International Suit Shopping and weak currency - NYC / LDN / SYD ?

[synik]

Hello, I'm in an interesting predicament at the moment...

I'm living in Sydney, Australia.
Our dollar has recently tanked against the greenback and has only ever been so strong against the pound. I'm moving to London and need a new suit - one that suits the climate that is also "half decent".

By half decent, this is probably my budget in the local currencies after exchange...

Sydney - $1000
London - £410
NYC - $660

So the question is - what can I get for those amounts in those cities?
Does one stand out more than another? These are not times of economic parity - even when it comes to clothing and fashion.
This was all much more straight forward when the AUD was ~0.90 USD - NYC would've been fantastic!

If someone tells me, however, that the difference between £410 and £500 is significant in London, then those kind of tips are very welcome as well as I have some flexibility with my budget.

Thank you!

 

[gomestar]

I can speak for NYC:

$660 will absolutely get you something decent - if you look and don't pay full retail. i can't speak for MTM stuff, only the national brands. For instance, I saw Hickey Freeman suits on clearance at Century 21 for $350 a few weeks ago. I'd also look out for the second labels of big brands such as Emporio Armani, Z Zegna, Hickey, or other brands such as Theory. Most of these will be about $1,000 new, but they do go on sale and you can pick them up for great prices. The GQ website also has a nice feature on the best suits for under $500 that might help you out.

No matter where you shop, fork over the money for good tailoring, ie: don't spend $660 on a suit and just get the sleeve length done, spend $550 and have the body taken in, sleeves narrowed (if need be), pants taken in and narrowed, etc. It's worth it.

 

[synik]

Thanks! Yeah, sorry those prices are indicative - I'm not that strict - if I see something in NYC and its $750 and I love it then I'll grab it - obviously its a purchase that you'll get plenty of mileage out of.

I've heard plenty about Century 21 - keen to check it out but shedding tears about the AUD tanking so hard.

Going to need an overcoat as well - don't own one (not really needed in Sydney) and definitely going to be required to survive the beginning of the year in London!