Looking To Get New Suits - Need Advice

[remesq]

I'm 52 and an attorney. While I am a "dad", I try my best to look good. I am also a self-described brand-whore. I'm also about efficiency, and, well, department stores tend to lean into that.

Previously I had been purchasing my suits from Macy's. I stuck to Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Generally, I spent around $500+ on a suit set (jacket + pants). Macy's, however, is not really known for it's tailoring sensibilities.

Recently, I've lost a bit of weight and have gone down two sizes in my clothes. I am in the market for some new suits because wearing these loose-fitting suits is starting to make me feel weird - tailoring them is not a real option because a) not many good tailors around me and I don't want to have to spend time searching for one; and b) I've been told tailoring won't really work well and would have mixed results, not to mention be costly for something that doesn't work well.

Macy's is maybe out of the question, mainly because they closed the one in White Plains, New York where I live. However, there is a Nordstrom's here and their tailoring services and staff were great at getting me some new pants/shirts that fit well.

I've looked through their catalog and thought to keep my suits under $1,000. The three brands that stuck out are Boss (I've had a suit or two before from them and was pleased); Peter Millar and Ted Baker of London. The last two I'm getting mixed vibes from reading reviews. I guess I can stick with Boss as it's in line with my brand-whoreness.

Thoughts? Maybe other locations? I thought about Nieman Marcus and although I could afford a new wardrobe there, I'm self-conscious about flaunting my reserves.

Thank you.

 

[WhereNext]

I'm 52 and an attorney. While I am a "dad", I try my best to look good. I am also a self-described brand-whore. I'm also about efficiency, and, well, department stores tend to lean into that.

Previously I had been purchasing my suits from Macy's. I stuck to Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Generally, I spent around $500+ on a suit set (jacket + pants). Macy's, however, is not really known for it's tailoring sensibilities.

Recently, I've lost a bit of weight and have gone down two sizes in my clothes. I am in the market for some new suits because wearing these loose-fitting suits is starting to make me feel weird - tailoring them is not a real option because a) not many good tailors around me and I don't want to have to spend time searching for one; and b) I've been told tailoring won't really work well and would have mixed results, not to mention be costly for something that doesn't work well.

Macy's is maybe out of the question, mainly because they closed the one in White Plains, New York where I live. However, there is a Nordstrom's here and their tailoring services and staff were great at getting me some new pants/shirts that fit well.

I've looked through their catalog and thought to keep my suits under $1,000. The three brands that stuck out are Boss (I've had a suit or two before from them and was pleased); Peter Millar and Ted Baker of London. The last two I'm getting mixed vibes from reading reviews. I guess I can stick with Boss as it's in line with my brand-whoreness.

Thoughts? Maybe other locations? I thought about Nieman Marcus and although I could afford a new wardrobe there, I'm self-conscious about flaunting my reserves.

Thank you.

There are some slightly conflicting things here, but just to take a stab at this:
1) As the son and brother of lawyers, I would assume you're going for conservative suits like dark grey, navy blue, grey pinstripe, etc.? The good news is, you should be able to find those colors basically anywhere that sells suits!
2) It might work against your self-described whorish-ness when it comes to brands, but the most important thing with a suit is how it fits. You're buying ready to wear, so you need to find a brand whose "block" fits you well (keep in mind, it is vanishingly rare that any suit you buy off the rack would NOT require alterations of some kind). So, don't pick a brand, go try on a bunch of suits and find a brand whose suits fit you well (most important is chest, shoulders, and -I would argue- length of the jacket).
3) I don't know what circles you run in/what the culture is like in your firm, but most people in the real world have no idea how much suits from certain brands cost. What most people DO know is the certain "big" brands (Boss, Dolce and Gabbana, etc.) and they think all of them must be both great and expensive. For example, if you told someone you had a Boss suit, they might be impressed because that's a fashionable brand they've heard of before; they would then likely assume the suit is quite expensive. So if you really are concerned about being seen to "flaunt your reserves", this would mean you should NOT get a name brand. I would hazard that most people on this board would argue you shouldn't get a Boss suit for other reasons: namely that they often don't make very high quality suits. I'll leave out their historical transgressions.....
4) While you're trying on suits, take some pictures of yourself in the mirror (about chest height) to give you a sense of how the suit looks on you from a slightly different perspective. You can also then get some fit advice from folks on here if you post them (and gird your proverbial loins because some of the feedback can be......bracing).

So, if you live by big department stores, just go into the menswear sections and try on suits from as many brands as you can. Somewhere in there, you're likely to find one that works for you. I'd also throw in the old lawyer go-to of Brooks Brothers, though I don't know if they're close to you or as conservative as they used to be (I honestly don't know, that's not me casting aspersions).

 

[acconrad]

What's your build? What style do you like?

 

[remesq]

There are some slightly conflicting things here, but just to take a stab at this:
1) As the son and brother of lawyers, I would assume you're going for conservative suits like dark grey, navy blue, grey pinstripe, etc.? The good news is, you should be able to find those colors basically anywhere that sells suits!
2) It might work against your self-described whorish-ness when it comes to brands, but the most important thing with a suit is how it fits. You're buying ready to wear, so you need to find a brand whose "block" fits you well (keep in mind, it is vanishingly rare that any suit you buy off the rack would NOT require alterations of some kind). So, don't pick a brand, go try on a bunch of suits and find a brand whose suits fit you well (most important is chest, shoulders, and -I would argue- length of the jacket).
3) I don't know what circles you run in/what the culture is like in your firm, but most people in the real world have no idea how much suits from certain brands cost. What most people DO know is the certain "big" brands (Boss, Dolce and Gabbana, etc.) and they think all of them must be both great and expensive. For example, if you told someone you had a Boss suit, they might be impressed because that's a fashionable brand they've heard of before; they would then likely assume the suit is quite expensive. So if you really are concerned about being seen to "flaunt your reserves", this would mean you should NOT get a name brand. I would hazard that most people on this board would argue you shouldn't get a Boss suit for other reasons: namely that they often don't make very high quality suits. I'll leave out their historical transgressions.....
4) While you're trying on suits, take some pictures of yourself in the mirror (about chest height) to give you a sense of how the suit looks on you from a slightly different perspective. You can also then get some fit advice from folks on here if you post them (and gird your proverbial loins because some of the feedback can be......bracing).

So, if you live by big department stores, just go into the menswear sections and try on suits from as many brands as you can. Somewhere in there, you're likely to find one that works for you. I'd also throw in the old lawyer go-to of Brooks Brothers, though I don't know if they're close to you or as conservative as they used to be (I honestly don't know, that's not me casting aspersions).

Thanks for the input. I'll just go in and try what fits and looks best.

 

[remesq]

What's your build? What style do you like?

6'1 about 210lbs. Trying to get fit, but still have a bit of fat around my belly.

 

[acconrad]

What's your appetite for preowned? That drastically expands your reach for higher end brands, esp those that fit your build.

 

[remesq]

What's your appetite for preowned? That drastically expands your reach for higher end brands, esp those that fit your build.

No appetite at all.

 

[acconrad]

So then at the sub $1000 you’re looking at Ring Jacket (on sale), Suit Supply, Spier & McKay

 

[gimpwiz]

Brands like Boss are far stronger as brands than what they make. But it's up to your taste of course.

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

OP, to keep it short and sweet, of the options you list, Peter Millar is your best bet. Nordstrom migrated over to them and Ted Baker to take over as their core line when the wheels started coming off the Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx supply chain a few years ago, and I was initially skeptical at first, as Peter Millar seemed to target fuddy-duddy 45 year old middle management types, but have definitely come around since.

Ted Baker uses louder more interesting fabrics, but their cuts are very slim, and 6'1" 210 isn't overly thick but is still probably not going to do that well except maybe in their bigger cut (the one called Jay, IIRC). Peter Millar though I've found uses a more....classically American body....as a template and provides a lot of room in the chest, shoulders, and thighs, and the store tailor can nip the waist for you as needed. Quality-wise, at around $700 for a suit, Peter Millar is great bang for buck, and not even in the same league as Boss, which is a pricier yet vastly inferior product backed by great marketing. Their styles are a a bit more conservative, but that might be good for a lawyer? I personally like my lawyers to look as boring as possible while getting me off the hook for my various indecent exposure charges, after all.

For your brand-whore side, I have some Millar casualwear too (ostensibly for golf but really useful for most casual situations, in a slightly boring, don't-make-waves kinda way) and you can definitely complete a wardrobe this way, if that simplifies things for you.

 

[remesq]

OP, to keep it short and sweet, of the options you list, Peter Millar is your best bet. Nordstrom migrated over to them and Ted Baker to take over as their core line when the wheels started coming off the Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx supply chain a few years ago, and I was initially skeptical at first, as Peter Millar seemed to target fuddy-duddy 45 year old middle management types, but have definitely come around since.

Ted Baker uses louder more interesting fabrics, but their cuts are very slim, and 6'1" 210 isn't overly thick but is still probably not going to do that well except maybe in their bigger cut (the one called Jay, IIRC). Peter Millar though I've found uses a more....classically American body....as a template and provides a lot of room in the chest, shoulders, and thighs, and the store tailor can nip the waist for you as needed. Quality-wise, at around $700 for a suit, Peter Millar is great bang for buck, and not even in the same league as Boss, which is a pricier yet vastly inferior product backed by great marketing. Their styles are a a bit more conservative, but that might be good for a lawyer? I personally like my lawyers to look as boring as possible while getting me off the hook for my various indecent exposure charges, after all.

For your brand-whore side, I have some Millar casualwear too (ostensibly for golf but really useful for most casual situations, in a slightly boring, don't-make-waves kinda way) and you can definitely complete a wardrobe this way, if that simplifies things for you.

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely get myself in to be fitted for PM. But for the love of whatever is holy to you, please stop exposing yourself in public.

 

[gimpwiz]

@stuffedsuperdud keeps arguing that it's actually quite decent, but the judge doesn't care, which is why he's learned to pay a lawyer and stay quiet.

 

[Johnny80]

At around 600-700 you can find suits also from Canali or Corneliani

 

[Tom Johnson]

I miss Hickey. Nothing compares to what it was when it was made in Rochester, NY. Peter Millar is a adequate substitute however they are NOT soft shouldered and for broad, muscular, but not skinny guys, it makes us look like Frankenstein. At least that's the effect it has on me