new bespoke suit or jacket. not sure what to get...

[GQgeek]

As a reward for working out and as an incentive to keep myself at my new weight (I'm trying to tack-on 15lbs of muscle) when I reach it, I'm going to commission a new bespoke suit or or odd jacket sometime in the fall. Best case is that it's 3 months off but I'm already thinking about it.

That and the 6 shirts I put on hold until I've achieved the size I want provide me with motivation like never before

I recently came across a brown with purple pinstripes cashmere Brioni suit and was absolutely floored by how gorgeous it was. $5400 is a bit more than I want to spend, but it was dead sexy and I so would but I'd rather two bespoke sports jackets for that money.

What I have now that will be part of the regular rotation (and i want to get it up to a two-week rotation):

Sports jackets:
borelli blue (lighter than navy but also a different shade) 90 cashmere/10 goat hair
borrelli navy cashmere
bespoke blue/charcoal silk/wool (my avatar)
armani unstructured & heavily textured chacoal and blue
borrelli blue/white/cream silk/linen/wool (spring-summer only)

Suits:
lets not go there, but I'll give you a hint... It starts with an A and I will never wear it again except to a funeral because I won't ever buy another black suit.

All are 3 button & double vented.

Intentions: I wear odd jackets to the office but never really suits. I don't see that changing much in the near future. If I get a suit it would be for personal enjoyment since I love the things. I'd probably wear it out at night just for the hell of it. Maybe make the tour of hotel bars and try my hand at picking-up lonely travelling women

Anyway, I went through a bunch of fabric (last years Scabal and Dormeuil so far) books and was really tempted by some flannels, but I'm going to resist since I really don't wear a suit very often and would prefer something that could make it through 3 seasons. I found something a bit similar in pattern and color to the Brioni suit from the Dormeuil Amadeus 100s book. It's a dark brown with a tint of plum and purple stripes. I generally prefer 120s and up but it's got a beautiful hand for a super 100.

I've also been thinking of copying the 3-piece grey suit of sean connery's james bond. I always loved that thing. It would be a little more versatile as well.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for either sports jackets or suits? I have lots of blue so I'm leaning towards something besides that, even though I don't even have a plain navy suit or anything yet. I'm taking my time acquiring suits suits since I just don't wear them very often. I've been pretty focused on sports jackets since last september when i first started buying them. Maybe it's time for a proper suit though...

If I do the bond thing I may try Thomas Mahon. Anyway, i won't be making decisions today, just looking for ideas that I haven't thought of. I still have lots of books to go through though. I haven't even looked at H&S yet...

 

[Jovan]

I'd go with the Bond look. Light grey will get you everywhere and the vest gives you two ways to wear it; with or without. Thomas Mahon would be an excellent choice. His style (and basically A&S's) looks the part.

As for sport jackets, I think you should get a tweed one for fall and winter, personally.

 

[Dragon]

I agree with Jovan...

the trend this fall/winter seems to be lots of tweed

 

[kitonbrioni]

If you're ready for the Brioni, then go for it. However, the forums members will note at the price you can get full bespoke in the USA plus a sportcoat and have a "perfect" too.

 

[luk-cha]

i agree with KB if you what brioni when i would go for it if not the go for the full monty with bespoke it will be worth it i think! personall i wouls go for opt 2! as it will be more satisfing!!

 

[Jovan]

Well, brown with purple pinstripes sounds kind of gaudy looking to me... but some people just have to have that brand.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Well, brown with purple pinstripes sounds kind of gaudy looking to me... but some people just have to have that brand.

It's hard to imagine without seeing it, but it's actually very nice. I tend to be conservative, but it was a really gorgeous suit. It's obviously not very appropriate for business though. Regardless, it's out of my price range. It would be $6200 after tax and that's way too much. If I did a 3 piece with Thomas it would be ~4k and that's about as high as I'm willing to go.

Btw, does anyone know which Savile Row firm made the suit for the bond film?

 

[chorse123]

If I were you, I'd get a sportcoat, rather than a suit. You may idealize the suit, and may thrill to wear it, but it's clear you know you won't wear it as often. And you should wear what you buy as often as possible.

If I were you, I'd get a sportcoat. Bespoke offers great value here. But whatever you do, don't get blue! A windowpane, maybe. A harris tweed, even with the connotations, may be good as well. It would certainly last you just about forever.

 

[thinman]

I'd also recommend buying another sportscoat and taking this opportunity to diversify the colors and patterns in your wardrobe. Try a herringbone, glen plaid, tweed, or houndstooth. If you have brown hair, I'd suggest a brown glen plaid that matches your hair color, with a blue overpane (Since you already have primarily blue jackets, I expect the blue overpane would coordinate well with your existing shirts and ties). If you have black hair, a black and white glen plaid (with blue overpane) or herringbone might look sharp.

Do you already own a basic charcoal suit for weddings, funerals, and the like? I know it's not exciting, but it could get a lot of use.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by chorse123

If I were you, I'd get a sportcoat. Bespoke offers great value here. But whatever you do, don't get blue! A windowpane, maybe. A harris tweed, even with the connotations, may be good as well. It would certainly last you just about forever.

I love blue

Despite that they all have blue in them, they're all very different looking. I agree, however, that it's time for something new. Starting with several blue jackets was actually a conscious decision. It made buying pants and shirts a lot easier.

On sort of a separate note, what do you guys think of this Borrelli jacket which I'm considering? It would definitely be a change from blue. There are also a couple of really nice Attolinis and a Kiton I like on Ians site. It's all so tempting.

Is it too much? I'm trying to buy stuff that will be timeless. Having said that, I haven't spent a lot of time looking at windowpanes and houndstooth materials yet because I was pretty focused on covering some basics first. Btw, I have brown hair and a pale complexion.

Getting back to bespoke. I saw a ton of windowpanes in summer weight fabrics that I liked (Scabal has some really stand-out fabrics in this category), but not so many in heavier ones yet.. I haven't even started going through the H&S books though. Herringbones are definitely something I'm considering. A suit would definitely see less use. I think I'm gonna put that idea off until i have a good 2-week rotation on my jackets.

 

[chorse123]

I like this jacket, but it's not easy to wear, I think. What size are you?

You shouldn't have a hard time finding a nice check, windowpane, or herringbone in a heavier weight.

 

[GQgeek]

When you say it's not easy to wear, do mean mean it would take some balls to wear it or that it's difficult to match? I like it because it's bold, but that's also why I'm a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on it. It's even more tempting because I bought an espresso herringbone borrelli from lance that doesnt fit properly and my tailor can't guarantee that I'd be happy with the results of alteration so I could probably do a return + the difference in price.

 

[chorse123]

I think it's not easy to wear in that it will be hard to match well.

 

[whoopee]

I know you liuke finer fabrics, so look at the windowpanes and patterns in Harrisons Cachet cashmere book. The Millionaire cashmere is nicer but lighter and the patterns are less attractive, IMO. Certainly nice to explore, though. I've postponed a couple suiting lengths for about a half dozen or more fabrics between the two that I want to have done in the short term. Amazing stuff.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

The Borrelli jacket is beautiful, and, no, it shouldn't be hard to match. Shirt in solid light blue or patterned with light blue (or, depending on personal coloring, solid cream) and jeans or trousers in navy, dark olive, or charcoal. A plethora of ties would work, but that's a complicated issue.