Suit Supply ???

[suitedcboy]

My nephew needs a kick start for his biz world wardrobe. He is not working in dressy office but wants to have a couple of staple suits. He is a typical 23 YO who is still slender and and not the buff type so he likes the slender shorter style from what he has shown me. He likes Suit Supply. To the point: I have looked online and included Ebay and some other pre-owned searches. I see more SuSu suit coats without pants than I have ever noticed with any other brand I have ever paid attention to. Are the pants prone to execessive wear or tearing or??? I'm really pushing some other choices in legacy brands (Canali, Corneliani, etc) for similar money but anything he finds and sends for my opinion is SuSu. Thanks for your comments from experience.

 

[dieworkwear]

I've only handled a few SuitSupply garments and this was about ten years ago. From memory, they seemed decently made for their price point. The things I've seen online also seem to be made from respectable fabrics (VBC and the like).

My impression is that their clothes are very slim and their customers like to slim the clothes further. When you slim clothes to a certain point, you put stress on the seams. It may be that the clothes you've seen online were just worn out prematurely.

I've found that it's difficult to get young people into "legacy brands" or "classic cuts." By which I mean people under the age of 30. Many are afraid looking "old" in tailored clothing, so they like slim fits.

If your nephew is on a budget, he may want to check out Spier & Mackay. I think they offer a slightly more classic look without veering into "old man" territory. Personally think Suitsupply was a much better value ten years ago when the market for affordable tailoring wasn't very competitive. Nowadays, there are many more options.

 

[jaaz16]

A friend was looking for a new suit—his first in a while—and went to the Armoury in NYC, which turned out to be a bit beyond what he wanted to spend. Anyway, the sales associate he spoke with told him he’d be ok at Suit Supply or J.Crew or whatever, but to “hold [his] ground” and “stay strong” when the SAs at those places invariably recommend a jacket two sizes too small and try to hem his pants up to his calves. I don’t know if that’s exactly how that conversation went down, but it’s good advice from what I know about places like Suit Supply: it’s probably fine for someone in their twenties but be careful with their sizing recs and maybe find your own tailor.

(He ended up getting a Bonobos suit despite me recommending Spier, which is where I’d probably start personally).

 

[BPL Esq]

I believe SuSu sells a good amount of their stuff as separates, so you're probably more likely to find the jacket/pants sold separately second-hand too.

I will echo the advice to "hold your ground" with them. Admittedly, I haven't been there in a number of years, but I recall that the recommendations were to buy too small and alter the suit in ways that were bad (but trendy) ideas (super short pants, etc.).

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’ve never been into a suit supply; I’m not their customer demo.

Based on their advertising, online presence and the site of their SA’s in Chicago who stand outside taking a vape break wearing tight pants 3 inches above their shoes and no socks, I’m guessing their typical customer probably wants to look like that.

save yourself the trouble and don’t go. Why have to argue and feel like you have to stand your ground, so to speak. Go somewhere where you can get the selection and fit you want.

where do you live?

 

[rjc149]

Some of the younger guys in my office wear Suit Supply. They look a bit "fashion forward" but otherwise fine. I like their shirts, but I believe they are overpriced at $100.

I'm (M/30's) more partial to a traditional suit (3-inch lapels, no slant or ticket pockets, single vent, trousers with a mid-break) because they never go out of style. If you're wearing business attire, there's no reason to fear appearing austere and old-school.

I've witnessed crotch tears happen with guys who think skinny capris with brown monks and loud socks is in, but don't have the diet and exercise routine to pull it off. Where ever you get your suits, don't be that guy.

 

[suitedcboy]

Thanks. I didn't consider the separates thing at all. The suits in my purview aren't sold as separates and when I see suit jackets for sale I immediately insert "orphaned" in my mind. I don't buy orphaned suit coat = sports coat no more than I buy taking a sawzall to the back end of a sedan makes it a pickup truck (sorry Youtube channel owners).

 

[bicycleradical]

I have never been to Suit Supply primarily because when looking at their trouser measurements, they were far too slim for me.

If you do go and they try and fit you into a skinsuit, push back. If they insist on pushing something too slim for you, walk away.

 

[rjc149]

I am rather new to this forum so I don't know the prevailing sentiment about Joseph A Bank suits -- generally speaking, people absolutely love to **** on them and their BOGO business model is the butt of many a menswear joke, but my experience says that the mid-level lines are quite decent off-the-rack beginner suits. They are perennially on sale and offer good value at sale prices. Alterations are also free. My first rotation of suits were mostly JAB and I still have two made-to-measure JAB suits, both half-canvassed, alongside my bespoke suits. They remain good office/beater suits.

If your nephew is about to drop $500+ on a dress garment, I advise against trendier "slim" cuts and go for something timeless that will still look good as he ages.

 

[johng70]

Here's my two cents: sounds like your nephew isn't wearing suits to work but wants a couple - sounds OK. Here's the rub - he should be concentrating on building his 99% wardrobe - not the suit(s) he'll wear 1% of the time. Gat a single Navy suit to wear weddings/funerals and such. Something like the JAB suits, taken to a real tailor will look just fine - because he's not going to wear them often. The pants/shirts/shoes/ etc he's going to wear day-in-and-day-out need to be higher quality so they last and look good longer. When his wardrobe for the 99% of the time he's not wearing a suit is built, circle back around and buy a better suit or two. Finding the right office and casual attire that fit his frame/body type (or getting alterations) will more than take up his disposable income for then next few years and he'll look better 99% of the time instead of less-than-he-could-be 99% and really good that 1%.

 

[maxalex]

I'm old enough to remember when suits were sold with two pair of trousers--at least in department stores and upscale shops like Brooks Brothers. The logic was that trousers always wear out before jackets, so this avoided the common problem of orphaned suit jackets. These days even bespoke tailors here in Italy won't make you two pair of trousers unless you ask. I imagine Suit Supply selling separates is a way to do it.

 

[tilesomoole]

At his age and apparently not wearing suits to work, just to look nice when needed, I'd suggest a suit that is casual enough to wear the jacket separately with jeans / chinos if needed and in a staple color like navy or charcoal.

Suit Supply should be just fine for this. I recently purchased this jacket for just this purpose:

Sites-USA-Site | SUITSUPPLY US

Suitsupply

suitsupply.com

With it on, it is very much an "updated classic" look, not trendy, too slim, tiny lapels, too short, etc. It actually looks modern but still a classic wheelhouse piece.

The havana fit is great for me because I have a 45 inch chest and a 34 inch waist. If your nephew's proportions are different you might want to look into their other fits, but being a thin guy he should have no problem.

That said, there are many other options, just wanted to share my personal experience.

 

[ValidusLA]

I'm old enough to remember when suits were sold with two pair of trousers--at least in department stores and upscale shops like Brooks Brothers. The logic was that trousers always wear out before jackets, so this avoided the common problem of orphaned suit jackets. These days even bespoke tailors here in Italy won't make you two pair of trousers unless you ask. I imagine Suit Supply selling separates is a way to do it.

I have some friends who have 2 trousers made w/ my suits, and its something I wish I had thought of with my earlier commissions. I don't know of anyone who does it without being asked though, and its certainly not gratis.

 

[Pax Britannica]

The name sounds like a cheap wholesale business, and I wouldn't want to be associated with those libertines and prostitutes it advertises. I choose Canali and Corneliani instead of this degenerate brand.

 

[maxalex]

I have some friends who have 2 trousers made w/ my suits, and its something I wish I had thought of with my earlier commissions. I don't know of anyone who does it without being asked though, and its certainly not gratis.

I do the same with my tailor here. Given that a jacket is €3000 and the trousers are “only” €700, it’s a marginal increase. Worth it.