Question about RL suit lines/price

[tanasap]

Lurker turned recent member here.

First off, I would like to express my appreciation for all the valuable information on this site. I've learned a lot from just reading old posts. Thank you for that.

Now on to my question..

A local clothier/habadashery is having a "50-70% off expansion sale" and I had spoken to the owner over the telephone.

He said he had some RL suits for around $300 (normally $600-700). My question is what line of suit should I be expecting, given the above? Please include any specifics about the quality of the line (canvassing, modern/traditional, etc).

The reason I am concerned is (besides my general lack of knowledge) that he also mentioned he had Michael Kors suits (for either $200 or $300). That kind of worried me, as I recall reading generally negative things about them--mostly them being derided as complete garbage.

I'm looking for something traditional, with at least half canvassing, in a three season weight (medium?) wool on a budget (<= $300). But I would prefer to go over budget for something decent, and that I will be happy with, rather than cheaping out and getting "good crap," so to speak.

Any insight, advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Oh and go easy on me (you know who you are) for trying to find something alright and affordable. I'm a full time student (but I have a decently paying internship).

Thanks.

 

[tanasap]

Um my apologies if I posted this same question twice, I thought it somehow disappeared after the first attempt.

 

[Wayward]

Have you tried reading this:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/94886/ralph-lauren-lines-and-who-makes-what-a-definitive-guide

First post is a little old but still holds true. Long story short: ask the guy what colour the "Ralph Lauren" label is. For that price range, I'm thinking blue or green. If blue, ask if it's Polo Ralph Lauren or just Ralph Lauren.

If it's green (Lauren Ralph Lauren), avoid. If it's blue and Polo, then it's a good price though their retail goes for more than $600-700 so it's doubtful. If it's just Ralph Lauren, then it's meh. If Polo and RLBL are half-canvassed, I can't imagine blue Ralph Lauren being also half-canvassed for half its price, so I can only guess that it would be fused.

Sorry if I can't be of more help than that. I'm not overly familiar with all their lines.

 

[tanasap]

Yea I read it, but it raised as many questions as it answered in a way.. specifically the Blue Label/Polo Ralph Lauren had me confused. But I am thinking that for $300 (marked down fron a meaningless $700 MSRP) it will most certainly be of a poor quality line.

Now im vacillating between spending extra on something of substance or spending less on something more akin to a kleenex..

 

[DocHolliday]

You're unlikely to find Blue Label at $700 retail, especially at a small shop. It would have had to have sat there for many years, considering the current MSRP. I wouldn't bother with any of the lesser diffusion stuff.

 

[Wayward]

From personal experience: a deal's not a deal if you don't like it.

I think you've answered your own question. From an SF groupthink's perspective, if it's not RLPL, RLBL or Polo then don't bother. From the sounds of it, it's doubtful you're getting a good suit, even if it's a "good deal".

Welcome to the forum.

 

[tanasap]

Yeah seems that way, doesn't it? Thanks for the welcome by the way.

Anyone have any suggestions of where to look for something in the $300 to $500 range for something traditional (that I can wear to interviews, and elsewhere I suppose)? I am in Philadelphia so downtown, main line and KoP mall are all readily accessible. I am thinking there should be at least a few viable options between those three locales alone. Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Wayward]

This thread never gained traction, but we tried putting together a $500 suit thread:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/358548/the-500-suit-thread

Basically, consider either Suitsupply or Benjamin from ehaberdasher. Both have dedicated threads on these forums, so you can get a sense of their products. Your idea of "traditional" is a bit vague, because sometimes people associate ill-fitting with conservative. Suitsupply is not the most conservative brand of course, but if it works and you can get it in a pretty subdued fabric, I don't see anything wrong with it at the office. I think the Lazio and the Napoli are much talked about.

 

[othertravel]



This thread never gained traction, but we tried putting together a $500 suit thread:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/358548/the-500-suit-thread

Basically, consider either Suitsupply or Benjamin from ehaberdasher. Both have dedicated threads on these forums, so you can get a sense of their products. Your idea of "traditional" is a bit vague, because sometimes people associate ill-fitting with conservative. Suitsupply is not the most conservative brand of course, but if it works and you can get it in a pretty subdued fabric, I don't see anything wrong with it at the office. I think the Lazio and the Napoli are much talked about.

Don't forget Caruso.

 

[tanasap]

I just pulled the trigger on this Hickey Freeman suit for $299 from Gilt. But I am not sure what line it is. Would anyone like to guess as to whether it is canvassed at all, or rather if it is one of the cheaper fused iterations?

How did I do?

 

[reidrothchild]

No way to tell if its canvassed without knowing the line. Hickey Freeman has a number of diffusion lines: Hickey, Ltd, Silver line, etc., and the daily online deal sites have a poor track record of disclosing what they're selling. Whether or not it's a good deal depends on you. I paid $280 for a half-canvassed Silver line suit + $80 in tailoring and couldn't be more happy with the value because it has a slimmer fit and softer shoulders than most of the mainline HF stuff I've encountered. If this is HF mainline/Mahogany/whateverthey'recallingitthesedays, it will likely have a boxier cut and more structured shoulders than Italian makes. If that's your thing, then it's a great deal. If you don't like the way it looks, then the canvassing or lack thereof won't affect the value you got because a suit you don't feel like wearing is effectively worth $0, regardless of how well it's constructed.

 

[Viral]

Interest check here..........I can get a brand new Polo I Custom Fit suit in a 38S.........dark charcoal glen plaid. 2-button single breasted, center vent, flat front pants. Price would be about $575, less if possible. We can work out the shipping.

This is blue label made by Corneliani - full canvass and all the bells & whistles. MSRP was $1695 I think.