In Need of Suit Advice!

[LucasCLarson]

Hey everyone. New to the forum. I've been nosing around for a while and finally decided to register so I could get some more detailed advice on my situation.

To start, my normal measurements are 40R and 31 waist. 5'10 170lbs. I wear a suit probably 10-15 times out of the year. I currently have two suits from Men's Wearhouse. I'm a novice when it comes to suit knowledge.

I'm in need of a new suit for a couple of upcoming advertising and marketing conferences. I don't have a lot of extra cash (college student) and am determined to find a fair quality suit at a reasonable price (around $400 after alterations). I'm in need of your help!

Today, I tried on a bunch of different suits: CK, DKNY, Boss, Michael Koors, Alfani, etc.. The best fit came from the DKNY and Alfani slim-fit lines (although I wasn't exactly fond of the Alfani). Straight off the rack the jackets fit me spot on. Of course, the pants were a different story--I'll need to get any pair of dress pants altered.

The two criteria I'd like to fulfill: Black and Slim-fit (save money on jacket alterations).

Do you have any suggestions? How about a more in-depth description of the DKNY? I can't pick up the entire suite for under $300 right now, which is around 50% of retail.

Most importantly, I don't have a lot of time! I need the suit by April 30 at the absolute latest. I checked out Indochino, but I'm not sure there would be enough time to get the suit to me and have time for last -minute alterations.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[z7f9q]

Everybody will say this, but I'd stay away from Black. Go for Navy or Charcoal instead.

If you're confident as to your sizing, the B&S has some extremely good deals in that price range as long as you do a bit of looking around.

 

[LucasCLarson]

I have a Navy and an Brown/Olive (yeah, I know...) suit right now.

I'm presenting and all of the presenters are wearing black. So, black is a necessity.

I'm not familiar with 'the B&S' either...

BTW, cool avatar. Just finished watching a Phoenix video on youtube about 2 mins ago.

 

[R-H]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

I'm presenting and all of the presenters are wearing black. So, black is a necessity.

I don't understand this logic.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Unfortunately, I'm not the one who made the decision!

However, I do like the idea of owning a black suit.

 

[z7f9q]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

I have a Navy and an Brown/Olive (yeah, I know...) suit right now.

I'm presenting and all of the presenters are wearing black. So, black is a necessity.

I'm not familiar with 'the B&S' either...

BTW, cool avatar. Just finished watching a Phoenix video on youtube about 2 mins ago.

Good stuff, I'm a fan. The B&S is a buying and selling sub-forum on this site. Like I said, great deals.

As far as a black suit goes, I'd really advise against it, but if its a necessity I guess it can't be helped. With that said, a Charcoal suit will serve you better, while still being fairly close in colour. Might be worth looking into.

Are you sure you're a true 40R? It might be worthwhile to try on a 38 and a 39 in a few different styles as well, just to be sure. I know a lot of people who were told by a salesman that they were a "natural 40R", yet were actually a smaller size.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Gotchya. You have me wondering about my size. I just threw on my jacket that was tailored and Men's Wearhouse. It is a 40R. However, I just noticed a slight bit of slack on rear deltoid.. I'm not a tailor, so I'm not sure what to look for. Maybe these will help.

Sorry about the bad photo quality. I tried on a 38 and 42 today. The 38 was far too snug and the 42 was a bit big.

 

[gaseousclay]

how about a 40S? I usually wear a 40R but when I bought my Hugo Boss suit I got a 40S and it fits fine. the only alterations I had to get done (aside from the pant hem) is the coat needed more shoulder padding

 

[LucasCLarson]

Doesn't 'S' refer to the length of the jacket?

If so, the length is fine.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Originally Posted by z7f9q

Good stuff, I'm a fan. The B&S is a buying and selling sub-forum on this site. Like I said, great deals.

As far as a black suit goes, I'd really advise against it, but if its a necessity I guess it can't be helped. With that said, a Charcoal suit will serve you better, while still being fairly close in colour. Might be worth looking into.

Are you sure you're a true 40R? It might be worthwhile to try on a 38 and a 39 in a few different styles as well, just to be sure. I know a lot of people who were told by a salesman that they were a "natural 40R", yet were actually a smaller size.


Any brands you can suggest of the top of your head? I'm not even sure where to start. I'm catching the drift that most of the 'name-brand' suits are garbage.

 

[sho'nuff]

i suggest Kiton

 

[mouseandcat]

henry poole?

 

[z7f9q]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

Any brands you can suggest of the top of your head? I'm not even sure where to start. I'm catching the drift that most of the 'name-brand' suits are garbage.
Well, I wouldn't get too hung up on brands, but none of the ones listed are anything special considering what they'd likely want for them. At entry-level prices, I don't mind H&M - low quality, but a slim fit, and you can get them for a hundred bucks at times. Hard to beat that price, but they aren't going to last forever - then again, 10-15 times a year isn't heavy wear. I'm sure you could find something along the lines of what you want there, especially since it looks like you're an easy size to fit. Going up from there, you've got a ton of options. If something catches your eye, a quick search here should bring up some info. There's usually an old thread dedicated to lines that'll come up in search results. And seriously, you can get a very nice suit on the B&S for $400, one that is leaps and bounds better than anything you'll find at retail. I saw a few nice ones in smaller sizes (Luftvier's sales thread comes to mind), and if you keep an eye out a nice 40R should come up at that price. Even RLBL sells for just a bit more than that every now and then, which is a very nice suit. Like I said, be careful with measurements though. Good luck!

 

[gaseousclay]

Originally Posted by LucasCLarson

Doesn't 'S' refer to the length of the jacket?

If so, the length is fine.

it does but not all suits are created equal. I bought a 40S because the salesman told me that Hugo Boss tend to have more fabric in their suits which makes them bigger. so, when I tried on a 40R the sleeves felt too long and it just felt too baggy. but when I tried on a 40S there was a noticeable difference. the sleeves were perfect and the coat felt more fitted.

 

[LucasCLarson]

Originally Posted by z7f9q

Well, I wouldn't get too hung up on brands, but none of the ones listed are anything special considering what they'd likely want for them. At entry-level prices, I don't mind H&M - low quality, but a slim fit, and you can get them for a hundred bucks at times. Hard to beat that price, but they aren't going to last forever - then again, 10-15 times a year isn't heavy wear. I'm sure you could find something along the lines of what you want there, especially since it looks like you're an easy size to fit.

Going up from there, you've got a ton of options. If something catches your eye, a quick search here should bring up some info. There's usually an old thread dedicated to lines that'll come up in search results. And seriously, you can get a very nice suit on the B&S for $400, one that is leaps and bounds better than anything you'll find at retail. I saw a few nice ones in smaller sizes (Luftvier's sales thread comes to mind), and if you keep an eye out a nice 40R should come up at that price. Even RLBL sells for just a bit more than that every now and then, which is a very nice suit. Like I said, be careful with measurements though. Good luck!

Thanks for the info.

I've actually been on the hunt already.

Since I'm more than likely going to be wearing a suit daily after school, I'd like something a bit nicer than an H&M. However, I don't necessarily need the best either. Somewhere in the middle would do wonders. Really, the best bang for my buck.

As I mentioned earlier, I can nab that DKNY for under $300 for a short time.

As for the measurements, are you suggesting that what i currently have (the 40R) is not the right size? Or are you trying to warn me of the differences in sizes of brands? That's what worries me most about buying a suit online.