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Arnold Brandt - Venus vs. Gitano

galway

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I've been looking around for a suit around the $300 CDN price range for a while. I'm hoping to pick up something worthwhile but can't justify spending much more than that right now. STP has what looks like a pretty good deal on one particular Arnold Brandt suit. I've read all of the mixed reviews of Arnold Brandts, but doen anyone know the difference between the Venus and Gitano lines?

Otherwise, I am very open to suggestion if anyone can recommend where my money could be better spent.

Thanks!
 

binge

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I'm kinda surprised you haven't received any responses entreating you so save up another 1-2 hundred and go for something like Polo Ralph Lauren or Hickey-Freeman, or at least Hart Schaffner Marx, given the sale prices seen on the B&S forum as well as in discount stores (Off 5th, Last Call, even Marshalls). Given that you are in Canada, I don't really know if the discount stores are an option for you, but I'll guess not based on what I've read from other Canadian forum members.

As for the Arnold Brandt suits you mention...

I have 2 AB sport coats and 1 AB suit.

blue sport coat
wine sport coat
grey suit

The suit is the Venus model and quite frankly, I'm not all that satisfied with the way the jacket fits. I really like the flat front pants, but the jacket's cut just doesn't fit me that well. In contrast, the blue sport coat fits pretty well off the rack and I like how the red/wine jacket fits, but it did require substantial alterations from my tailor to remove quite a bit of excess fabric from under the arms.

All in all, I much happier with the sport coats than the suit, due to the fit of the jacket. Looking back, I have no qualms about the money spent on the sport coats, but I think if I had the chance again, I would pass on the suit and apply that money to something else. Of course, I didn't know the suit wouldn't fit as well until I bought it (non-returnable online transaction) so it was an inexpensive lesson learned.

Now this doesn't exactly answer your question regarding Venus vs. Gitano models. The suit I have is the Venus model. The tags were still on it when I bought it and Venus was clearly printed on them. The sport coats I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they are the Gitano model, or at least a model starting with the letter "G".

The thing is, none of the jackets have a model name on the inner tag. There are serial/model/lot numbers and some other numeric identifiers, but no where does it clearly state the model name. Unless the numbers reveal the model to the initiate, the only indicator I've seen is that the last alphanumeric digit of the model number is a letter. The suit, which is a Venus, has a 'V', the two sport coats are both 'G'.

If my sport coats are both the Gitano model I am a little surprised as they do fit rather differently.

In the end, I can give at best half-hearted encouragement to give it a whirl. Of the AB stuff I've bought, the blue sport coat I found at Nordstrom Rack and I was able to try it on before purchase. The wine sport coat was from STP and if my tailor wasn't able to clean it up the way he did, I wouldn't be nearly as happy with it as I am today. As I said about the suit, I'm kinda "ok" with it overall since the pants are good but the jacket isn't as much.

I'd suggest finding a retailer that carries AB and try the different models on. Call STP and verify that the suits are actually the model claimed on the web page -- this is important as I've found that the model claimed on the page isn't always 100% accurate, sometimes different models are mixed into the same page. Give it a whirl if you're willing to front the credit-card charge while the suit is shipped to you, you try it on and decide if you really like it or not, and be realistic that there's a decent chance that you'll send it back. Of course, if you do find a retailer that carries the same model, you can reduce the risk tremendously; but I've done a good bit of STP shopping and I always keep in mind that I'm taking a bit of a gamble with fit and finish and should be prepared to send it back if it's not satisfactory, eating the shipping charges.

One last note, I believe the forum member audiophilia has some Arnold Brant suits, he might be able to give you more specific recommendations/advice.
 

needshoehelp

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I have a charcoal venus model. Funny, because, unlike the above poster, the jacket fits me better than the pants do. But this might be because pleats fit my body better in general as opposed to flat fronts.

A couple of things to note: the suit is slim fitting. It has a rather trim waist in particular. Also, the shoulders are very soft. Personally, I could use a bit more padding, but that also depends on your body type.

With regard to the Gitano model, the one on the website is all wrong. I think I ordered that one once and it was not fully canvassed as the description says, and is in general all messed up. I can't recall what that suit was like.

Overall I'm satisfied with it for what it is. It's a decent workhorse and travels pretty well.
 

gnatty8

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Do you guys mean Arnold Brant, no d?
 

galway

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Thanks for the help.

Stupid question,

Quote: A couple of things to note: the suit is slim fitting. It has a rather trim waist in particular. Also, the shoulders are very soft. Personally, I could use a bit more padding, but that also depends on your body type

What sort of body type should be looking for more/less padding?
 

needshoehelp

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Not sure I can describe what "type" it works or does not work for. I just know that I prefer a little more padding.
 

danyllau

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Originally Posted by galway
Thanks for the help.

Stupid question,

Quote: A couple of things to note: the suit is slim fitting. It has a rather trim waist in particular. Also, the shoulders are very soft. Personally, I could use a bit more padding, but that also depends on your body type

What sort of body type should be looking for more/less padding?


Generally shoulder padding is used to make ur shoulder looks broader/wider. So if you already have a board enough shoulder, you don't really need padding.
 

Doc4

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Originally Posted by galway
I've been looking around for a suit around the $300 CDN price range for a while. I'm hoping to pick up something worthwhile but can't justify spending much more than that right now. STP has what looks like a pretty good deal on one particular Arnold Brandt suit. I've read all of the mixed reviews of Arnold Brandts, but doen anyone know the difference between the Venus and Gitano lines?

Otherwise, I am very open to suggestion if anyone can recommend where my money could be better spent.

Thanks!


At that price range, an STP Arnold Brant makes sense. I have a few ... decent work horses, but if I were buying something new, I'd save for a discount Isaia. But that's just me, and you have a budget set.
 

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