Baroni (Wizard of Ahhs) - Suit Review

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by goatee87

Firstly, I am no longer a lurker. Congratulate me.

Been luring and reading up on suits for about a month now. I couldn't afford more than $400 and that budget included alterations. So after considering Gilt (i am now convinced that this site sucks balls but now i have $130 locked up there), Indochino (too time consuming and inconsistent), local school subsidized MTM offers (oxxford suit starting at $490), and various department store brands, I decided to go with Jeff for my first real suit.

First impressions, I think the fabric looks and feels great (went with solid charcoal). As for fit. The pants are I think a good start. Previous comments are correct, its not slim but its not baggy either. I am relatively thin and short, but i think the fit of these pants are actually pretty good. Its not too fashion forward but looks better than you're typical conservative office suit pants. I need to get it hemmed before I can get a full feel for it.

The jacket needs some work. It's the right length for me. Overall I like the drape and the sleeves are for once almost there (i normally wear a 32/33 shirt). The shoulders fit okay (though might be slightly on the larger side). Waist/mid section needs a couple of inches of suppression (i.e. pinching the fabric in the back by about 2 inches). The arms holes are definitely very low which gives the suit a boxier look. I do have the dimple, divet problem between the shoulders and where my sleeves go in. Personally, I tried on a slim fit suit at a calvin klein outlet and felt that the jacket hugged my shoulders better than baroni overall. But the Ck one had softer shoulders too so maybe its comparing apples to oranges.

I am taking it to the tailor tomorrow for the final verdict but overall I like it for the price point. It definitely looks and feels like a higher quality suit than anything I've tried on at a dept store.

I bet you he will say he can't believe how little you spent on the suit.

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by taxgenius

I bet you he will say he can't believe how little you spent on the suit.

and the material is the best he's felt.

 

[intent]

Originally Posted by goatee87

Firstly, I am no longer a lurker. Congratulate me.

Been luring and reading up on suits for about a month now. I couldn't afford more than $400 and that budget included alterations. So after considering Gilt (i am now convinced that this site sucks balls but now i have $130 locked up there), Indochino (too time consuming and inconsistent), local school subsidized MTM offers (oxxford suit starting at $490), and various department store brands, I decided to go with Jeff for my first real suit.

Does not compute...

 

[Alex C]

Originally Posted by intent

Does not compute...

Seriously. Where do you go to school, supposing you aren't a plant?

 

[Kenneth Cole Haan]

I bought one of these before I joined this forum, for job interviews, when I knew nothing (especially about suits). But since I learned more, I haven't dared to wear it in public. Not only is it Shanghai Surprise manufacture (nothing wrong with the great city of Shanghai, but the company didn't built a factory in China for the traditional Chinese art of western suit tailoring) but I had it ghetto-altered at a dry cleaners, before I understood the value of a real tailor. I might give it away on craigslist.

Thanks to this threak I'm going to cheggout B&S for some 2nd hand made-in-Italy action.

What can I say, once you go Brioni, you can't go Baroni.

 

[goatee87]

Originally Posted by Alex C

Seriously. Where do you go to school, supposing you aren't a plant?

Michigan, its a student run establishment. The fabric is oxxford, the tailoring is done in boston somewhere. I might get one of those too, haven't decided yet. I didn't like the cheapest fabric they had and it goes up pretty fast from there.

 

[goatee87]

Oh I should say... its fxxxing michigan, they don't have a nordstrom rack around here. Also, I've never had luck finding the highly sought after 38S on a clearance rack... so while I can dream about scoring a great deal, its never gonna happen in my case.

I have yet to see anyone suggest a reasonable alternative for the sub $300 market and I am just not in a position to spend much more than that.

 

[R-H]

Originally Posted by reidrothchild

The only people who seem to say positive things about these suits are people who don't really have a point of reference

Exactly, I bought a number of these suits when I was new to the AAAC forums in 2007. Not the best purchases I've ever made. Certainly not the type of suits that are likely to last many wears and dry cleanings. The Valentino suit I bought was particularly cheap.

Now that I have a bit more experience with tailored goods, I couldn't imagine buying more of these suits.

 

[reidrothchild]

Originally Posted by goatee87

Michigan, its a student run establishment. The fabric is oxxford, the tailoring is done in boston somewhere. I might get one of those too, haven't decided yet. I didn't like the cheapest fabric they had and it goes up pretty fast from there.

In what sense is the fabric "oxxford"? I wasn't aware that Oxxford had their own mills (though they might). In any event, Oxxford is sought after because of the construction. If it's not made by Oxxford, it's not an Oxxford suit in any sense. I've never heard of an Oxxford selling for $490.

 

[intent]

Originally Posted by goatee87

Michigan, its a student run establishment. The fabric is oxxford, the tailoring is done in boston somewhere. I might get one of those too, haven't decided yet. I didn't like the cheapest fabric they had and it goes up pretty fast from there.

Originally Posted by reidrothchild

In what sense is the fabric "oxxford"? I wasn't aware that Oxxford had their own mills (though they might). In any event, Oxxford is sought after because of the construction. If it's not made by Oxxford, it's not an Oxxford suit in any sense. I've never heard of an Oxxford selling for $490.

Maybe he meant Tom James, which is the same company as Oxxford. Unless you pay top dollar for Oxxford-quality TJ MTO suits, they are nowhere near the same quality. It's like calling a VW Golf an Audi R8.

 

[reidrothchild]

^^Nice.

 

[pebblegrain]

love these ******* Baroney bullshit threads. 5 stars. hey jeff, F you (I know you are reading this)

 

[Bucho]

I currently own three Danielle suits from wizard of awns plus two slacks. I also love these suits and I am not a plant, just a lawyer who needs a 50r with a larger cut in the shoulders because I am a power lifter. I don't know a lot about suits, having bought for years from filenes basement, mil tons and syms. Imalso recently bought a custom suit with dormeuth fabric that I love but it cost a fortune

Now, I don't know how long the baroni suits will last don't care. Theynare just so comfortable for me because the fabric is so soft and the fit, for me, is great. I have read these somewhat vitriolic threads and don't get it. These suits are a ridiculously great deal. The last one, an olive suit, cost $230. Imwill see how many dry cleanings they take Yes, the 150s wool is thin, but I really like it. it has been great to wear in the hot weather and I don't take heat well. I can imagine someone who wants a slimmer fit being unhappy with the cut, but for me, they are perfect with a little bit of tailoring.

So, if you can afford or want to spend a lot on brioni suits, or others in the $1000 and up range, go for it. If you want some suits that feel great and will last a fair amount of time I suspect, try one of these. I don't care, but I also appreciate reading others experience and I have had a great experience with jeff at this company.

 

[R-H]

edited --- not worth my time to respond

 

[fuimananteater]



I currently own three Danielle suits from wizard of awns plus two slacks. I also love these suits and I am not a plant, just a lawyer who needs a 50r with a larger cut in the shoulders because I am a power lifter. I don't know a lot about suits, having bought for years from filenes basement, mil tons and syms. Imalso recently bought a custom suit with dormeuth fabric that I love but it cost a fortune
Now, I don't know how long the baroni suits will last don't care. Theynare just so comfortable for me because the fabric is so soft and the fit, for me, is great. I have read these somewhat vitriolic threads and don't get it. These suits are a ridiculously great deal. The last one, an olive suit, cost $230. Imwill see how many dry cleanings they take Yes, the 150s wool is thin, but I really like it. it has been great to wear in the hot weather and I don't take heat well. I can imagine someone who wants a slimmer fit being unhappy with the cut, but for me, they are perfect with a little bit of tailoring.
So, if you can afford or want to spend a lot on brioni suits, or others in the $1000 and up range, go for it. If you want some suits that feel great and will last a fair amount of time I suspect, try one of these. I don't care, but I also appreciate reading others experience and I have had a great experience with jeff at this company.

Strangely, I'm in very similar circumstances. Also 50R (more from being overweight than lifting, but a little of that too). I like my Baroni (I bought it before the name change) though I'm comparing it with Men's Warehouse (I've got three suits from them) and a couple half decent suits from Nordstrom Rack. I've only tried on Brioni or similar high end suits at Jeremy's (in the Bay Area) and the Rack so really limited opportunity to compare. Brioni is amazing, really a completely different class from anything I've tried one, but they're very expensive even at the discount stores.

I'm happy with the Baroni / Danielle but I also ordered a "Valentino" and it was inferior quality compared to the Baroni, but similar to my Men's Warehouse suits. The Valentino fit was wrong for me (it's quite a bit slimmer). I would recommend the Baroni - for the price it's great. I also took mine to a quality tailor and he had nothing to say about it FWIW. I've had mine for about 3 years but only worn it for 2 of those years, maybe 1-2 x / week in court. It's holding up better than my Men's Warehouse suits but it's showing wear after this long ... nothing that would keep it out of the running for a trial suit, but I've had to ask the dry cleaner to do some minor repairs (snip a loose strand of thread, etc ... no piling thankfully).