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My first suit is going to be MTM and I'm ill experienced. Help!

semaj

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First off some quick info about me. I'm 6'1, 41" chest, 35" waist, with regular length arms. Anyways, I'm going to a Korean tailor in Los Angeles this saturday to get a made to measure suit (I'm not sure of what price range, let's say under 1,500). I'm looking for a dark charcoal grey colored suit for business attire and interviews. I don't want a conservative fitting suit. I want it to be fashion forward and relatively slim to my body. Here are some pictures of the type of look I want in my suit:
00004f.jpg
peaklapel.jpg
ralphlauren.jpg
ralphlaurenclose2.jpg
I want a short three button dark charcoal grey suit which can fold over to look like a two button (or maybe just a two button, what do you think?), with peak lapel, double vents, flat front pants with cuffs. I'm also thinking of getting the basic oxford shoes from Allen-Edmond or Edward Green. Should I go with black for my first set of shoes? Do you recommend anything else besides Allen-Edmond and Edward Green? I want something with good price to quality ratio. Also... What should I ask for when in there? How should I communicate with my tailor? I'm thinking of bringing all of these pictures to show how I want it to fit. Is that sufficient? Are there some warning signs I should look out for? How do I know if the wool he wants to use for my suit is really cheap? Are there any other signs of poor wool quality besides feeling and sheen? The quality of wool doesn't matter too much to me. As long as it's not some wool / polyester combination and it's breathable I'm fine. He says if I come in on saturday, the suit will be made by wednesday. Is this a bad sign? Sorry for the amount of questions, I really want to be making the right decision for my first suit.
smile.gif
 

Dragon

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In the case of a made to measure suit, you have to realize that the silouette is already fixed. Meaning you can not change the silouette, but only the fit of the suit.

The reason I am bringing this point to attention is that from your pictures, it seems that you are looking for a more modern, slim design with small lapels. I am not sure if this is the type of pattern that your Korean tailor would have, therfore you will not get a satisfactory result even if you show him the pictures. You can ask for skinny lapels, but it will not look balanced with the rest of the suit unless it was designed that way from the beginning.

Regarding the quality of the material...it looks like they are using a cashmere or cashmere blend material in the pictures you have posted.

As for the shoes, I think black shoes are good because they go very well with charcoal as shown in your pictures. Also, the modern designers seem to favor black shoes when pairing with their suit designs.
 

TyskJohan

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On the second picture from the bottom, don't the pants look a tad short?
 

Jolly Green

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Originally Posted by TyskJohan
On the second picture from the bottom, don't the pants look a tad short?

Hard to tell because he's walking.

-----
3 button suit you refer to is called a 3-roll-2 suit, IIRC.

I don't see anything about these suits that especially fashion forward except the narrow lapels as was mentioned earlier. They have a very lean cut. I fail to see why any good tailor would have a problem making a basic suit with lean lines and narrow lapels. But I doubt that it will be to the level of perfection as Dior, et al.

Can Mr $1500-suit-man make a slim suit that is comfortable to move around in? An interview is the last place you want to be uncomfortable. Depending on where you aspire to work, an interview is the last place you should be fashion forward.

Why go custom? You are not so big or tall that you won't be able to find an OTR suit that fits the bill.

I'm also thinking of getting the basic oxford shoes from Allen-Edmond or Edward Green. Should I go with black for my first set of shoes? Do you recommend anything else besides Allen-Edmond and Edward Green? I want something with good price to quality ratio.
Why are you asking for a fashion forward suit and recommendations for ultra conservative shoes? This one puts me at a loss. May I recommend this? You will find more Shoe Appreciation on this site "than you can shake a stick at."

Black may be a fine first shoe, but browns will probably get more rotation.

Sorry for the randomness of my post. I haven't had my coffee yet.
smile.gif


Enjoy.

Cheers,
D
 

JordanB

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What sort of business are you in? Unless it's something creative, the cut of those suits is generally too fashion-forward to be appropriate for business (with the possible exception of the peak lapel suit pictured second from the top).

I agree with the others than unless you have some weird body shape (which does not appear the case), you'll be fine getting a suit off the rack. For $1500, you should be able to get a very nice OTR suit tailored to your specifications. And you will not have to worry about whether there is a MTM pattern that fits your criteria.
 

grimslade

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I like that SB peak lapel suit in the picture. Very understated. If I were to get a SB peak-lapel, I think that's the look I would aim for.
 

mrchapel

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Do not be discouraged by the other comments, but take them as guidance. Make sure the Korean tailor can do what you want. Have him show you samples of his work, and bring the pictures. Make sure you are comfortable with his work. You might even consider saving a few and going for a full bespoke suit. There are a few bench tailors still in LA.
 

Jovan

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The three piece is quite rakish. (And I love that guy's hair.) Yeah, if you're dealing with a tailor and he calls it MTM... eh. I'd get some more details first. Especially when he's quoting a mere four days.
 

lawyerdad

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That's an awfully quick turnaround.
 

Kent Wang

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Originally Posted by Jovan
The three piece is quite rakish. (And I love that guy's hair.) Yeah, if you're dealing with a tailor and he calls it MTM... eh. I'd get some more details first. Especially when he's quoting a mere four days.
Yeah, holy ****, I'm saving that photo to show my hairstylist. Also agree about the suit. I didn't think young people looked good in three-piece.
 

Get Smart

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Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel
this is not a good idea.

!luc


yep. esp going into this not knowing exactly what you want. and the 3 day turnaround for a made from scratch suit!!!

There is a 99.9% chance you will be severely disappointed with the results. This is like watching a train hurdle towards a bridge that hasnt finished building its tracks.
 

grimslade

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Originally Posted by Kent Wang
Yeah, holy ****, I'm saving that photo to show my hairstylist.

Also agree about the suit. I didn't think young people looked good in three-piece.



His hair? I thought maybe he'd forgotten to comb it in his rush to get out on the runway.
sly.gif
 

gmac

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For $1,500 you can do a lot better by going to a decent OTR store than some knock-off shop.

And those suits are too fashionable for interviews in anything but the media or something similar.
 

kitonbrioni

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Take your pictures to the tailor, ask for a 3 button peak lapel suit in a wool that feels nice to your hand (if need be go by NM and feel the the Brioni and Kiton suits), and do brown shoes. And in 4 days you'll have your new suit.
 

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