First Suit Advice

[Tannerm322]

I've never owned a suit before, but I'd like to add one or two to my wardrobe. My problem is going about figuring out the fitting. Should I get a measurement from a tailor, then get an off the rack suit as close to that as possible then have the tailor better fit it to me? Or should I go the custom suit route? Budget is $500-700/suit

What brands/places would you recommend me checking out?

 

[smittycl]

https://www.gq.com/story/gq-guide-to-suits Not a bad place to start.

At that price point Suit Supply could be a good option. They make alterations in-house. Best to experiment with RTW/OTR before you expand into Made-to-Measure and such.

https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/home

 

[JettStyle]

I agree about Suit Supply. I have gone through off the rack M2M, custom (from HK), fully bespoke from NYC tailors and now I am doing most of my buying at Suit Supply.

There is a Suit Supply threat on here so I am sure you will be able to find a lot of pictures of people's SS gear.

Check out some Instagram shots looking for suit supply. (I have lots of my Instagram and more of my blog). Will help you get started to see if you like their stuff on real people.

 

[Tannerm322]

https://www.gq.com/story/gq-guide-to-suits Not a bad place to start.

At that price point Suit Supply could be a good option. They make alterations in-house. Best to experiment with RTW/OTR before you expand into Made-to-Measure and such.

https://us.suitsupply.com/en_US/home

Thank you for the website. I'll definitely be checking out Suit Supply, I've heard good things. Why would you say it's better to experiment with RTW/OTR rather than just jumping to made to measure? Aren't made to measure suits betters in most/all aspects?

I agree about Suit Supply. I have gone through off the rack M2M, custom (from HK), fully bespoke from NYC tailors and now I am doing most of my buying at Suit Supply.

There is a Suit Supply threat on here so I am sure you will be able to find a lot of pictures of people's SS gear.

Check out some Instagram shots looking for suit supply. (I have lots of my Instagram and more of my blog). Will help you get started to see if you like their stuff on real people.

Why do you tend to like suit supply more than your fully bespoke suit? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[suitedcboy]

If you really know your style and your fit and features of the suits you want then going MTM is fine. If you need to find your style sense then getting something less is a great start. If you are way overboard muscular and have chest to waist difference of 10 inches or other special fit considerations then OTR/RTW is not an option and MTM or full custom may be among the more limited choices you would have. As is said here often, the fit is what will make you stand out. Expensive cloth, bespoke, and other special features may not be noticed and appreciated by many but a great fit, great fitting shirt, nice ties, and great footwear will set you apart from the mundane every time.

 

[smittycl]

It's better to experiment with some lower-priced RTW until you figure out what you really like, want or need. MTM is fine but you might not know what questions to ask or even recognize what options you want. You will also save some serious money. I would even research some brands you like and get pre-owned off eBay. Great way to try out suits without spending too much.

Also, your price point is fairly low. Hard to find good MTM at $700 a suit. Play around here on SF in as many forums as you feel like and learn the basics. After a suit or two you'll be ready to make good choices for MTM.

Also, true bespoke is going to be ~$5k a suit by the way. Shopping Brooks Brothers at one of their semi-annual sales can pay off. You can get their 1818 suits on sale for the price you quoted.

 

[smittycl]

Also, when buying off eBay ensure you know how to measure a suit. The tagged size is not indicative of actual fit and each maker is different.

http://www.nomanwalksalone.com/index.php/how-we-measure

 

[Tannerm322]

It's better to experiment with some lower-priced RTW until you figure out what you really like, want or need. MTM is fine but you might not know what questions to ask or even recognize what options you want. You will also save some serious money. I would even research some brands you like and get pre-owned off eBay. Great way to try out suits without spending too much.

Also, your price point is fairly low. Hard to find good MTM at $700 a suit. Play around here on SF in as many forums as you feel like and learn the basics. After a suit or two you'll be ready to make good choices for MTM.

Also, true bespoke is going to be ~$5k a suit by the way. Shopping Brooks Brothers at one of their semi-annual sales can pay off. You can get their 1818 suits on sale for the price you quoted.

Oh, yeah, I know a fully bespoke is out of question for my budget. I'm just trying to understand how suit supply is one of his preferred suits over his bespoke suit. It seems like a bespoke suit would be a perfectly fitting suit, and that's what we're all after, the perfectly fitting suit. Right?

Ebay isn't a bad idea, just need to get all my measurements first. Thanks for the tip! I have lots to learn.

 

[JettStyle]

Thank you for the website. I'll definitely be checking out Suit Supply, I've heard good things. Why would you say it's better to experiment with RTW/OTR rather than just jumping to made to measure? Aren't made to measure suits betters in most/all aspects?



Why do you tend to like suit supply more than your fully bespoke suit? If you don't mind me asking.

I never mind the question. I like my fully bespoke suits, but they cost between $2k and 3k, so filling my closet with them is not possible for me. For my body, the off the rack fit that I get from Suitsupply is 80-90% of the way there (and they cost me between $500 and 1k). I will have SS suits tailored, so the fit will be 95% of what I get fully bespoke for a fraction of the cost.

I also consider changing buttons on any OTR suit that I get, if I wan to make the suit more unique.

 

[Tannerm322]

I never mind the question. I like my fully bespoke suits, but they cost between $2k and 3k, so filling my closet with them is not possible for me. For my body, the off the rack fit that I get from Suitsupply is 80-90% of the way there (and they cost me between $500 and 1k). I will have SS suits tailored, so the fit will be 95% of what I get fully bespoke for a fraction of the cost.

I also consider changing buttons on any OTR suit that I get, if I wan to make the suit more unique.

Oh, I see. I'm definitely gonna check out Suit Supply. There's a store that's only about 20 minutes away from my house. I'm gonna have to steal your idea of changing the buttons, I can see how that could set your suits apart from any other SS buyer!

As far as shoes go, if you're going for a more business casual kind of suit, what color suit can I wear with brown shoes? Would a charcoal grey suit work with brown shoes?

 

[smittycl]

https://www.styleforum.net/threads/brown-shoes-and-dark-grey-suit.522549/

After a, ahem, ten second search...