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David Donahue suits quality?

nullius

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Hi, newbie here. I noticed that someone mentioned David Donahue suits in another post but there was no content in the post, I may as well ask here since I've been wondering about their stuff. I just ordered a DD Ryan navy suit online because the navy seemed to be the perfect shade I'm looking for. I'm just hoping to get some help with additional info on the quality of David Donahue suits (perhaps the Ryan suit specifically) and whether it's half canvassed or fused (with the price point, I highly doubt it's fully canvassed.
By the way, I have learned so much about suits from SF members, thank you guys so much~
 

boringlawyer

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I'm a noob as well - long-time reader/stalker, first-time poster. Anyway, I've been wondering about the quality as well since the DD suits first appeared on Nordstrom's website a few months ago. There isn't a Nordstrom where I live but I did come across two DD Ryan suits at the Rack this weekend - both were 40R, one in charcoal with a blue track stripe, the other was solid navy/ink POW. Best I could tell, both were half-canvassed and the fabrics were quite nice - no maker tags in either jacket. As I'm sure you're aware, almost all DD suits are advertised on the web as being 'Super 1XX's from a reputable Italian mill'. Both felt like 120's or 130's but that's just a guess based on other stuff I own or have tried on recently. The lapels on both were rather flat/lifeless - as a point of comparison, the lapels on the HSM Gold Trumpeter (blue nailhead) I picked up last year for about the same price have quite a bit more shape and life.

That being said, $289 seemed like a great deal. I'm a 42/43R so I didn't buy either but I would've certainly grabbed one in my size if I could've. Hope that's somewhat helpful.
 

nullius

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Appreciate the feedback, and $289!? I paid about $500 after tax when it was on sale from the regular Nordstrom. I ended up picking up a Hickey Freeman Milburn suit for slightly less, and the build quality seemed to be much higher. I thought the chest area for the DD Ryan suit was really thick (almost like they had a thin piece of cardboard inside) and didn't fall from the chest properly. The HF suit tapered to the body much better, so I had to go with that one. Both the DD Ryan and HF Milburn are supposedly half canvassed, but they absolutely taper to one's body very differently.
 

GBR

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How strange, two newcomers on the same day asking after a brand not commonly mentioned here. Have either of you used 'search' or was that not your instruction?
 

jefferyd

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When Joseph Abboud was purchased by Men's Wearhouse they pulled out of all other doors, including Nordstrom, which created a big gap in Nordtsrom's product assortment. They were already doing well with DD furnishings so they worked with Jack Victor in Montreal to create a clothing line to complement the furnishings. Most if not all of JV's stuff is half canvas. There are a multitude of things other than just half canvas which will affect the fit of any garment.
 

nullius

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I did do a search but found nothing that mentioned DD's suits, the threats returned by the search all had to do with either their shirts or other accessories. Why would you make an implicit accusation without perhaps first checking to see if that search would bring up anything.
 

Bagick

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According to a David Donahue rep (I emailed them, inquiring about their suits' construction, several months ago), all of their suits are half canvassed.
 
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lcsegall

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Daughter getting married.Love to get 42 Long Blue David Donahue Classic Ryan Suit. Can not seem to find it. HELP Me.Larry
 

Bagick

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Try Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Sierra Trading Post, and Ebay.

For similar quality, try Peter Millar or J Crew suits.
 
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How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

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