First Suit/Wedding Suit - where to buy?

[chrysaetos]

I'm getting married next summer, and looking for some clothes! I'm young and in science, so my wardrobe currently consists of t-shirts + a couple button ups and a few pairs of slacks. Obviously, I want to look smart for my wedding, so we're steering clear of tux rentals. I've been looking into options for buying suits.

I was thinking to wear a grey three-piece, with white shirt, and black or color tie. Groomsmen would wear grey slacks and white shirts with matching ties. I think the three piece will be formal enough for a wedding, but, in the future, I can just wear two pieces, and have a suit for job interviews or other formal occasions.

So far, I've considered Duchess in Portland (wedding location) and Thick as Thieves in LA (closer to wear I live in OC). I find Duchess to be a little bit pricey, and inconveniently out of town, but TaT doesn't do three-piece, and their style is a little modern for me. Not owning any suits, I also find MtM to be a little bit intimidating.

Questions:

(1) Where can an amateur like myself go to try on suits and learn something in the OC area? My experience thus far have been at malls... high prices for poor fit and/or poor materials.

(2) MtM vs off the shelf/tailored? I feel like OTS is probably better for the inexperienced, but can I find something wedding appropriate?

(3) If not MtM, what do I look for in a good tailor? I'd be a little uncomfortable taking my wedding suit to the local cleaner.

I'm pretty in the dark on all of this, so all recommendations are welcome!

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Willing to name the nearest closest city in Orange County? The OC is big. Nordstrom and Brooks Brothers certainly are places to try on quality suits and maybe learn a little from a salesperson. Obviously much can be learned from reading forums and other websites.

Three-piece suits are relatively uncommon OTR (off-the-rack). It really depends on whether you can find something in person that fits reasonably well and looks well. If not, then MTM. That is, if you won't consider a two-piece suit plus an odd vest.

For a tailor, short of a personal recommendation from a trusted source and online reviews, the way to go about it is to look for an alterations tailor, preferably male and with suit-making experience. Then test out his tailoring skills on a dress shirt or dress pants before having a suit altered.

 

[chrysaetos]

Thanks for the feedback.

I personally don't like the look of mismatched vests, so that might make it more difficult.

I'm in the Irvine area, and it looks like there is a BB pretty close, in South Coast plaza, and definitely Nordstroms in a few of the local malls. I can certainly go there and try a few things on for a start, but it looks like I may have to go MtM to get what I want.

Are there any recommendations for MtM places other than the ones I mentioned, near the Irvine area? I am willing to drive a ways.