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OTR House Styles

gwydre

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[Edit: TLDR: how do I learn about House Styles for suits in the major OTR brands in the US?]

I live in an area with what seems to me an abysmal selection of menswear stores (I’m picky, so I’m probably a little harsh here). We have Jos A Bank, Mens Warehouse, Macys, Dillards, and then 3-5 ultra-high-end places where you can’t walk out the door with a tie for under $150. This presents a problem for me for a couple of reasons: first, I’m not large and I’m a difficult fit, and the only things the lower end places keep in stock are humongous. We’re talking 44+. Second, I care about quality in my clothes, but my budget rarely stretches to even $500 unless I have saved for a couple years. So I’m totally priced out of even the SuitSupply market.

I can, however, find great deals online at some of the mid-level places we don’t have where I live (forgive me for mentioning J Crew and BR), and I am very happy to scour eBay. I’ve done as much research as I can to understand what to look for, I know my measurements and preferences. Online shopping when you don’t have much experience with brands is, to say the least, hit or miss. As I’ve often read here and elsewhere, knowing about “house styles” is really the key. So here’s my question: how do I learn? I’ve searched the forums to no avail.
Online pictures tell me so little—I can’t tell how a sleeve is positioned or how much slope someone uses in a shoulder, whether a jacket is draped, swelled, etc., how things are supposed to fit. I can see things like shoulder shape, quarters, lapel width, etc, but these only go so far.
I’m happy to do the work of trying things on (but there’s so little near me), but I can’t afford a large number of guesswork buys and returns. I realize that one answer to this is that I just wait until I can afford it (soon, after graduate school) and live in a better area (heading to Boston in the fall), but I’d still appreciate any other advice. The more I learn now, the better it will be then. And I would love to know enough to take advantage of some of the eBay stuff in the meantime.
 
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rjc149

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You can get a good suit at Joseph A Bank in the $500-$800 range, if you look beyond their budget lines. They offer MTM and their Signature Platinum line is fully canvassed, to my knowledge. JAB has branded itself as a budget BOGO menswear store, but they have nice stuff too. I've gotten very solid suits from JAB.
 

gwydre

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Thanks! The issue is still that they don’t stock anything near my sizes. I called last week and they only had two suits in any size less than a 42 (I wear a 38 or 40 depending on the cut). I’d be happy to find something from them, but still looking for that “house style” info if possible.
 

rjc149

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Thanks! The issue is still that they don’t stock anything near my sizes. I called last week and they only had two suits in any size less than a 42 (I wear a 38 or 40 depending on the cut). I’d be happy to find something from them, but still looking for that “house style” info if possible.
JAB and Brooks Bros are generally going to be more of a traditional American fit and style -- roomy and boxy. They each have slimmer contemporary lines, but traditional American is their "house style."

Suitsupply, Indochino etc. to my knowledge are more Euro slim-fit and contemporary, although I don't know because I've never bought a suit from either -- I avoid slim-fit, capri-cut, young man formalwear.

If you're going the eBay route, it's going to be trial and error -- getting a used suit off the internet to fit you properly is a different ballgame.
 

notdos

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Size 38/40 should be plentiful, pretty much anywhere. It’s the larger sizes that tend to be tough.
Shop early in a season for the best selection of OTR sizes/patterns. You’d probably be a good candidate for BB. 👍🏼

Phillip
 

breakaway01

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How urgent is your need for a suit? If you don’t need one right away, I’d wouldn’t buy a new suit if $500 is a stretch. Spier and Mackay has sub-$400 suits if you need one now.
Otherwise, wait. Agree that eBay is very hit or miss, and $50-100 at a time still adds up to real money. One other possibility is to check out thrift shops. You get to try on lots of different styles but you do have to be patient to find anything good that fits you. I did that for a while and I found some items that I still wear (Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece) and others that I sold (Hermes and Charvet sportcoats). It’s a good way to figure out what looks good on you for very little $.
 

dieworkwear

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Unfortunately, I don't think there's any substitute for trying things on. When you try on a coat, pay attention to how you like the silhouette. Try to figure out your own fitting issues -- everyone has a unique set of issues that are personal to their posture, build, etc. As you better understand what looks good on you, you'll be better at figuring out whether a certain style you see online might fit you. Even then, nothing really replaces the experience of trying something on.
 

gwydre

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How urgent is your need for a suit? If you don’t need one right away, I’d wouldn’t buy a new suit if $500 is a stretch. Spier and Mackay has sub-$400 suits if you need one now.
Otherwise, wait. Agree that eBay is very hit or miss, and $50-100 at a time still adds up to real money. One other possibility is to check out thrift shops. You get to try on lots of different styles but you do have to be patient to find anything good that fits you. I did that for a while and I found some items that I still wear (Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece) and others that I sold (Hermes and Charvet sportcoats). It’s a good way to figure out what looks good on you for very little $.

I don’t have an urgent need. Y’all’s help with the tuxedo question was very appreciated. I ended up inheriting one from my grandfather, made for him in England many years ago from a label I've not been able to find any info about (he’s long past and no one in the family seems to know anything). The fit works for me after a few alterations, I think, though it’s not ideal. I will probably be looking for a new one later this year for my wedding, but a big move and new jobs is putting some of those things on hold.

The main impetus here is a general dislike of my wardrobe. After the last few years of uber-casual (I have not had to appear in a professional setting in two years), I’m really itching to re-work my style. My aesthetic preferences tend toward the Ivy. I prefer to generally dress in chinos and odd jackets, but my odd jacket collection isn’t doing it for me these days. I have one sport coat that I love, which I found in a mens shop in Charleston, from an Italian brand called Reporter. It’s a light grey pattern in a silk blend, unlined and unstructured, summer weight. Its certainly not versatile enough to make a whole wardrobe around.

I keep a (very) small monthly budget for clothes, and given my dislike of what I have I’ve been looking. I enjoy the thrift experience, but as you intimate it’s few and far between to find things that fit. Given the stocking issues I noted above (I’m not sure if it’s just a southern thing but, at 5’8” with a 31 inch waist, shops around here don’t tend to stock my sizes, and thrifts reflect the same pattern), it’s a very disappointing experience to browse 4 shops and find one jacket in my size. I’ve literally had shop owners tell me within seconds of walking in the door they have nothing that will fit me.
 

breakaway01

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I hear you about being outside the bell curve in terms of fit and thrift shops. I am a 36R so very rare to find tailored clothing that fits me. That being said, when I had more time on my hands and less money, I definitely also made a good bit of money from thrifting to fund my own purchases. So it can be worth looking at items that don't fit you if they have value on the resale market. I didn't find it worth the trouble and time to list my own stuff on eBay so I used consignors that I found here (e.g. LuxeSwap). I easily made a couple of thousand dollars that I could then spend on clothes that fit me. A side benefit is that I learned how to recognize better-quality tailored clothing by handling thousands of items and looking up brands that I didn't recognize but could tell were well made. Just one thought but understand that it doesn't work for many people.

When you have a tight budget I recommend that you be disciplined. It is very tempting to buy lots of cheaper items (eBay, etc) but as I mentioned above, ten $50 jackets that don't fit you is still $500 down the drain. Save up and buy one $500 decent starter navy blazer/sportcoat. For now that's probably all you really need.
 
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gwydre

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Unfortunately, I don't think there's any substitute for trying things on. When you try on a coat, pay attention to how you like the silhouette. Try to figure out your own fitting issues -- everyone has a unique set of issues that are personal to their posture, build, etc. As you better understand what looks good on you, you'll be better at figuring out whether a certain style you see online might fit you. Even then, nothing really replaces the experience of trying something on.

Thanks again for your input. I’m keenly aware that nothing can replace the experience of trying it on—for me at least, the feeling within seconds of knowing something feels right, knowing that I feel like I look well put together. I was hoping less to replace that experience than to streamline the process of finding things to try on. But I also get that it may not be possible with the brick and mortar selections I’ve got.

I’m learning what I like, but I’m also at a place where what I like has changed. In my mid-twenties, the last time I did a major style refresh, I tended toward very slim cuts. Product of the time, I’m sure, but also a product of a classic over-correct from things that are just too big. Now in my early thirties, I’d like to fix that over-correct and also move away from young-adult styles. I like a lot of the classic American from a purely aesthetic point of view, but I’m not sure how well they flatter me. I feel like sack suits make me look shorter than I am, which is something I really don’t like. But I have a suspicion that this is really about the fit, not the style. What I find is that when things work in the shoulders, chest, and collar, they absolutely swallow me everywhere else. But slim cuts get way too tight in the chest, and when I size up the shoulders are comically extended.

I’d also love to find an English drape style that works for my body shape, but I don’t even know where to begin looking for brands that might get me started (in my price point/the used market).
 

gwydre

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I hear you about being outside the bell curve in terms of fit and thrift shops. I am a 36R so very rare to find tailored clothing that fits me. That being said, when I had more time on my hands and less money, I definitely also made a good bit of money from thrifting to fund my own purchases. So it can be worth looking at items that don't fit you if they have value on the resale market. I didn't find it worth the trouble and time to list my own stuff on eBay so I used consignors that I found here (e.g. LuxeSwap). I easily made a couple of thousand dollars that I could then spend on clothes that fit me. A side benefit is that I learned how to recognize better-quality tailored clothing by handling thousands of items and looking up brands that I didn't recognize but could tell were well made. Just one thought but understand that it doesn't work for many people.

When you have a tight budget I recommend that you be disciplined. It is very tempting to buy lots of cheaper items (eBay, etc) but as I mentioned above, ten $50 jackets that don't fit you is still $500 down the drain. Save up and buy one $500 decent starter navy blazer/sportcoat. For now that's probably all you really need.
Agreed on discipline, that’s good advice. It’s part of why I was trying to narrow the field a bit. I should say I have a “decent” navy blazer. It needs to go to the tailor to get let out a little, but it serves its purpose, I just don’t love it. I’ve also got a mid-grey herringbone that falls in the same category.
As to reselling, that’s a good idea, but I have no idea where to start—do you have any recommendations? The thrift thread on here?
 

breakaway01

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Agreed on discipline, that’s good advice. It’s part of why I was trying to narrow the field a bit. I should say I have a “decent” navy blazer. It needs to go to the tailor to get let out a little, but it serves its purpose, I just don’t love it. I’ve also got a mid-grey herringbone that falls in the same category.
As to reselling, that’s a good idea, but I have no idea where to start—do you have any recommendations? The thrift thread on here?
There are several consignors here; I've personally only used LuxeSwap @SpooPoker is the founder/owner. https://www.luxeswap.com
Basically you send stuff to them; they let you know what they think they can sell. Check out their eBay page to get an idea of what brands/makers they handle. They do all of the work of photographing/measuring/listing/selling/collecting payment and they send you a check (minus their cut but IMO more than worth the time personally) or they have a deal with No Man Walks Alone where you get store credit there plus a reduced LuxeSwap commission.

Another consignor with whom I haven't worked but who seems to be a good person is @Brianpore.
 

maxalex

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This thread provides a reminder that “progress,” as generally defined, is often anything but.

More than a century ago, my grandfather was a traveling bespoke tailor throughout the American Midwest. His clients were farmers. This was before even the Sears catalog, much less credit cards. Yet in those days, even farmers needed a “Sunday suit.”

Grandpa would arrive in a small corn town and open his trunks in the Main Street barbershop. The farmers would line up to choose fabric, be measured and pay a cash deposit. Months later, Grandpa returned with the first fittings, collecting more cash, and so on until the suits were finished. In this way even the simplest country folk (of all shapes and sizes!) owned bespoke tailoring.

Now in our learned progress, not only is bespoke in the realm of the privileged few but regular guys struggle to find decent-fitting OTR suits. Meanwhile the NYT (today in fact) publishes an article on creative ways to recycle all those unworn neckties…

I sympathize with your plight. Tailored clothing does not lend itself to online shopping (which hasn’t stopped them from trying). Were I in your shoes I would wait until your move to Boston which will give you many more options, as well as being a 3.5-hour Acela train from NYC. Andiamo avanti…
 

dieworkwear

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I’d also love to find an English drape style that works for my body shape, but I don’t even know where to begin looking for brands that might get me started (in my price point/the used market).

I don't believe any RTW company makes a drape cut.

You mentioned that you wear a coat size larger than 44. Have you tried O'Connell's? They stock larger sizes and have things around $700 -- just outside your $500 budget, but within range.
 

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