College student suit... help?

[aspriel]

Hi there, SF. I am planning to purchase a suit, as the interviewing season for summer internships here at the U. of Chicago (I'm a third year) is coming up in January. I am a student and thus... not too wealthy. Under $300 would be quite amazing.

I'm planning on a navy suit. I prefer 2 buttons. I'm a sort of fatter guy (though I have lost 35-odd pounds since June) - about 230 and 6'0". I wear a 34 in premium denim sizes for the waist. My legs seem to be shorter than the average 6' guy, my inseams all get hemmed to 30 (jeans.)

Where should I go, what should I look for? I know we have a BB outlet nearby, and even though the 346 is not loved here, would it be in my price range?

Thanks.

 

[acidboy]

Arnold Brant suits at STP runs at less than $270

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Navy with two buttons sounds fine. It should be no heavier than midweight, all or mostly wool, and have vents and flap or besom (flapless) pockets. Without a better idea of how your weight is distributed, anything else would be a guess.

 

[lee_44106]

Being that you have a limited budget and need a decent suit, and have what sounds like a difficult body to fit, I would advice not doing any online purchase. You should head off to the BB outlet and try on some suits. $300 will not get you much in the hand-work department (if at all), so you should aim for the FIT.

People on this forum shop on-line for bargain when they have a very good idea what sizes and measurements will fit them. It does not sound like that's the case with you.

 

[cglex]

Ask around and find out what are the good, traditional mens shops in the loop or N Michigan avenue. My favorite was Brittany, Ltd, but I think they went out of business around the time you were born. BB is not one of the better stores when it comes to service and that is what you need. Find out your size, and the style coat they suggest, etc. Then try and find the look for less but spend money to get a good tailor to do the alterations. You don't say what type of internship you are looking for, but if it is business or related areas, go traditional and conservative. Don't buy your first suit on ebay, etc.

 

[drizzt3117]

I was at Target yesterday and saw some Merona premium wool suits that I took a close look at. I ended up picking up a solid charcoal one with flat front, which fit me perfectly with no alterations at all necessary, I figured it would be good for a travel suit, at the very least. Construction seemed decent, at least as good as you would find from Banana Republic or the like, certainly its not disposable, and the wool felt nice, seemed like 100s. They were $109.99, and they had them in solid charcoal and charcoal pinstripe. I didnt see any navy ones, but I would check these out. Ive been extremely impressed with a lot of Targets offerings of late. You could probably pick up a solid navy and charcoal suit and a couple shirts and ties for $300, most likely, which would be a good investment IMO. This would allow you to shop ebay or discounters for a great deal on some nicer suits for more special occasions but these seem like good workhorse ones.

One other nice thing is that they sell the suits as separates. I would go with 36x30 (they have that inseam) for the pants and probably 44 or 46R for the jacket with your measurements although of course try them on to make sure.

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by aspriel

I'm planning on a navy suit. I prefer 2 buttons. I'm a sort of fatter guy (though I have lost 35-odd pounds since June) - about 230 and 6'0". I wear a 34 in premium denim sizes for the waist.

No offense, but as someone who used to weigh 230 at 5'10" there's no way you're a 34" waist. You're likely in the 38"-40" range.

Keep up the weight loss; you'll never regret it. As anything you're buying now is transition wear don't spend too much money as you'll get limited wear from it.

 

[P3R3]

Originally Posted by AlanC

No offense, but as someone who used to weigh 230 at 5'10" there's no way you're a 34" waist. You're likely in the 38"-40" range.

Keep up the weight loss; you'll never regret it. As anything you're buying now is transition wear don't spend too much money as you'll get limited wear from it.
Yea most Denim companies run large.

I am 6' 0" and 155 and I am a 32-33" waist, when I was "fat" I was 177 lbs and a 34" waist. Unless this guy is all muscle I don't see him being a true 34.

 

[FLMountainMan]

Originally Posted by P3R3

Yea most Denim companies run large.

I am 6' 0" and 155 and I am a 32-33" waist, when I was "fat" I was 177 lbs and a 34" waist. Unless this guy is all muscle I don't see him being a true 34.

QFT. 6'2, and a very skinny 165lbs, my waist is 32". No way this guy weighs 55 more pounds with only 2 more inches of waist

 

[aspriel]

Hi there guys, this forum fell off my consciousness during the last bit of finals and all that.

I don't own a suit. I don't know what my measurement in suit pants is. I do know that I'm wearing a pair of Diesels that are 34/30s right now. I also know that my stepdad wears a 38W in suit pants, and I tried them on, and they were far too big worn at the waist. I suspect that since suit pants are worn higher than jeans, I'll be looking for a 36.

I went to the BB outlet on my way out of Chicago, and it was generally unhelpful and felt like $400 on a suit "for our outlet customers" was not appropriate or a good investment... I did manage to figure out I'll end up wearing a 44 or 46 suit jacket - couldn't really decide, and none of the salespeople had any inclination to help me. I still don't know if I would wear a regular or long jacket - I've had people tell me both.

I'm going to use this suit to interview for internships relating to law/government and next year to interview at law schools (possibly including stuffy and pretentious places like Harvard.)

As for the weight loss itself - at my largest was the end of May, 270lbs (when I wore a 38W in jeans.) I'm about 230 now and have slacked off on it with the stress of finals week and the holiday season, but I will get back into it. I wear a size L in most shirts nowadays, which may seem gigantic to the XS-centric crowd here, but it was the first time I purchased anything lower than XL since 7th grade, no joke.

ON EDIT: I periodically looked at the Filene's Basements and Nordstrom Rack in Chicago with generally disappointing results. Filene's is jam packed full of stuff with crayola looking blue and red pinstripes, and really every sort of stripe known to man. The Rack is better, but I would like a navy suit, and I find mostly black suits there. The few I find are always in odd sizes like 48S and 38L.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by aspriel

I went to the BB outlet on my way out of Chicago, and it was generally unhelpful and felt like $400 on a suit "for our outlet customers" was not appropriate or a good investment... I did manage to figure out I'll end up wearing a 44 or 46 suit jacket - couldn't really decide, and none of the salespeople had any inclination to help me. I still don't know if I would wear a regular or long jacket - I've had people tell me both.

I'm going to use this suit to interview for internships relating to law/government and next year to interview at law schools (possibly including stuffy and pretentious places like Harvard.)
.

Congrats on the weight loss, first of all. As for the suit, some sizing tips: When buttoned, the jacket should pull just slightly at the button. If it makes a large "X" shape, the jacket is too tight. If a jacket is too large at the waist, it can be taken in, but you want to make sure it fits properly in the shoulders and chest. Unless the jacket has prominent, built-out shoulders, the shoulders should end at or near where yours do.

As for length, you want the jacket to cover your seat, plus just a bit.

 

[jeremiah]

I am in a similar position to the OP, with some differences.

I will start applying for internships for the first time this semester and need my first "real" suit. (My major is applied mathematics and my top choice is Goldman Sachs in New York, however many other options are on my list. Some very upscale like Goldman and others of a more relaxed nature.)

Unlike the OP I have the benefit/misfortune of being tall (6'2) and thin (150lbs). As such I've had trouble finding my size, 36R for the jacket and 31x33 or so for the pants, in most places I've looked (Target, BR, etc.). Since I'm looking at this as an investment I feel like I could go up to $500-550, but less would be wonderful. I've looked at FIH and with their recent clearance the prices seem to be within the price range, is this ideal?

 

[DocHolliday]

Jeremiah, if you can find a good deal on one, you might check out Corneliani. Very nice suits, often available new for less than $500, and they work very well for the tall and thin. Try Sierra Trading Post and stores such as Filene's Basement if you're interested.

Are you sure you take a 36R? I'd have guessed you'd take a long. (In Corneliani, you might even be able to wear a 38, a much more common size.)

Don't take this post as any reflection on FIH -- I just haven't ordered from there.

 

[jeremiah]

I was able to go to Dallas today and looked around Northpark Mall for a while. I can safely assure you I wear a 36R, as the few I did find were adequately long. I did find a Paul Smith 38R that would fit well with a few alterations, but the only jacket I found that fit REALLY well was a 36R from Ted Baker that was within my price range on sale. What is the opinion of Ted Baker on the boards? A lot of their stuff seemed a lot more night-cluby than something I would wear to an interview, but this particular suit was conservative enough.

Or are there other brands with fitting similar to Ted Baker (is Corneliani fitted like this?) that I could get a better deal on online?

Thank you for your help.