"Project" suit?

[DGP]

So those who read streetwear are always talking about "project jeans," where they purchase a pair of dry jeans and "make them their own." I'm not talking about that, so hear me out. What I want to know is whether it's worth purchasing a relatively cheap/low grade suit for the purpose of having a tailor take some chances on it, and do a really aggressive job in getting it to fit really stylishly.

I recently saw some pretty good deals on www.josabank.com, and it got me thinking: I could buy a suit for under $200, and, for starters, try something I don't usually go for like double breasted, or three-piece. I could then have a tailor really go to town on it, slimming the trousers considerably and adding a lot of waist supression to the jacket. I would also go for "short" pants (which I think refers to rise and not length), and have more of that low-rise look to the trouser. Lastly, if the suit were cut for it, I might even try to have the tailor change the fake button holes to real.

My question is two-fold: Would said suit come out looking nice, and is a Joseph Bank's suit nice enough to wear regardless of how it fits? The quality always seemed pretty blah to me, but not super cheesy like the suits I would see at Men's Warehouse. Oh, and I'd also have the tailor remove all lables, and do what they used to on old-school MTM, have him sew in patches with my initials on the inner pocket.

Thoughts?

 

[Shirtmaven]

you are better off working the thrift stores and spend $20 on a suit before $200 at JAB.

Make sure the shoulders and chest fit. then have the suit taken in.

also removing pleats from a pair of pants is expensive to do.

Carl

 

[j]

Originally Posted by Shirtmaven

you are better off working the thrift stores and spend $20 on a suit before $200 at JAB.

Make sure the shoulders and chest fit. then have the suit taken in.

also removing pleats from a pair of pants is expensive to do.

Carl
+1000

Find a good quality, but not quite right fitting suit, and spend $20-40 on it then $100 on tailoring, and you will end up with a much better result.

 

[DocHolliday]

Also, bear in mind that some aspects of a suit are impossible/not worth the effort to change dramatically. You can taper trousers, for example, but the suit will never look super slim if it has lots of shoulder padding. Best to find a suit that is at least somewhat similar to what you're looking for, rather than going for a wholesale change.

 

[DGP]

See, I'm not much of a thrifter. I understand the appeal, but I will just never enjoy dressing in someone's used suit, regardless of how cool it is. And I tend to consider something like JAB to be better quality than others in the same price range, like H&M or Banana Republic. The other advantage is that with their suit separates, they sell flat fronts.

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by DGP

See, I'm not much of a thrifter. I understand the appeal, but I will just never enjoy dressing in someone's used suit, regardless of how cool it is. And I tend to consider something like JAB to be better quality than others in the same price range, like H&M or Banana Republic. The other advantage is that with their suit separates, they sell flat fronts.

it's still a jos a bank suit. if you don't want to thrift, just hit ebay and get something in that range - the nwt 1818 BB's generally go for $150-175.

if you're set on the jos a bank thing, try the joseph suit. it's supposedly slimmer with higher armholes, and "on sale" for about 200 on the website.

i still think you're better off just waiting around and nailing a good deal on ebay or the usual websites.....

 

[whacked]

If a "fashion fit" is your cup of tea, why don't just shell out ~$400 for a Thick as Thieves MTM? Much better fit, superior fabric quality (judging from the few reviews in Streetwear), and no need for alterations...

 

[Aaron]

To echo previous poster's sentiments, you're better off buying a good quality thrift store suit than something from JAB. I do like the idea of buying an ill-fitting thrift suit and maybe doing the alterations myself, could be a good learning experience.