Bad first suit buying experience

[skeen]

So today I visited London's new Westfield shopping center. There were quite a few suit stores, I looked around for something that looked good, and I found a nice charcoal suit for £400 (and 20% off, first week opening discount).

It didn't have working sleeve buttons, or any working pockets, which dismayed me a bit - though, I don't know anything about suits, so perhaps they're generally supposed to be like this?

Well, beside from that, the salesman seemed to be spending more time trying to sell me 3 suits for the price of 2, than whether the suit was right for me - whether it fit how it was supposed to, etc.

I tried it on, it looked good - but I didn't want to mess up my first suit buying experience, and buy something inferior, or that didn't fit exactly, properly, right. My measurements weren't taken, the salesman didn't ask if it felt right in certain areas (the trousers were actually too tight) - I was just not given the confidence that this was the right suit.

I didn't buy it.

 

[Jferg4350]

you sure the pockets weren't just temporarily sewn shut?

 

[skeen]

Originally Posted by Jferg4350

you sure the pockets weren't just temporarily sewn shut?
That makes sense.

I think perhaps they were.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by skeen

So today I visited London's new Westfield shopping center. There were quite a few suit stores, I looked around for something that looked good, and I found a nice charcoal suit for £400 (and 20% off, first week opening discount).

It didn't have working sleeve buttons, or any working pockets, which dismayed me a bit - though, I don't know anything about suits, so perhaps they're generally supposed to be like this?

Well, beside from that, the salesman seemed to be spending more time trying to sell me 3 suits for the price of 2, than whether the suit was right for me - whether it fit how it was supposed to, etc.

I tried it on, it looked good - but I didn't want to mess up my first suit buying experience, and buy something inferior, or that didn't fit exactly, properly, right. My measurements weren't taken, the salesman didn't ask if it felt right in certain areas (the trousers were actually too tight) - I was just not given the confidence that this was the right suit.

I didn't buy it.

Base on your description, you are pretty new to suit buying, suit construction, suit wearing/fit. Hang around here some more, do some reading on your own before venturing out to buy another suit.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

working sleeve buttons are more of a hassle then anything, unless the sleeve length is perfect.

 

[kdaust]

Agreed that the pockets would have just been sewn shut. Just ask them if their shop tailor would unpick them if you bought the suit.
Edit: Damn too slow!

Search the forum for suit buying tips. There's heaps on here. Go to a department store and try on all the jackets you can find, noting what size they are and whether they fit in the shoulders, chest, waist etc. Once you find the size you think fits best, try on one size smaller and one size larger to get a fair comparison.

And don't feel bad. My first two suits were both crap. First one was black, poly-blend, and a size too big... All on the recommendation of the suit shop salesman.

 

[Zenny]

Spend some time reading about fit. Then go into the store and tell the salesman to leave you alone for a little while (could be an hour or less) while you try on every suit that you like in your size.

Agreed that working buttonholes are a bit of a pain, I have only 3 jackets with them, and they were all bought OTR but the sleeve lenght was perfect.

 

[dopamine]

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER trust a salesman unless he seems to know what he's doing. Even then, trust your own instincts first. I find that most department store or even boutique store salesmen know very little about what they're selling. The majority of salespeople at the Ferragamo boutique I've been to don't know that Tramezzas are goodyear welted. Anyways, as for the suit, the pockets were most likely sewn shut (you just remove the thread after you've purchased them). You shouldn't really be putting things in the pockets anyways, other than a pocket square because doing so can deform the jacket. As for sleeve buttons, whether or not they work is relatively unimportant - no one really needs surgeon's cuffs nowadays. In fact, working buttons can be quite a hassle, especially if the sleeve length isn't perfect, because they can be difficult/impossible to alter. Look around here a bit, figure out how to gauge good fit and then return to have a much better second suit buying experience

.

 

[DeCaloFashion1]

Echoing what other members have said, the more info you have going into the shop the better the result will be when you leave the shop. That being said however, there are some salespeople out there who are extremely knowledgeable and whose advice you can benefit from. So don't be too jaded by the one bad experience.

 

[VictorC]

The first time i bought a suit i knew nothing about suits and just went into a shop and told the salesman im going to a wedding and can you show me a good wedding and work suit.
He looked me up and down and then picked a 40inch chest suit of the hanger. I tried it on in front of him and he said it fit me. At this time of my life i knew nothing about how to fit a suit, but i trusted him with it.

I have only worn that suit once and this was about 10 years ago for the wedding. When i wear it now, it is obvioulsy too big for me, even though im the same size as i always was. Its just now i know how a suit should fit.
The arms are too long for starters. None of my shirt sleeves show and the salesman should have noticed that back then. And the chest is obvioulsy too big for me. He should have given me a size 38inch chest. It looks like i borrowed my big brothers suit. I was very naive back then when buying clothes. But if i had the knowledge that i have now i would have bought a smaller sized suit. The 3 piece black suit does look good otherwise. I think it cost about £25 now to take the chest in. But i dont know if it would be worth it.

 

[lordofpi]

Originally Posted by skeen

Well, beside from that, the salesman seemed to be spending more time trying to sell me 3 suits for the price of 2, than whether the suit was right for me - whether it fit how it was supposed to, etc.

When a salesperson starts doing this, it is always a bad sign; you, who have never before bought a suit, had more sense to notice that this was not the way to buy a suit than people who sell them all day every day.

The others have given you good advise: experiment with finding your fit for now, and keep reading here. Believe it or not, there is some wheat among the chaff here.

 

[porcelain monkey]

Another good way to learn is to go to a high end department store or specialty store, engage the sales person and tell him you want to learn as much as possible about the suit they have. Ask questions about the fabric, construction, etc. Even if these suits are way above your price range, you will learn what makes a good suit and should be able to find some (but not all) of those qualities in a less expensive suit. I have found these salesmen to generally be accommodating. Feel free to tell him you are looking at several stores and are probably not going to buy today, etc. Ask for his card. As far as he knows you will be back some day, and maybe you will. There are some stores I buy from now that I could not have afforded 10 years ago, and the same salesmen have been there for all that time.