Convincing a friend not to buy a CK suit...

[Spencer Young]

A friend wants thoughts on a Calvin Klein suit at Bluefly:
http://www.bluefly.com/pages/product...&Nu=Product+ID

I know he can do better for $680, but I'm not sure precisely how (and how to convince him of this). Broad brand-based attacks probably won't convince him. How can I convince him that this suit will be a bad choice? I know Bluefly routinely overstates their price/discount, and that the suit is probably fused. He's lived in London and can appreciate good tailoring.

Does anybody have any other thoughts on the suit, experiences with CK suits, or other possibilities in that pricerange (I'm guessing Canali?)

 

[discostu004]

tell him if you can't find him a better deal in 1 month, you'll buy him this suit.

 

[Tomasso]

Let him buy it, then mock him for the rest of his life.

 

[khaller]

Let him browse this forum for a few hours. That worked for me when I was considering buying a Brooks Bros. suit a few weeks ago. Beware of the side effects, however; e.g. shoe fetishes, obsession with thrift stores, spending his retirement savings on ebay.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Talk to him that there's a difference between fashion and style. Good style lasts for years. Take him to RL Polo, Saks, Barneys, NM, etc now that sales are own and show him how much quality and style he can get for $650.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by khaller

Let him browse this forum for a few hours. That worked for me when I was considering buying a Brooks Bros. suit a few weeks ago. Beware of the side effects, however; e.g. shoe fetishes, obsession with thrift stores, spending his retirement savings on ebay.

yes, but whats wrong with a brooks bros suit?

 

[DGP]

Is your friend in St. Louis too? Drive to Saks in Chicago. For that price, I just bought two Zegna Z line suits, which, while no Brioni, are better, IMO, than something like CK. For $700, your friend could probably get a regular Zegna there, or an Armani, or a lot of other great suits, because tomorrow begins the 50% off of the lowest price on all sale stuff.

 

[DGP]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

yes, but whats wrong with a brooks bros suit?


Nothing, I just think there are better suits for the money if you are talking about paying retail for a BB suit.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by DGP

Is your friend in St. Louis too? Drive to Saks in Chicago.

That's a looooonnnggg drive.

 

[DGP]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

That's a looooonnnggg drive.


Yea, but it's nothing when the alternative is a friend in a CK suit for years to come

.

 

[khaller]

After a few hours on this thread, I discovered that Brooks Bros. suits do not have the fit that I was looking for. I saved myself the discomfort of paying X dollars for a suit when my money could be better spent elsewhere by reading/posting here. It's not that something is wrong with BB suits; it's just that I would not be buying a suit with the fit that I'm looking for.

 

[Spencer Young]

I'll be sure to pass along the notice about Saks in Chicago. There's a Saks in St Louis, actually... the irony is that I just moved to Chicago this past weekend, and he's from Chicago but currently in St Louis for his masters.

But thanks for the ideas, I think it'll save him from erring!

 

[Jovan]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

yes, but whats wrong with a brooks bros suit?
Quite a lot for younger guys, to be frank.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by Spencer Young

I'll be sure to pass along the notice about Saks in Chicago. There's a Saks in St Louis, actually... the irony is that I just moved to Chicago this past weekend, and he's from Chicago but currently in St Louis for his masters.

But thanks for the ideas, I think it'll save him from erring!

how about the offerings in saks off 5th in st. louis mills? arent they any good?

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Quite a lot for younger guys, to be frank.
Well, I'd disagree somewhat. Several of my first suits as a young professional were from BB. I had no idea what I was doing, so it was kind of luck of the draw, but I ended up with a couple of nice suits that served me well.
I will say that for a younger guy who is built lean like you, the BB sillhouette is probably not ideal, although if you know what you're looking for and get it tailored right you could still do well.