A new Dolce & Gabanna suit:

[modsquad]

I have the chance to buy a new Spring 2005 Dolce & Gabanna suit with a 50% discount which will lower the price from a scarifying $1900 to a merely outrageous $950. Should I do it? The suit has a nice pattern: it's a very dark navy (dark enough to look almost grey/black) with muted goldenrod stripes spaced about an inch apart. The thin cut is very flattering on me (I'm 6', 160 lbs.) and the fit is great and it's comfortable. The suit is obviously fused, however, and I can't shake the impression that I'm getting ready to spend $900 on what is basically a piece of junk. I expect to pay a premium for the name, for the season and for the trendy cut, but is any of the price at all attributable to quality of manufacture or is every exhorbitant dollar explained by the label?

More generally, what is the quality of suits made by high-fashion, up-to-the-second designers like Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, Dior Homme, Raf Simons, etc? Are any of these brands particularly known for good suit construction or is the high price merely a reflection of the designer's name and the style of the suit with no relationship to manufacture?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[amirrorcrackd]

Depends upon the designer, obviously. Going merely by what I've read here, Helmut Lang and Jil Sander are canvassed well constructed suits. So quality and style. Dolce and Gabanna (or is it D&G) in my experience is pretty crappily made. Prices are exhorbitant, and it is fairly easily found at discount (though not current season, of course). If you have the money and like the suit and think you'll get your wear out of it, I guess buy it. It can't be that poorly made. It's not like men's warehouse. Also, where are you buying it? If you buy something such as that through the designer's boutique, if something happens to it (do to shoddy quality) they will generally fix it for free. Not ideal, but better than a total loss.

Dan

 

[Carlo]

This would not be a 'sensible' purchase. No, not starting a flame war...

I mean to say it is a 'want' item - You like it, you expect to wear it for a few seasons and then retire it...

So the question, if I were you, is whether $950 is doable for a 'want' item that is not a need item.

If so, knock yourself out, enjoy it and have fun... you know you are paying for the label but you want a cool and trendy suit.

...It's okay to willingly and knowingly overpay for a designer item of average quality because you like the thing and it looks great on you. Style Forum law only dictates that you should KNOW that you are doing so... which you clearly do.

For the same money and a better construction job, Corneliani has been doing some trendier suits. Their youthful 'Trend' label is aptly named and though lesser in quality of construction than their business line the quality is a bit better than D&G.

 

[Brian SD]

If you have $900 and dont mind dropping it, and you LIKE the pattern (sounds a little weird to me, but probably great in person), buy it.

Dolce&Gabbana suits are very well made in my experience. It's not as good as Helmut Lang or Jil Sander (which both feature wonderful pick stitching and full canvas), but it's certainly better than Kenneth Cole, Hugo Boss, et al. I would not consider the quality or construction as a determining factor if you're looking for a designer suit because they're basically all going to be good enough to last you at least a few years, which is probably all you're going to be wearing it for. Of course I would argue that all suits, designer or Savile Row should only be worn for 5 years max anyway, so don't think I'm knocking the durability just because it's made by D&G.

I am a huge fan of the D&G cut, despite the fact that it's slim and modern, it's also very classic in its balance.

 

[Brian SD]

Chuck, the only thing I see wrong with your assessment is just the assumption that Trend Corneliani looks as good/better in person than D&G. It is certainly more youthful than their main line, but it's still in a different league from D&G in terms of purpose and fit. I'm not arguing any factual claims but I do think that you're paying for one-of-a-kind fit when you buy a Dolce suit and not just the name.

 

[Brian SD]

Oh, and last thing to consider: I have been seeing several 38R suits popping up on eBay by Dolce & Gabbana. Take a look at some of them before you further consider this purchase. Sounds like 48/38 is your size but I could be wrong. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....me=WDVW http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....me=WDVW

 

[amirrorcrackd]

Oh, and last thing to consider: I have been seeing several 38R suits popping up on eBay by Dolce & Gabbana. Take a look at some of them before you further consider this purchase. Sounds like 48/38 is your size but I could be wrong. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....me=WDVW http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....me=WDVW

3 Peace. Excellent. The world needs more of that. Dan

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I have one dolce & gabbana suit. Though it's fused (albeit very, very soft fusing), it's the sharpest looking suit I own. I always receive compliments for it. The pants are great : flat front, slim and tappered but not too much. This is what you are paying for : outstanding cut, which is "business wearable" (I work in an investment bank, it can be pretty uptight). The other suits I own are Jil Sander tailor made, and they are not as body flattering as the dolce one.
The first ebay auction is a D&G suit, quite another league than a dolce & gabbana suit : I wouldn't buy it.
The fabrics used for dolce & gabbana, at least the one I own, is top notch and has little pick snitching all along the coat.

.luc

 

[thinman]

What's the difference between D&G and Dolce & Gabbana? I thought they were one and the same (seriously considering dolce & gabbana for my next suit, as I understand the cut is flattering on athletic/slim figures).

 

[amirrorcrackd]

What's the difference between D&G and Dolce & Gabbana?  I thought they were one and the same (seriously considering dolce & gabbana for my next suit, as I understand the cut is flattering on athletic/slim figures).

D&G is Dolce and Gabanna's lower line. In the same way that Armani has Collezioni, Black Label, etc., Dolce and Gabanna had D&G. It's basically a diffusion line. Lesser quality, some slightly more outlandish designs, slightly lower price tag.

Dan

 

[Brian SD]

Quote:

(thinman @ Feb. 11 2005,14:58) What's the difference between D&G and Dolce & Gabbana? I thought they were one and the same (seriously considering dolce & gabbana for my next suit, as I understand the cut is flattering on athletic/slim figures).
D&G is Dolce and Gabanna's lower line. In the same way that Armani has Collezioni, Black Label, etc., Dolce and Gabanna had D&G. It's basically a diffusion line. Lesser quality, some slightly more outlandish designs, slightly lower price tag. Dan
Thanks for clarifying. I wasn't quite sure myself.

 

[bryce330]

You can probably get a better deal than $900 on eBay or Yoox or at an NM Last Call sale. However, if it fits you well and you like the style, I say go for it. Sometimes people on this board are a little too preoccupied with fused v. canvas; to me, the most important aspect of a suit is how it fits. I would much rather wear a fused Dolce suit than a canvassed Oxxford merely because the Dolce will be much more flattering to my body.

I own two Dolce suits, wear them frequently, and get tons of compliments even though I realize they aren't constructed as well as my Kiton or Isaia suits, and I certainly don't expect to still be wearing them in ten years. The fusing is excellent, as fusing goes: I have had them for two years or so and have not noticed any bubbling or separation despite frequent wearings. This is in contrast to two Hugo Boss suits I had which fell apart within a year or so.

 

[drizzt3117]

I think you could probably compare the quality of Dolce and Gabanna suits to those of Armani Collezioni... not the greatest, but not terrible, if you really like the suit and think you'd wear it enough to justify the $900, then go for it...

 

[hermes]

in december, the nm last call store in troy (detroit) had a good two dozen dolce e gabbana suits marked down in the $350.00 range

the dolce e gabbana corporate outlet stores (although the one in mendrisio and the one outside of florence) had suits marked down to E250.00-E400.00 range last month

nothing much distinguished the suits i say from the current runway items, they're all pretty much the same

i think you can do better than that price

 

[thinman]

(thinman @ Feb. 11 2005,14:58)
What's the difference between D&G and Dolce & Gabbana? I thought they were one and the same (seriously considering dolce & gabbana for my next suit, as I understand the cut is flattering on athletic/slim figures).

D&G is Dolce and Gabanna's lower line. In the same way that Armani has Collezioni, Black Label, etc., Dolce and Gabanna had D&G. It's basically a diffusion line. Lesser quality, some slightly more outlandish designs, slightly lower price tag.

Dan

Many thanks. Knowledge is money when shopping.