buying suits at STP

[Widofornia]

I'm a novice suit buyer but decided on Isaia after doing due diligence. I just pulled the trigger on a navy Isaia suit from Sierra Trading Post marked down from $3000 to $1499 with an additional promotion of 35% off bringing it to around $1000. Seems like a great deal to me but wondering if anyone has had trouble with STP or if there are any downsides I should be aware of.

 

[Allez Allez]

I've bought lots of things from STP although not any suits. I don't think there are any real downsides other than you are buying a suit online. If you know your size in Isaia then go for it. Even if you don't, check their return policy and you may lose out on the return shipping and that's it.

I will say this, STP sales are like Charles Tyrwhitt sales. They happen all the time so don't feel like you are missing some golden opportunity.

 

[Magnanimist]

If you can afford $1K+, you would be better off finding an tailor either online or in your area and have one custom made to fit you perfectly with cloth that you choose.

I've been down the STP route and once I discovered MTM and custom, I will never go back.

On the other hand, if you don't want to do this, Isaia is a first-rate off-the-rack suit...it would be a solid choice as far as that goes. However, bear in mind that these suits are more closely fitted than others.

 

[DandyStatsProf]

I have bought a few things off STP, including a similarly discounted Isaia sportcoat. I ended up returning it only because the colour wasn't quite what I wanted. No serious complaints about STP here; I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[Fred G. Unn]



I have bought a few things off STP, including a similarly discounted Isaia sportcoat.

I bought a Isaia SC from them too, and it's really amazing! The only downside would be to point out if you do end up returning it, their quick return is a credit that has to be used fairly quickly (I can't remember but it's only a few months or something like that.).

 

[archibaldleach]



If you can afford $1K+, you would be better off finding an tailor either online or in your area and have one custom made to fit you perfectly with cloth that you choose. 

I've been down the STP route and once I discovered MTM and custom, I will never go back.

On the other hand, if you don't want to do this, Isaia is a first-rate off-the-rack suit...it would be a solid choice as far as that goes.  However, bear in mind that these suits are more closely fitted than others.

I somewhat disagree. For $1,000 you can get a pretty good MTM suit with decent cloth. That is certainly true. If off the rack stuff from Isaia doesn't fit OP well, that's the best option. If their off the rack suit fits him well and needs minimal alterations, then I'd go with the Isaia suit over something MTM. You'll get better workmanship and fabric from Isaia vs. a $1,000 MTM suit.

 

[reidrothchild]

+1. OTR Isaia will most definitely be of higher quality than $1,000 MTM. There's also a good chance it will fit better with some alterations, if the $1,000 MTM suit in question is the first with a particular maker. I've had suits/jackets done with two different MTM makers, and the first with each one did not fit as well as high end OTR.

 

[tim_horton]

I've had good success with Isaia suits on STP. They have a great return policy as well. One can argue the pros and cons of going MTM vs. an Isaia OTR but at the end of the day, what matters is how well your suit fits you. Getting something MTM is no guarantee of that, especially the first time out.

 

[Journeyman]

I've bought ties, pocket squares and trousers of various brands, plus an Isaia jacket from STP over the past few years.

Everything has been great - good service, prompt shipping, and products exactly as described.

The only issue - which applies to buying pretty much anything on the internet - is that you can't feel the cloth of the garments before buying them and so the jacket fabric was a little bit thicker (more autumn-winter than year-round) than I expected.

As Allez Allez noted above, once you are on the STP e-mail list, you'll discover that they have pretty frequent sales, so if you don't buy something this time you'll probably get another chance at a substantial discount shortly.

With regard to MTM -v- off-the-rack clothing, I tend to think that if you find a brand of off-the-rack clothing that fits, then you might as well buy it. Whilst made-to-measure/made-to-order clothing can be great (particularly as you get to choose the features that you want), it's often not a simple process to obtain a good fit - it can take quite a bit of alteration and fine-tuning of measurements before things are right. Therefore, if you see something you like in a store or on the internet and you know that it is well made and will fit you well, then why not buy it?

 

[comrade]



If you can afford $1K+, you would be better off finding an tailor either online or in your area and have one custom made to fit you perfectly with cloth that you choose. 

I've been down the STP route and once I discovered MTM and custom, I will never go back.

On the other hand, if you don't want to do this, Isaia is a first-rate off-the-rack suit...it would be a solid choice as far as that goes.  However, bear in mind that these suits are more closely fitted than others.

 

Where do you get a good "custom" suit for around $1000?

 

[othertravel]



Where do you get a good "custom" suit for around $1000?

Samuelsohn is one example.

 

[othertravel]

.

 

[othertravel]

.

 

[comrade]



Samuelsohn is one example.

I think you mean MTM, which is not Custom or Bespoke.
The local Smauelsohn retailer, If I rememebr correctly, charges
significantly more.

 

[Magnanimist]

I use HKT (Hong Kong Tailor) in Atlanta. Also, Kent Wang does a very nice suit. Both have strong selections of well made fabrics.

Quality does generally mean $$$$$, especially when you're talking Savile Row or even off-Savile row tailors and major New York tailors.

But with the two sources above you're talking $$-$$$ rather than $$$$$ and the suits fit marvelously and look great.

Again, my experience--and I've been at this for years--is that custom beats an altered off-the-rack suit every time.

I won't go back to off-the-rack.

But that's the beauty of a free-market economy--the choice is yours.