First Suit For My Wedding

[razmspiele]

I've been spending hours a day reading and looking for suits over the course of the last week. I'm getting married on March 14th, so I realize I probably don't have enough time for a MTM suit at this point. For perspective, I'm a Bay Area tech guy in his late 30s that doesn't wear suits. A few days ago before I found this forum, I didn't even know what fused, half canvas, and full-canvas even were. So to start, a few details about me and what I'm looking for:

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 170 lbs
Budget: $1500 - $2000
Color: Grey or Navy
Size: 40S
-Two button
-Single Breasted
-Notched Lapels
-Double Vent
-Half Canvas

I initially purchased an Emporio Armani G-Line Trim Fit Sharkskin Wool Suit for $1695 from Nordstrom, but then discovered that these are likely fused suits and not worth the money. Soon after I thought about just getting an 1818 suit or tuxedo from BB, but then some mentioned that those aren't worth more than $300 either, so I feel like I'm just going in circles at this point. I've checked some outlet stores like Saksoff5th and Nordstrom Rack with no luck. I'm hoping for some direction on what might be some good choices for the budget and offer good quality for the money.

 

[compuccesory]

I own 7 or 8 full canvas suits that cost from $170 to $380 new. Most of the budgets that people post here are already bug eye crazy to me but $2,000 for a half canvas navy interview suit? Holy hell.

A number of the forum sponsors here sell Kiton, Attolini and Brioni for that price range. I have a Brioni (it's my $380 suit) and while I probably wouldn't pay that much again for a suit it's damn nice and you are definitely getting something for your money beyond just branding.

 

[breakaway01]

I think statements like this aren't really helpful to the OP. He needs a suit for a wedding in March. While you found some great deals, it is by no means guaranteed that he will be able to find a $380 Brioni suit in a staple color that fits him before then (especially if any alterations are needed, which is likely). Plus it is very clear that he does not know a lot about suits yet, so recommending that he buy suits online without a very good idea of what fits him is not very good advice.

To the OP: while suit construction and 'quality' are important, what matters more to you is finding a suit that fits you in time for your wedding for a reasonable price. You need to be able to try suits on. BB is totally fine if it fits you, and their 1818 suits are half-canvassed. Quality will be better than your Emporio Armani suit for less. Avoid the outlet stores -- much of their stuff is made expressly for the outlets and the quality is not good for the price.

I would check out:
Brooks Brothers (reasonably good quality and their sales associates and in-house tailors are generally decent)

SuitSupply -- they will try to squeeze you into a size 38 but if you stick to your guns and wear your true size you'll find that they have some conservative models (Lazio, Jort, Napoli). The Jort models are fully canvassed and IMO quite good if they fit you.

 

[razmspiele]

Interesting. I only first heard about SuitSupply from this forum. Fortunately for me, there's one nearby in San Francisco. I started by watching Brian Sacawa of HeSpokeStyle give his opinion of SuitSupply and then proceeded to watch Jort Kelder talk about his SuitSupply line on their YouTube page.

There are some hesitations that I have that Brian talks about regarding the pressure for unnecessary and costly alterations at SuitSupply, but I would like to see that myself first. I called and asked about a Jort tuxedo as I'm still undecided between a tuxedo and a suit. The tailor mentioned that they don't have the Jort in stock and it would need to be MTM. Given the Coronavirus delays in China, this was too risky in his opinion given my deadline.

They do have the Lazio tuxedo off the rack in stock and I believe they mentioned that it's half canvas. I went through the black tie package and apparently I can get the jacket, trousers, shirt, shoes, and bow tie for $799. I'm still flipping a coin between a suit or a tux, but I may just go MTM when I go to Italy for my honeymoon later this year to get the perfect suit and get a suitable tux to dress it up for my wedding.

 

[breakaway01]

There’s only so much you can learn from watching online videos. Go check it out in person. That’s really the only way you can know whether their cuts fit you. I’ve only purchased a suit and a sport coat from SuitSupply but I never felt any pressure to get unnecessary alterations.

 

[ValidusLA]

I get otr sport coats from suit supply every once in a while to augment my bespoke wardrobe. Nothing wrong with it. Have never felt pressured. I don't even let them tailor them, I take them to mine and they've never batted an eye. Plus once you have your sizing dialed in can just do online.

 

[johng70]

OK, take a deep breath. Stop obsessing over full vs half canvased vs fused. You're not wearing this suit every week. The canvasing benefit starts to show only when you wear the suit regularly and it starts to conform to your body. You want a decent quality suit - but most importantly, you want it tailored very well. Brooks Brothers is a great source. And, by all accounts Suit Supply is fine if you can get to one physically. The only thing I will say is this: my experience with Brooks Brothers is their tailoring has gotten very lazy. They want to do very minimum - coat sleeves/ pant length and let you leave with that - unless you tell them what you don't like (and since you don't wear suits, you're not going to know. I would find a tailor in the area - get suit from Brooks or Suit Supply and take it to a dedicated tailor and tell them it's for your wedding so it looks great on you - probably set you back $200 or so, but it's worth it.

 

[razmspiele]

Thanks for the advice. Tomorrow I visit SS and BB to try on some jackets. I'm going to try on the half canvassed options, the Milano 1818 and the Lazio in both charcoal grey and navy. I like the idea of a separate tailor for alterations but after perusing Yelp for a bit, it seems most reviews are from people that actually buy the suits from them directly. Is there a price point that I should aim for for quality alterations?

 

[breakaway01]

great. I would also try the BB Regent in addition to the Milano, and also try other SuitSupply models (Jort as mentioned above, Napoli, Sienna). Be sure to wear a dress shirt and shoes.

Price point for alterations really depends on what you need done.

Re: alterations, long potential discussion but best case scenario is that you just need the trousers hemmed and maybe the jacket sleeves shortened or lengthened slightly. These are typically free alterations and you can definitely trust their in-house tailor to do this right. At the next level, taking in or letting out the body of the jacket, the waist of the trousers, or slimming trouser legs are also simple alterations. There are limits to how much this can be done, of course.

The important general recommendation is that the shoulders of the jacket must fit well; this cannot be easily altered, and if the sales associate suggests that you could have the shoulders narrowed or widened on a jacket, you should go elsewhere.

 

[razmspiele]

After visiting both SS and BB today there were certainly some surprises and things I learned at both. I'll start by saying that the associates at both companies that guided me were very friendly and not pushy at all. Granted I came in knowing what I wanted to try, but it was a pleasant experience all around.

First stop was BB since they were on my way south. First up was the Milano in a 40S and was a bit surprised that it was a bit tight around the mid-section and showed a little of the dreaded X. I would likely be getting the suit in grey, so ignore the color as he just didn't have grey in my size in-store. Here is the fit below:

Next up was the Regent in a 38S. This was definitely fuller all around and had very structured shoulders. I'm not sure if I like the look of more structured shoulders even though he suggested it would look better in wedding photos.

Next up was SS and their offerings. I definitely noticed right off the bat as soon as I walked in that this was a store more catered to a younger generation and seemed very trendy comapred to BB. The associate that helped me was also much younger than the associate at BB. After trying on the Lazio, Jort, and the much lighter Havana Traveler, I decided that the Lazio would be the best choice for consideration as the Jort had much more casual pockets and the Havana didn't have any lining in addition to the material being much too thin for my taste. For that reason there are a few more pictures. It was also a 40S.

What does everyone think? My preference is for the Lazio from SS mainly because of the shoulders and fit around the mid section. The associate said he wouldn't do any alterations to the jacket. Just some minor, standard alterations to the pants. I'm also not opposed to the BB offerings, but I would greatly appreciate the input from the more knowledgeable suit aficionados here.

 

[breakaway01]

The Lazio looks pretty good. The one thing is that it looks a little tight in the chest. The lapels are bowing a bit instead of lying flat and straight. The BB Regent fits a bit better in the chest. Did you try the SuitSupply Napoli by any chance? It is a little roomier in the chest than the Lazio.
You could have the chest let out a bit but I’d try the Napoli first.
The second thing is that you have a low right shoulder so this leads to the right side of the jacket collapsing a bit. You might ask whether a thin pad in the right shoulder would help clean that up a bit.

 

[compuccesory]

The names of each suit refer to the cut, all suits that you have tried can be had in any variety of pockets, lapels or fabrics. Don't rule out the Jort just because they gave you a try-on with patch pockets.

 

[razmspiele]

I went back to SS yesterday and tried on all three after having a night to sleep on it, to look at the photos, and talk with my fiancée.

The Napoli while having more chest room was definitely the one with the worst silhouette and had no form at all along the midsection. The associate said they can't really add more of a taper since this would make the chest even tighter.

The Lazio while offering a very slight improvement to the tapered silhouette, still did not have the slimmer look I was going for on something like the Washington. Same response as above regarding alterations. The associate then went away for a few minutes looking for options.

Eventually, another older gentleman associate who clearly seemed to be a bit more advanced appeared alongside the original associate with the Havana in hand. He mentioned that since it wasn't structured, it would fit immediately to my shape. I was a bit put off by it not having any silk lining and being able to see through the fabric when he held it up, but it did seem to have the best taper along the mid-section I was looking for once I tried it on. I have slightly broad and defined shoulders so the lack of padding did not have a negative affect from what I could tell. I was able to get the more formal flap pockets instead of the patch pockets as well. An added bonus is that it will be a much more comfortable jacket for a Miami outdoor wedding during the early evening because of the breathability.

I don't have the best photos of this one as my camerawoman must have been tired from the day. The chest seems a bit tight, but at the end, everyone agreed that they wouldn't change the jacket at all and we would only hem the pants. A whopping $13 alteration fee so I walked out of there for $668 for the jacket, pants, and alterations. It seemed like the best solution for the time we have left. MTM would be ideal since I have a broad chest and thinner waist, but it simply isn't an option now.

Here are some photos of the Havana:

 

[mensimageconsultant]

That needs more than $13 in alterations. The sleeves are too long, the pants too short, and the back has multiple problems. You don't want to cringe years from now when looking at your wedding photos.

 

[razmspiele]

Those are quite a few issues that the two associates at SS did not mention. I wish I had a better trained eye to see these things or someone to go with me that was more knowledgeable.

I'm scheduled to pick up the suit this Saturday. What is the recommendation here going forward? Alter the Havana jacket at another tailor and redo the pants? Or is it best to just return everything just go with the Lazio from SS or the Regent from BB instead?