Benjamin Sartorial Suits

[Lowndes]

I was curious if anybody has experience with these suits. They seem to be quite the bargain and Ehaberdasher gets good reviews. I was curious if anybody has ever bought one and can speak to the fabric quality, construction, etc. Also, if somebody has pictures that they could share that would be terrific. Thanks in advance.

 

[Alexander Scriabin]

Hi,

I have purchased one of Ben's suits...and I plan to purchase many more when he has his new stock. They are of exceptional quality, not just for their price but at any price. I work for a tailor (out the front of his shop, selling RTW Castangia, Isaia etc. as well as serving bespoke customers) and both he and I agree that these suits are at least as high in quality to mainline Zegna, Canali, Corneliani or what have you. To be honest, I actually think that these are a little nicer....and at a bargain price!

They are fully canvassed. Yes, I got my tailor to check when he pulled the suit apart to alter it for me. The cloth is of a very fine quality. The cut of the Lucente model wears very well indeed. It is conservative enough to be conservative and fashionable enough to look fashionable. I cannot sing high enough praises of these suits and plan to buy many more. (Disclaimer: I am in no way on Ben's payroll! Just a very happy customer!)

Ben is a pleasure to deal with, very friendly, accommodating and helpful. Buy these suits, you will not be disappointed.

I will post pics when I am a little less busy.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

 

[Lowndes]

Originally Posted by Alexander Scriabin

Hi,

I have purchased one of Ben's suits...and I plan to purchase many more when he has his new stock. They are of exceptional quality, not just for their price but at any price. I work for a tailor (out the front of his shop, selling RTW Castangia, Isaia etc. as well as serving bespoke customers) and both he and I agree that these suits are at least as high in quality to mainline Zegna, Canali, Corneliani or what have you. To be honest, I actually think that these are a little nicer....and at a bargain price!

They are fully canvassed. Yes, I got my tailor to check when he pulled the suit apart to alter it for me. The cloth is of a very fine quality. The cut of the Lucente model wears very well indeed. It is conservative enough to be conservative and fashionable enough to look fashionable. I cannot sing high enough praises of these suits and plan to buy many more. (Disclaimer: I am in no way on Ben's payroll! Just a very happy customer!)

Ben is a pleasure to deal with, very friendly, accommodating and helpful. Buy these suits, you will not be disappointed.

I will post pics when I am a little less busy.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Thanks for the information, it is very helpful. When you get a chance to post pics I would really appreciate it.

One more question for you. How is the shoulder constructed? Is a natural shoulder or is there a lot of padding? Thanks again.

 

[Alexander Scriabin]

There is very little padding in the shoulder. Not boxy at at all. I actually had my tailor add some padding for me as I have extremely sloped shoulders and I need this done to basically all RTW suits....but don't worry about that, my shoulder's are a pretty unusual case.

Cheers.

 

[eHaberdasher]

Thank you for the great review - would be nice to see some fit pictures when you get a chance!

We met with a Russian customer last week at a local tailor shop that we work closely with. He flew into NYC on his way to Moscow for 2 days just so that he could take a cab out to visit with us and purchase some items... he tried on Versace, Valentino, even Brioni, and passed on all of them. He never heard of the Benjamin suits, but he ended up buying 3 of them (Maestro model) - they fit him beautifully (only shorten the cuffs and the hem of the pants) and I wished I had brought a camera. He wore a euro 56R and it was amazing how great it looked on him - he looked trimmer and they just fit perfectly. He actually waited while the tailors did the alterations - all in all he had the cab waiting outside for over 4 hours! He purchased several other items (Zegna cashmere coat, several pair of Testonis, some Valentino sweaters), and became a great customer (first time customer).

Two weeks ago I went in to meet with the president of Belvest USA as we are soon going to offer Belvest on our site, and upon our first meeting she remarked on the suit I was wearing (a Benjamin, of course) and said "That's a beautiful suit - who made it?" I couldn't help but grin and shorty after I told her the spiel. She, along with her assistant, asked me to remove the jacket and looked it over, inside and out, asking where it was made, how much I sell it for, etc. She immediately noted that it was full canvas, and loved the details with the inside pockets, the boutonniere loop, and even the belt keeper loop. In fact, I pointed out to her that Belvest's belt keeper loop was too short by almost a full 1cm - it's practically unusable at the length they had it! But back to the suit, she just shook her head and said "Unbelievable, simply unbelievable". After sitting with her for an hour and a half she escorted me back to the elevator, looked me up and down, and repeated - "Your suit is beautiful - unbelievable!".

At any rate, while I know my suit is far from perfect, I am truly pleased with the quality of the product and the price at which we're able to offer it. We'll have 5 new fabrics (solid navy, solid light/medium gray, solid black, solid tan, and a classic navy ps) in the Lucente model in size 36S, 38S, 36R, 38R, 40R and 42R before the end of the year. We also finalized our new "Classico" model that is a traditional suit with a more traditional button stance (2-button still) and a slightly fuller overall silhouette.

 

[hammer07]

I'll have to give it a look in the near future. Your 38S seems to measure pretty much perfect for me.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Originally Posted by eHaberdasher

We'll have 5 new fabrics (solid navy, solid light/medium gray, solid black, solid tan, and a classic navy ps) in the Lucente model in size 36S, 38S, 36R, 38R, 40R and 42R before the end of the year.

Fantastic. Great choices. Can't wait.

 

[Vanos]

Originally Posted by UserNameToronto

Fantastic. Great choices. Can't wait.
I agree, I have a Lucente and found the suit's fit and construction to be excellent. I look forward to purchasing another.

 

[HalfCanvas]

I'm getting a Maestro dark charcoal back from the tailor tomorrow. In terms of cut, button stance, and softness, it is almost a clone of an Isaia that I have. The only difference is a very, very slightly more structured sleevehead (which I almost find more flattering). I think the pickstitching is as elegantly done on my Benjamin than the Isaia -- perhaps ever more well done. If there are any "knocks" on the suit, it is that the fabric isn't H. Lesser/Carlo Barbera quality. It is a good fabric, don't get me wrong (nice soft hand, drape, etc.), but by necessity it couldn't be world class 2x2 ply.

My verdict: The Benjamin suit is likely the best priced suit (at retail) available in the world right now. If I saw it on the rack for $550 at a discount store and didn't know what brand it was, I'd purchase it for sure.

 

[jrd617]

Do these suits have high armholes?

 

[bellyhungry]

I placed an order for a Lucente last week only be told that they couldn't find the suit in their inventory.

I hope they have new stock arriving soon.

Also, their Maestro suits have a jacket length of 28" for the short cut. Is that too short? I thought the general length of a short suit is 29".

 

[eHaberdasher]

Originally Posted by jrd617

Do these suits have high armholes?

Yes, both models (Lucente and Maestro) both have high armholes.

 

[eHaberdasher]

Originally Posted by bellyhungry

I placed an order for a Lucente last week only be told that they couldn't find the suit in their inventory.

I hope they have new stock arriving soon.

Also, their Maestro suits have a jacket length of 28" for the short cut. Is that too short? I thought the general length of a short suit is 29".

Indeed - so sorry about the canceled order... we're pushing for a faster shipment but still can't promise anything at the moment.

We tend to actually prefer the shorter length of the Maestro than the slightly longer Lucente, but it comes down to personal preference. We've found the Maestro length to still be long enough to cover the seat.

 

[zerostyle]

I ordered the Lucente, and actually just swapped a 38R for a 38S. The length is MUCH nicer on me. (I'm 5'9).

I'll post pictures when it gets back from the tailor next week.

One request: I found this suit pretty similar to the Brooks Brother 1818 Fitzgerald line. However, I preferred the shoulders on the Fitz. For some reason they just fell more naturally - either they were softer or more sloped, not sure. If you could try to get closer to that fit I would love these suits even more. For the price though ($500 vs. $700 or so on sale), it's hard to argue.

 

[Getzione]

Will you be offering the 38 or 39 in long sizes in the future?

Thank you