Questions, trying to by a first suit

[One who needs style]

I have a special occasion coming up, and no suit to wear for it. I've long been averse to formal clothing, partially because I am quite overweight and nothing ever fit me well. This time I need a suit, and I figured I should do it right, so I went to an MTM tailor near me who seemed to have a good reputation (I live in Vancovuer).

I've come back from that first measuring with two connected worries. Mainly, the fabric they want to make the suit out of is apparently a wool-polyester blend (and not just a trace of polyester, it was 50 or 60%). Also, the price is about $300 north of what I was expecting to spend - that's not impossible, but I don't want to spend a huge amount on a suit made of inferior fabric.

So a few questions:
Is the polyester blend a deal breaker in a suit?

How much should I expect to spend on a MTM suit made of 120s pure wool (I realize I will have to spend more since I am large - about 6', 260)? How much for a blend suit?

Is getting something OTR and then getting it adjusted a better idea?

Also, any recommendations about where to go if I decide to switch tailors?

My general plan was to get something of pretty standard cut, dark charcoal, single vent, pleated trousers. All that sound good? Any other advice?

 

[dragon8]

Avaoid poly blend suits. Its a deal-breaker.

I don't know any tailors in Vancouver.

 

[GradSchooler]

Paying $300 period for a suit containing polyester is paying $300 more than you should. I can't imagine them wanting to charge you more for using a poly-blend fabric. Might want to seek out a different MTM outfit. If you want to go the OTR route, you could get a 120's wool Guy Laroche at Moore's for about $500. Decent suits, but you could probably do much better price/quality wise on the B&S boards. I know I'm going to take heat for this but you might want to consider online MTM

 

[Wayward]

I would take it slow and not jump straight into any sort of MTM. Spend the time to walk into a store and try on suits first. Emphasis on "try". The Bay on Granville is a good start. Either ask for help, or browse yourself, but if you've never really worn a suit before you don't know what does and doesn't work for you yet. I'm sure the sales clerks could give you an honest answer. There's also Moores, Tip Top Tailor and on. Again, you're not there to buy a suit, but rather familiarize yourself with them first. Don't be intimidated, or at least, learn not to be intimidated by the prospect of buying one.

I agree, poly blends for MTM is counterintuitive, because the point is you're supposed to be paying for quality and longevity. Poly doesn't fit into either category. Also, depending on the occasion, do you really need to drop that much money for your first suit? I think many others can tell you that we all have bought some things only to regret them. However, that's all chalked up to a learning experience. I think the best advice right now is, don't rush it. Take a step back and think about what you need this suit for, how often you will wear it later, and more importantly, if you learn 6 months down the line that it doesn't actually fit as well as you thought it did (and you probably will), are you okay with that?

 

[KObalto]

Originally Posted by GradSchooler

Paying $300 period for a suit containing polyester is paying $300 more than you should. I can't imagine them wanting to charge you more for using a poly-blend fabric. Might want to seek out a different MTM outfit.

I believe they are charging $300 more than he would like to spend, not $300 more for a poly/wool blend. That said, an MTM operation that suggests this fabric does not sound good. OTOH, how often will you wear this suit?

 

[One who needs style]

Yeah, it was $300 more than I was expecting to spend, not $300 more for that fabric. I came in hoping to get something for around $1000. After measuring and choosing a fabric (constrained by what they had enough material for for a guy my size) they said a suit would be $1300 or so. I'm not sure if my initial expectation was realistic or not, but I didn't want to make a decision for that much without being totally certain, so I held off.

As for when I'd be wearing it, it would be mostly for special occasions. My father just won a major award, so I'd be wearing it for some of the ceremonies for that, and also at a friends wedding this summer. After that, in general, for interviews, weddings, funerals, whenever I needed to dress up basically.

I'm very tempted to just give up on MTM and just get something OTR and have it adjusted. For one thing, that takes some of the time crunch off and I'll be much less busy two weeks from now. But, if I do want something MTM, I really need to start it soon, and I'm not sure I won't have to. I haven't tried suit shopping in ages, but my general memory was that it was very hard to find anything that fit me at all.

I was certainly hoping that even with inexperience, if I went with MTM I wouldn't have fit issues. Do I need to have more experience in general to avoid that?

 

[Nicola]

MTM you're paying full retail. Paying $1300 for a poly blend suit is over the top. Some people just need a cheap suit and buying a Polysuit is fine. But they aren't paying a third of what you've been quoted.

On MTM having better fit then OTR. Well that's the hope but if the person measuring you is clueless or lazy you'll end up with even more problems then you can count.

I agree with going to a large shop that stocks different brands. Try things on. Not just different sizes but different brands. If they have sub lines from the brands try them on to.

 

[GBR]

NEVER buy polyester - it is quite wrong for even a cheap suit.