Good Natured Advice Thread (improving a business wardrobe)

[rms340]



Just looking at some old pictures that I cannot delete anymore and boy...I really loved blue ties.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Might be a lot of blue, but it's still a lot better than a lot of initial fits.

 

[DonRaphael]

@The Noodles
No, Arabic also lacks V. And P. And G. But on the other hand, it has 28 letters and 8 diacritics. And the diacritics can almost be used for all letters, changing their pronunciation and meaning. "Modern Arabic" has V, P and G, but they're not used in classic Arabic and are thus not accepted in the academic world.

 

[The Noodles]

@The Noodles
No, Arabic also lacks V. And P. And G. But on the other hand, it has 28 letters and 8 diacritics. And the diacritics can almost be used for all letters, changing their pronunciation and meaning. "Modern Arabic" has V, P and G, but they're not used in classic Arabic and are thus not accepted in the academic world.

Really? But I don't think those who's first language is Arabic have trouble pronouncing words that start with F or V. I think Koreans are notoriously bad at pronouncing words that start with F or V.

 

[DonRaphael]



Really? But I don't think those who's first language is Arabic have trouble pronouncing words that start with F or V. I think Koreans are notoriously bad at pronouncing words that start with F or V. 

Arabic speaking people have problems pronouncing the letters V and P. Especially the latter. For some, it's impossible, even though having resided in a country that uses the latter letter. For example, in Swedish there's the word "pump", which means "pump/inflater". Most Arabic speaking people pronounce it as "bomb". That usually gets you into trouble, especially at airports. Lol!

 

[The Noodles]

Arabic speaking people have problems pronouncing the letters V and P. Especially the latter. For some, it's impossible, even though having resided in a country that uses the latter letter. For example, in Swedish there's the word "pump", which means "pump/inflater". Most Arabic speaking people pronounce it as "bomb". That usually gets you into trouble, especially at airports. Lol!

...that's worse than rice vs lice.

 

[rms340]



@The Noodles
No, Arabic also lacks V. And P. And G. But on the other hand, it has 28 letters and 8 diacritics. And the diacritics can almost be used for all letters, changing their pronunciation and meaning. "Modern Arabic" has V, P and G, but they're not used in classic Arabic and are thus not accepted in the academic world.

Indians, at least from Southern India, have an issue with W and V. You'll commonly hear our first generation immigrant parents saying 'wan' instead of 'van'. Also there is supposedly a small part of Southern India where they switch F and P. My girlfriends dad, and his whole side of the family, say 'nafkin' instead of 'napkin'.

 

[The Noodles]

Indians, at least from Southern India, have an issue with W and V. You'll commonly hear our first generation immigrant parents saying 'wan' instead of 'van'. Also there is supposedly a small part of Southern India where they switch F and P. My girlfriends dad, and his whole side of the family, say 'nafkin' instead of 'napkin'.

Yikes! W in German is pronounced in the same manner as F and V. So Volkswagen in German is pronounced "Volksvagen." I cannot imagine a person from India trying to learn German.

I've heard a lot of Indian people say, "vhat" instead of what.

 

[Caustic Man]

Really? But I don't think those who's first language is Arabic have trouble pronouncing words that start with F or V. I think Koreans are notoriously bad at pronouncing words that start with F or V.

The dudes I used to work with couldn't say PKC. They said BKC instead.

 

[The Noodles]

I believe Japanese people really struggle with English as well. They call motorcycles, 'oh-to-bye." That's just the start.

 

[TM79]

Got a guy on his way over here with a tough to fit OTR build who will need to suit up 5 days per week, and has a pretty decent budget to work with.

On your A games, folks!

 

[mimo]

I believe Japanese people really struggle with English as well. They call motorcycles, 'oh-to-bye." That's just the start.

But to be fair, they're ******* brilliant at buying suits.

 

[Murlsquirl]



Got a guy on his way over here with a tough to fit OTR build who will need to suit up 5 days per week, and has a pretty decent budget to work with.

On your A games, folks!

I've been following it. I'm the same height, broad shoulders and same waist. Easy....MTO Formosa or Eidos through NMWA. Within his budget. Done.

EDIT: If the 1500gbp budget is for one suit, then this stands. If we are talking a new business wardrobe, disregard. The post isn't clear.

 

[The Noodles]

Got a guy on his way over here with a tough to fit OTR build who will need to suit up 5 days per week, and has a pretty decent budget to work with.

On your A games, folks!

I will watch as another gentleman speed by me in their MW game.

 

[Jake Beds]

I've been sent to this thread by some forum vets to post my current project. This is a huge post so I'm grateful to anyone who even reads it! Thanks in advance.

I have an ideal budget of around £2000 for building a business wardrobe almost from scratch. I can push that up to £2500, or even £3000 if it's something I'm passionate about.

I will be working in a suit and tie environment 5 or 6 days a week as a management consultant for a huge firm from September. I currently do some voluntary work with consultants from the same company and/or similar companies. These guys tend to be sharply dressed.

I have three pre-existing suits in my wardrobe, but one is unwearable for a variety of reasons, so let's say two. One is Kenneth Cole the other is Paul Smith. The Kenneth Cole suit was bought on the cheap at the last minute for my undergraduate graduation ceremony. The trousers fit on the waist but are too baggy through the leg. The jacket fits on the shoulders but is too loose/roomy through the rest of the torso.

I posted my project on another thread (and was directed here) so I will quote the main points directly rather than retyping it all.

MY OP:

"I am 26 and I'm buying a new suit for a new job I am beginning in September in management consulting. My budget is ~ £1500.

I am considering bespoke BECAUSE I am 6ft3 with broad shoulders and a relatively narrow waist (32). I currently own three suits. One was made for me in Thailand. One is Kenneth Cole. One is Ted Baker (NOTE: THIS IS THE ONE THAT DOES NOT FIT ME AT ALL NOW). The Thai suit fitted me okay, but it was made for me when I was 21 and skinnier, so it no longer fits. The Kenneth Cole and Ted Baker suits both fit me on the shoulders but are far too baggy around the rest of the torso. Additionally, the trousers on both the Cole and Baker suits are baggy, whereas I look for trousers to at least pay attention to the shape of the leg. I have quite big thighs, but very narrow calves, which accentuates the poor fit of these trousers. (NOTE: WHEN I WROTE OP I FORGOT ABOUT MY PAUL SMITH SUIT, SEE ABOVE).

I am looking for a high quality suit. I'm willing to spend £1500 not least because the sign on bonus for my coming job is significant, so I have the money to spare, and I'd like to make a good impression and feel confident in myself from the outset.

I've looked at Graham Browne and was initially impressed by the reviews and pricing. However, I've subsequently seen one or two poor reviews of the bespoke suits from Graham Browne on this website, which have put me off or at least made me more cautious.

As this suit will be worn regularly for work purposes I was thinking of going with a charcoal grey single breasted two button suit. That said, I love the look of Ozwald Boateng suits, and I wish I had the extra money to go in that direction. A slim cut tends to fit me well when it accentuates my shoulder to waist ratio (and thigh to calf ratio).

Is bespoke the right way to go? Could I go with made-to-measure and go Saville Row? Is there jargon I need to learn and details I need to research to take with me to a fitting, or will this be covered by the tailor? If I go bespoke, who do you guys suggest? Do I need to up my budget?

These are the questions I've been researching a length on both this forum and the rest of the internet. If anyone is able to offer me some guidance, however brief, I would be hugely grateful."

NB. The budget stated in my OP was for a single suit. For the entire wardrobe my budget is as stated above.

Additional posts from me in the other thread to flesh out my thought process and details:

"I will be wearing a suit five days a week (minimum). I would like to have a rotation, and I'm not entirely against my existing suits being part of that rotation.

The general consensus seems to NOT go bespoke. I did really struggle with trousers when buying my last suit though (for my undergraduate graduation). The ones that fitted on my thighs and waist were too baggy looking, like a kid dressed up in his dad's suit, whilst the ones that were more well fitted would simply not do up at all. I thought the fashion was for a more fitted trouser (more fitted silhouette in general) but I found this not to be the case at all on my last suit hunt.

I should have mentioned I will be working in central London and am currently located just outside London.

The problem tends to be that I'm 6ft3. It feels to me like designers/tailors struggle to scale garments up for taller guys."

"I have a Paul Smith suit from when I was 20. The jacket used to be far too big for me, but I was assured I would 'grow into it'. Grow into it I did. And the jacket is now quite a perfect fit, but the trousers are so far too small that I can barely pull them up past my knees. I asked a couple of friends who have had things altered if I could get them altered to fit, and this seemed to amuse them. Apparently they are too far off the right size to be altered?"

Thanks,

J

 

[Jake Beds]

Got a guy on his way over here with a tough to fit OTR build who will need to suit up 5 days per week, and has a pretty decent budget to work with.

On your A games, folks!

If this is me I feel privileged.