How long do you keep your suits?

[SirGrotius]

I was reading a thread about canvassing and saw that good canvas takes about 5 years to mold to your body.

I'm a relatively younger guy and am recently stepping it up in the fashion game, but I wonder won't the suit start to be out of style in five years?

Curious.

 

[NewYorkBuck]

For one, I never heard of canvass requiring five years of wear to mold to the body. Its canvass, not steel. I have heard of five WEARINGS though.

To your point on "being out of style." The key is to seldom buy things that are "in style" and you will never have to worry about them being out of style. I still have suits from 10+ years ago that have never looked out of place from the first day I bought them because they are classically styled.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

I was reading a thread about canvassing and saw that good canvas takes about 5 years to mold to your body.

I'm a relatively younger guy and am recently stepping it up in the fashion game, but I wonder won't the suit start to be out of style in five years?

Curious.

Good lord.

 

[KObalto]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

I was reading a thread about canvassing and saw that good canvas takes about 5 years to mold to your body.


Link please.

 

[adagio]

The oldest suit I have that I still wear regularly is 15 years old. It was my first bespoke suit, and is still in great condiction although the trousers are a little shiny now. Just got it back from the tailor after a refurb. I have some others that are 8-10 years old also.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

won't the suit start to be out of style in five years?

Not if you avoid extremes in things such as lapel width, jacket length, etc.

 

[adagio]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

Not if you avoid extremes in things such as lapel width, jacket length, etc.
I agree. Unfortunately one of my older suit coats is ventless. I was hoping I could get a vent put in as it does look a bit dated now, I supposed, but it wasn't possible.

 

[Klobber]

Originally Posted by adagio

I agree. Unfortunately one of my older suit coats is ventless. I was hoping I could get a vent put in as it does look a bit dated now, I supposed, but it wasn't possible.

Vents are not absolutely a sign of a dated suit. Although many/most OTR suits are vented today, pop into an Armani store and notice that most of their jackets are ventless. I think ventless may be a more Italian thing, certainly mainstream manufacturers here in the USA or over in GB / France etc have not made ventless (apart from odd item here and there) for many years now.

 

[lasbar]

I only have conservative suits in conservative colours, blue and charcoal and I rotate them a lot...

I can keep mine for decades as long my weight is staying roughly the same...

As they're quite expensive , I will diet to be sure I'm still wearing them.

 

[Master Squirrel]

How long do you keep your suits?

I keep them until they are too ragged to wear, no longer fit due to the changes in my body as I age, or have gone so far to the back of my closet that I have no more desire to wear them.


Lasbar: good job on maintaining body type. I found I have Theo. Roosevelt's chest (with a touch of Wm Taft's stomach). They keep growing.

 

[Master Squirrel]

Dupe

 

[acridsheep]

Originally Posted by lasbar

I only have conservative suits in conservative colours, blue and charcoal and I rotate them a lot...

I can keep mine for decades as long my weight is staying roughly the same...

As they're quite expensive , I will diet to be sure I'm still wearing them.

This could be construed as advice that the cost of your suits should be directly proportional to your love of food. Sounds good to me!

 

[oldog/oldtrix]

I think the consensus here is that I keep them too long (at least the trousers). Some of them are also a decade old, so mabe I've just shrunk. Here's one in that category:

 

[GBear]

Originally Posted by SirGrotius

I was reading a thread about canvassing and saw that good canvas takes about 5 years to mold to your body.

A couple of posts in a recent thread said it takes a few wears for canvas to mold to the body. http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=234174

 

[GBR]

Your base premise is a nonsense so do not believe such nonsense.

The answer to your question is when I get bored with them. Advice - stick to classic styles and they will not become dated by short term fashion.