receiving food stamps who get manicures.

 

[Asian Afro]



I don't doubt your response but I thought the OP was trying to get a feel for what people of various salary levels could afford, as opposed to what they actually spent.

Most men today spend very little on suits as they are no longer required to wear them, and don't care to get dressed up anymore.

Perhaps the OP can chime in here and clarify the original intent of the thread?

I fall into the category of $50k-$100k> $800-$1000 suits, and that's because I'm an SF member. Where I live, people probably spend up to $500 for a suit, if they bothered to buy one.

Off-topic question: do you guys think that men don't care to get dressed up any more partly because women can't be bothered either?

 

[impolyt_one]



Off-topic question: do you guys think that men don't care to get dressed up any more partly because women can't be bothered either?

yes. and we all eat badly nowadays because modern women can't cook either.

 

[Asian Afro]



yes. and we all eat badly nowadays because modern women can't cook either.

So, are you saying that if most women were suddenly well-dressed again the men wouldn't bother to up their game? People dress any way they want now because there are more socially acceptable choices, just like there are more varieties of food, but I find that men tend to dress just a little worse than the women, which really isn't saying much these days. Then again, I live in what SF has dubbed a "sartorial wasteland" named Canada.

 

[impolyt_one]

No, I'm just trolling you, because we are posting in a troll thread.

 

[Gdot]



You think people earning $25k per year can afford $1k to $2k suits.

Thats a full month's income.

I say:

Under 25K> $300 suits
$25k-$50k> $500 suits
$50k-$100k> $800-$1000 suits
$100k-$150k> $1k to $2k
$150k+ $2k+

This assumes things like living expenses are commensurate with income. Obviously someone who scrimps on other stuff to buy a nicer suit could afford more.

This range more or less meets with what I guess to be about right.

 

[Klobber]



Off-topic question: do you guys think that men don't care to get dressed up any more partly because women can't be bothered either?

That is interesting, with no obvious answer.

Were woman ever really that bothered with designer clothing as a general rule? While Coach handbags or Louis Vuitton bags are gracing many a lady, I still feel woman today are not that concerned with owning a pair of Chanel boots (or whatever particular brand of boots). Like men, most are scratching around looking at bargains or cute stuff - basically not being brand or style conscious. The image of a woman as projected by the Devil wears Prada is more a parody than a reality - most woman are not like this apart from a few socialites dotting the scene in every major city.

However, the fashion houses like Gucci, Prada etc are giants, with billion dollar plus annual turnovers. Someone, somewhere must be buying this stuff and it cant all be Asian socialites/wannabes. Perhaps Im off base with my assumptions

 

[ChicagoRon]

I think this is backwards..

It should be "what is the least you should make before it makes any sense in the world to spend "X" on a suit?"

and then possibly

"If you make Y, it is pathetic for you to walk around in a POS suit."


But even those questions are arbitrary, as you could spend a bunch of money on a lower quality designer D&G or Etro suit, vs. having a well-made asian bespoke suit. So why is $ so important?

 

[Gdot]



That is interesting, with no obvious answer.

Were woman ever really that bothered with designer clothing as a general rule?

You've obviously not met my mother! She's 75 and still wouldn't dream of leaving the house without being fully groomed, and immaculately put together. Sure she's more or less given up on high heels but that doesn't mean her Ferragamo or Bally flats aren't perfectly matched to her Chanel, Bally, or Coach bag. I realize she represents a dying breed, and that the brands she chooses are no longer 'designer' per se. But they were when she purchased them. And I don't think she was particularly unusual for her time.

Nor do I think it's that unusual in today's world for women to be designer brand 'whores'. The difference is that styles have become so much more casual/unstructered that you simply can't always tell a garment is designer simply by looking at it. You have to be 'in the know' to distinguish the cheap junk from Wal Mart from the expensive designer stuff because it all looks like crap! (My opinion.) As Steve Tyler recently said -'It costs a lot of money to look this cheap'.

A good example of a similar phenomenom in men's wear would be the $1800 cotton hoodie that was posted on the forum over the weekend. JEEZ! How absurd it's all become.

 

[woolnotmutton]

Unless you go Bespoke, anyone making above $50k (without a family or 2x income family) can afford a $3k+ suit once in a while. There are always plenty of NWT/NWOT RLPL/Oxxford/Isaia etc for that price, and prices for used are of course very very low. But the reality is that if you are making regular salary, other than personal gratification, you probably don't have the need to wear something in that level. Did you know only 35% of Americans have savings to last them 3x month of rent? If you fall in the 65%, you should really spend your money more wisely.

 

[imatlas]

That is interesting, with no obvious answer.

Were woman ever really that bothered with designer clothing as a general rule?

You've obviously not met my mother! She's 75 and still wouldn't dream of leaving the house without being fully groomed, and immaculately put together. Sure she's more or less given up on high heels but that doesn't mean her Ferragamo or Bally flats aren't perfectly matched to her Chanel, Bally, or Coach bag. I realize she represents a dying breed, and that the brands she chooses are no longer 'designer' per se. But they were when she purchased them. And I don't think she was particularly unusual for her time.

Nor do I think it's that unusual in today's world for women to be designer brand 'whores'. The difference is that styles have become so much more casual/unstructered that you simply can't always tell a garment is designer simply by looking at it. You have to be 'in the know' to distinguish the cheap junk from Wal Mart from the expensive designer stuff because it all looks like crap! (My opinion.) As Steve Tyler recently said -'It costs a lot of money to look this cheap'.

A good example of a similar phenomenom in men's wear would be the $1800 cotton hoodie that was posted on the forum over the weekend. JEEZ! How absurd it's all become.

Steve Tyler was quoting Dolly Parton. It's funnier when she says it.

 

[Gdot]



Steve Tyler was quoting Dolly Parton. It's funnier when she says it.

Good to know - I would want to give credit for the line to whomever credit is due - as it's a good one!

 

[XKxRome0ox]



You think people earning $25k per year can afford $1k to $2k suits.

Thats a full month's income.

I say:

Under 25K> $300 suits
$25k-$50k> $500 suits
$50k-$100k> $800-$1000 suits
$100k-$150k> $1k to $2k
$150k+ $2k+

This assumes things like living expenses are commensurate with income. Obviously someone who scrimps on other stuff to buy a nicer suit could afford more.

this answer contains the most sensible numbers compared to the others ...

 

[Beatlegeuse]

I'm in the $50K-$100K bucket, with no kids, and I would never dream of spending $3K on a suit. And I'm on SF, so imagine most of the population out there that isn't on here...no chance they are spending anywhere near that amount if they're in the same bucket as me. However, I will spend $600 on cordovan shoes, so I guess it's all relative and depends where your priorities are. I wear shoes (every day, duh) a lot more than I wear suits (maybe once or twice a month), so I'm willing to spend a larger % of my income on purchases that really matter to me.