Can you find anything wrong with this $85 suit (and $29 shoes) from Target?

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

Easy tiger. If you want useless praise about how sharp he looks, go post it on sherdog. The comments people give you here will help you get from B- to straight A. But only if you choose to pay attention.

Please...I'm sure you've heard worse on this forum.


I wouldn't say 90%. More like 60%. Good, considering the cost. Wasn't that the point?

Actually, I am more impressed by the shoe find. Are those really leather? Do they have that ugly padded collar which is common at payless?

The shoes don't have the padded collar, thank god. They were a good find. They are real leather, too made by Dexter. I think if he has them resoled them with leather soles they could last a long time.

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by Man Of Lint

Looking at the photos I have this to contribute.. Given the budget, I think it was quite an accomplishment. True, the tailoring needs work still.(ok ok ...a lot of work) Still, most people outside this fora would give the man compliments for being well dressed. A small criticism: I would recommend a higher collar on the shirt. I believe this would compliment the gentlemans frame/phisique. The purple & grey motif isn't complimenting either the suit or the man. A pencil point shirt would have served much better. Or some offwhite textured. The real shocker are the shoes.. If I am not mistaken, Dexter dress shoes retail for $150-180, so how/where on earth do you get them for only $29? Was this a typo? They are more than acceptable and if that price is correct, an incredible find. I'll take 5 pairs myself just on principle. A few tweaks and this suit would serve any man on a severe budget well enough. The fabric does look rather plain, so my strategy would be to liven it up with texture or pattern in the shirt, tie & socks. A coloured pocket square may also help. To me, if I saw this man in real life, I would have thought nothing negative. I would see a man who is making an effort to dress well, and that would win me over. In the sprit of the original intent of this thread, I give it a pass & thumbs up.
The shoes are in fact by Dexter. Payless carries the lower end of the brand. Most of their loafers are by Dexter, too. Thank you so much for the feedback. I totally agree about the collar. I wanted more of a spread on it but I couldn't find one.

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

Dennis, the quarters are very closed, probably due at least in some part to the lack of taper at the waist. Fixing that will do a lot for this look. Call this forum what you want, but they're accurate and they dont sugar coat it most of the time. They have their moments of douche-ness where they overstep, I guess we all do. Overall the constructive criticism from this board has helped me make leaps and bounds improvements. I still have much to do, but I know where effort is required.
******, I was just joking with the douche comment. I'm sure you all have heard way worse. I hear you on the waist. I REALLY wanted to get him to my usual tailor but the time constraint did not allow it. Should he have it re-tailored, I will definitely have it fixed. Has anyone seen my responses about how grateful I am for this feedback?? If not...here it is again: THANK YOU. I am learning a lot and never claimed to be an expert. My blog is for my own growth and my readers as well. -Dennis

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by holymadness

Yeah, no.

However, I agree that he doesn't look any worse than the average suited-up businessman. That's less an endorsement of the way he looks than a condemnation of the way most people dress, btw.

On the other hand, bluemagic is a leprous twit who exclusively spouts bullshit so I can understand your reaction. But let's not exaggerate.

I think the blog owner would benefit from hanging around here and checking his ego at the door in response to criticism. The feedback he's gotten (and will get in the future) should be extremely helpful. Since the OP posted this as provocation, I never constructively criticized. Some changes I would suggest:

- Of all the problems I mentioned with the jacket, hardly any are fixable except the lack of waist suppression and possibly slimming the sleeves. That's just a limitation of the jacket you picked. However, in the future I would suggest finding jackets with lower buttoning stances that create a balanced "V" in the torso. This will open the quarters and create a better 'natural' waist even without tailoring. The other aspects (high armholes, soft shoulders, etc.) are nearly impossible to find in cheap RTW so don't bother. Fit is what matters most.

- To those who say the pants are too baggy, you are morons. You can clearly see the outlines of his thighs. To fix the rumples at the bottom, I'd not only hem them a tiny bit shorter, but add a standard length cuff (1.75", not the SF standard 3") to add some weight and keep the pants falling nicely.

- I would not have chosen either a lilac shirt or a purple tie. They're not particularly flattering in this context, and the colours are fashionable, which is code for unwearable 1-2 years down the road. I'd have gone with a plain white or light blue shirt, and a tie in a classic colour (navy, red) with a subtle motif (simple stripes, polka dots, etc.). Also, teach your clients to tie a proper fih knot that creates a dimple. This can be hard with cheaper ties but is worth taking the time to do. It costs nothing and separates you from the herd.

Excuse me but where have I put ego on any of my posts here? I'm listening and taking notes. If you read the posts I wrote throughout this thread, you'll see that I have been extremely grateful.

I never claimed to be an expert (as you may be assuming) and most of my blog is what I consider a learning experience for myself and my readers. Every point you've made is a great one.

Not all bloggers are ego driven and out for self. I honestly just want the men of my generation to take more care in their appearance.

I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to write out the measurements and the color choices which all make sense. That is a tremendous help.

I'm sure if I had brought Jeff to my regular tailor there would have been a massive difference. Like I said before...time constraints really played a huge factor in this.

On a side note: I have been hanging around since the first time I was lambasted here out of curiosity. MAN OF KENT is my favorite dressed person on the forum.

Thank you again,
Dennis

 

[holymadness]

^^^

Originally Posted by Dennis Cahlo

Style Forum - a phrase which HAS defined the word douchebag.

But if I misinterpreted this as serious when it was a joke, I take it back.

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by holymadness

^^^ But if I misinterpreted this as serious when it was a joke, I take it back.
It was a total joke. And from what I have seen here, these kinds of pokes are common place and a far cry from what some people were calling me the first time Reevolving posted photos of me here. Don't forget, I didn't ask to be in this forum. I was kind of thrust into it. Believe me, I see the massive benefit in all the critique.

 

[bossman08]

Originally Posted by SuitMyself

Overall, even if I hadn't known the price of the suit and the store from which it was purchased, I would definitely agree with most people's responses here. The shoulders are far too wide, the armholes are far too low, the jacket looks baggy. I especially do not like the shoes. They look like incredibly cheap quality beyond compare.

How do the shoes look cheap and beyond compare? And how can you tell the quality from those pictures? I'm calling BS on this one. They may in fact be of awful quality, but I don't see how you can judge just from those pictures.

 

[RoyalPaJamas]

I agree with all of the critiques of the fit, some of which can still be tailored to fit better, but I think people are too quick to say that a low-cost suit is of total crap quality that will fall apart after three wears.

I don't own any of Target's Merona jackets because the smallest, at 38R, is still too big on me. But, as they are sold as separates, I have purchased some of the trousers, the ones that are 100% wool. For an odd trouser, they fit great and have held up just as well as any other pair of trousers I own.

I think that one of the hidden benefits of the low-cost suiting is that the fabric is not very fine, and it actually has some durability. This doesn't always look great, but...

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

Easy tiger. If you want useless praise about how sharp he looks, go post it on sherdog. The comments people give you here will help you get from B- to straight A. But only if you choose to pay attention.

I don't recall starting this thread and I was making a joke about your d-bag comment. You want to throw jabs, I'll throw back.

Lighten up, grade master.

 

[MBreinin]

Not bad. But, I will stick to trawling E-Bay and buying good suits for $20-$100. More fun!

Mike

 

[su_maverick]

I think that the premise of this is commendable. I think that a lower end suit with a bit of tailoring can look very good and sometimes better than people who just buy off the rack for a $500+

If I might, I would suggest possibly showing what other low cost clothing companies might offer other than Target (though I know they are more common). One company that comes to mind is called Topman. They offer more trendy styles and for about the same price:
TopMan Suits

 

[Deep30hz]

I think for what it is.....it's not all that bad. Maybe if the original tailor you had in mind did the job it would have turned out more in your favor. All in all there is only so much you can do with it and not bad considering the money and time constraints you had.

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by vtechnwn

Yeah, it's SF. Askandy is also a pretty good forum and I have always found the members there to be helpful.
See:
http://sleevehead.blogspot.com/2009/...ng-forums.html

I still have yet to join Ask Andy. Thanks for those links!!

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by MBreinin

Not bad. But, I will stick to trawling E-Bay and buying good suits for $20-$100. More fun! Mike
I'm an e-bay fanatic. I bought an amazing pair of shoes for my wedding on there and a really nice Harris Tweed jacket. Florsheim NOS from the 60's for around $50. Absolutely amazing condition. I'm actually doing a feature on the blog about them: http://twitpic.com/1ey959

 

[Dennis Cahlo]

Originally Posted by su_maverick

I think that the premise of this is commendable. I think that a lower end suit with a bit of tailoring can look very good and sometimes better than people who just buy off the rack for a $500+

If I might, I would suggest possibly showing what other low cost clothing companies might offer other than Target (though I know they are more common). One company that comes to mind is called Topman. They offer more trendy styles and for about the same price:
TopMan Suits

I love Topman! Everything is cut slim and 60's Mod. It reminds me of what I used to wear in the late 90's trolling all the Britpop and Retro Soul nights in NYC.

There is a store here in the city I have yet to visit.