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Buying suits for work - need advice badly!

primetimeseano

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I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I'm looking to add a couple of suits for work to my wardrobe for about $500 each and I've been having a really tough time figuring out where to go. I almost bought some from Banana Republic, but after reading what people had to say about them on this board and elsewhere, I decided they were still too expensive even at 30% off. I know people around here seem to dislike Hugo Boss as well, but I bought a Hugo Boss last summer at an outlet mall and have been very happy with it. I'd definitely rather buy Boss than the stuff from Banana Republic. A 42R Boss jacket fits me almost perfectly and I can have the size 36 pants taken in to about the 33 waist that I need. Below I've listed suits I've been looking at on ebay. They're all Boss at this point because I don't really know what other brands to look at but I'd really appreciate any suggestions for alternative brands.

- I like this one because it's just a plain dark navy one which I don't already have.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hugo-Boss-Mens-Su...ht_2108wt_1139

- This one is just plain black, but my current plain black suit is really cheap so an upgrade would be ok. The problem is it's a 3 button.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hugo-Boss-Mens-Su...ht_2142wt_1139

- This one is a lighter grey suit. The color looks kind of weird to me for some reason though.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/HUGO-BOSS-GABLE-V...#ht_9510wt_905

- Another grey one.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/HUGO-BOSS-Gable-V...#ht_2426wt_905

- This one is super dark blue. They have it listed at blue/black. If you read the posting, only the last 4 pictures are of the actual suit which I don't like. It's also not 100% wool like the others; it's 96% wool, 4% elastane whatever that means.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/HUGO-BOSS-Black-P...#ht_2358wt_905

- This one is navy with blue and pink stripes. Even though the stripes are subtle, I worry about it not being as versatile as a plain navy suit. I like the look of it in the pictures though. I'm also not sure about the quality of the fabric since it just says "viscose blend".

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hugo-Boss-Mens-Su...ht_8901wt_1139


Thanks again!
 

dragon8

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I'd go with solid colors first like Navy blue then charcoal. The shade of blue is up to you. I see nothing wrong with a 3 button.

If you like Boss then get Boss.
 

MrDaniels

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The People of This Board are going to discourage you from buying a black suit for work. I include myself as One of the People.


A couple of the suits you are looking at, particularly the striped suits are very distinctive-and probably not a good idea if you are just building a suit wardrobe. I would not go for any of those suits until you already had a solid navy, one lighter grey, one darker grey and a standard pinstripe in your closet. One can always find multicolored pinstripe suits at discount stores for a good reason. You can get away with wearing a standard suit often without it being noticed, but a boldly striped suit is going to really stand out.
 

nelly

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I think it is possible to find suits in that price range either gently used or on clearance at that price range. BB annual sale comes to mind for 1818 suits.

Depending on the job and how much wear and tear you might put into your suits, the highest quality might not be necessary.
 

JL724

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I think the Baroni suits Jeff (The Wizard of Aahs) sells are FAR nicer than any Boss suit and any OTR suit for $500 or less for that matter. I believe they are also about ~$300 now.

Black is definitely a no-no. Navy and charcoal grey should absolutely be your first two suits, after that a nice medium grey and then maybe a subtle pinstripe grey or navy.

Don't be suckered into thinking a known label equates to any kind of quality when it comes to suits. Most designer suits (Hugo Boss included) are built like absolute crap.
 

primetimeseano

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Thanks guys! I checked out the Wizard of Aahs ebay store, but it doesn't look like they sell Baroni anymore... Are any of their other brands good (Daniele, Enzo, Mantoni, Leonardo Valenti, Giorgio, Marco Valentino)?
 

miurasv

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Why not black if you don't mind me asking?
 

dragon8

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Originally Posted by primetimeseano
Thanks guys! I checked out the Wizard of Aahs ebay store, but it doesn't look like they sell Baroni anymore... Are any of their other brands good (Daniele, Enzo, Mantoni, Leonardo Valenti, Giorgio, Marco Valentino)?

Daniele is the new name for Baroni
 

dragon8

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Originally Posted by miurasv
Why not black if you don't mind me asking?

People on this forum just don't like it but I do.
 

miurasv

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Originally Posted by dragon8
People on this forum just don't like it but I do.

Me too. I appreciate that colour taste is a personal thing but my very best suit would be black.
 

An Ex Parrot

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From an earlier thread, I think that Wizard of Ahs still sells "Biano Brioni" under a different name (one of those you listed, but I don't know which one). Do a search under "Bianco Brioni". Important: Note, FWIW, that "Bianco Brioni" is an OTR brand It is in no way the same as "Brioni"--a very high end designer, whose suits will run you several K (unless you're luck enough to find one at a thrift store). But from what I've read here, Bianco Brioni is of pretty decent construction and materials for the price point. If you are fairly confident in what your size is, check out B&S on this board and ebay. There are some very good used--sometimes new--suits available very inexpensively. See this, for example (something i randomly grabbed--no idea about the seller): http://cgi.ebay.com/1600-E-ZEGNA-Swi...ht_2441wt_1021
 

dragon8

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Originally Posted by miurasv
Me too. I appreciate that colour taste is a personal thing but my very best suit would be black.

Go for it.
 

WUKILLABEEZ78

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A solid black suit is usually reserved for funerals or evenings out. If you want to get a black suit to add to your everyday work rotation I'd get a black one with subtle white pinstriping. A black and white pinstriped suit is fine for everyday wear...
 

primetimeseano

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I'm pretty confident in my jacket size... I'm a 42R. The problem is that I lift weights so I have a large upper body, narrow waist (32 jeans with a belt) and fairly large legs. I'm concerned about suit pants either having such a big waist that they can't be taken in to my size without looking weird or, if somehow I do find a smaller size with that jacket size, not having enough leg room. From the few brands I've tried on in the store (mainly Hugo Boss), I think I can get away with having the size 36 pants that usually come with a 42 jacket taken in without them looking too bad. How much does the fit of different brands vary?
 

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