Suits - Quality vs Quantity

[unstylish]

Hey guys,

I saw this while searching through previous threads but didn't find a definitive answer to my question. Some friends and I were discussing suits, and I was shopping online and found a BBBF suit for xxxx dollars and told them I thought it was quite cheap for a quality suit. They disagreed and said that is way too much for a suit and that you would be better off buying two xx dollar suit (Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, etc.). After the first one gets old then to replace it with a new one, which would equal the cost of one xxxx dollar suit. I thought the quality of construction, material, details and performance would be much better, but they thought with tailoring from afar they would seem indistinguishable. I had a difficult time justifying making the more expensive purchase other than by means of quality. I prefer to invest in a high quality, while still reasonably priced, item that I can wear, but not beat to the ground, and keep for years and enjoy them despite being old or vintage.
Being that we are students, having nice clothes is difficult on a budget, but when entering the work force our options will increase. I personally would invest in something like suits because I think they would be very useful for occasions and events (weddings, baby showers, formal dinners, business meetings) but others have difficult time justifying this purchase. Can anyone give any opinions as to why quality would be better than quantity?

 

[in stitches]

if you can both, if not quality you will look better in a quality item

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

There is a lot more to quality than how long it lasts but it will still last longer than two H&M suits.

By that logic, why buy a Mercedes or BMW and not just buy Honda Fit over and over?

 

[Harold falcon]

OP and his friends are both wrong. BBBF is overpriced, but Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, etc. are crap.

Buy a quality suit at a good price (preferably on sale) and wear it forever. The better quality suit feels better than a cheapo suit, it looks better than a cheapo suit (when properly tailored) and it will cost less in the long run because you only have to purchase it once.

 

[NORE]

When I joined it was because of looking for how to spot/find quality suits. Sure, you can go to some shops and get 3 suits for $100. But the exceptional quality suits will make you want to care for them better and will look inherently better on you.

Moral: buy high quality suits at a deep discount = winz

 

[ktrp]

Its impossible to give a blanket answer on quality vs quantity.

If you are entering the workforce and need a suit, I think you need more than one suit, and sadly two garbage suits (one grey one blue) might be better then one nicer suit if you would need to wear that suit every day. So for every day suit wearing, I'd take 2 vs 1 of higher quality. On the other hand, I'd _probably_ take 3 quality over 5 cheaper. I'd definitely take 5 quality over 10 cheaper.

So one quality may be worse then two cheap, but five quality beat 10 cheap, even though the price ratio is unchanged.

Its a matter of 'what do you need'.

As a student, I'm not sure you need two suits, period. So I'd instead be asking 'how much do I want to spend on a suit'. The secondary questions there are how much money you've got, and what the quality improvements are as you step up from your preferred suit in each cost range.

 

[Oleg]

Also depends on what you need it for. If you're students and only wear suits occasionally, then you might come to a different answer than you would if you need to wear one everyday.
When I was in a job I needed suits everyday for, I tended to go to Lewin and Marks and get extra pairs of strides for them. Now I'm back in academia and don't need to wear one as much, I've got one more expensive one from Zegna - it's pretty lightweight (bought for Australian climate) and I would wreck it if it was worn five days a week, all year.

[Great minds think alike, ktrp. But you seem to type faster than me]

 

[JamesX]

Quality is definitely more important than Quantity. Assuming we are not talking about Quantity as being more than 1 suit. You usually start with 1-2 low price suit (as a student or graduate) and then start getting a collection of better suits as your move through life.

 

[RLP]

Originally Posted by Cant kill da Rooster

There is a lot more to quality than how long it lasts but it will still last longer than two H&M suits.

By that logic, why buy a Mercedes or BMW and not just buy Honda Fit over and over?


well put its better to have the quality of a product that your going to actually add on to your lifestyle and routine.. might as well get used to it right

 

[TonyThe Tailor]

Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten
Aldo Gucci (or sometimes attributed to Lord Henry Royce)

The Best is the Cheapest
Ben Franklin

Quality, Price and Service. Pick any two.
?

 

[Patek]

Originally Posted by TonyThe Tailor

Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten
Aldo Gucci (or sometimes attributed to Lord Henry Royce)


Would you rather sleep with two "meh" girls or one really hot one?

I say buy one qualty suit (BBGF, not BBBF) and stand out from the crowd of other college graduates and their cheap suits--especially if you want to impress your boss or clients.

Not everyone can tell a good suit, but most people can point out a cheap one (hint, it looks like something a security guard would wear). Usually, the people that matter can tell the difference.

Also, dont forget the shoes. Nothing ruins a nice suit like a pair of rubber soled squaretoes.

 

[ktrp]

Originally Posted by Patek

Would you rather sleep with two "meh" girls or one really hot one?

....

Also, dont forget the shoes. Nothing ruins a nice suit like a pair of rubber soled squaretoes.

Sure, you can compare quality to quantity with sex. I'd rather ******** with a 'meh' girl once a week then one hot girl ... once a year. Its a balance.

I agree strongly with the shoes comment ... so much so that I think it must offset the suit comment.

You need a suit, couple of shirts, couple of ties, good pair of shoes, a belt and perhaps an overcoat. There's no point having a BBGF suit with kenneth cole shoes. You can't blow all your budget in one area and then not have enough other places. An okay entry level suit + shirt + tie + shoes is going to look better then an awesome suit with inappropriate shoes.

 

[TonyThe Tailor]

Originally Posted by Patek

Also, dont forget the shoes. Nothing ruins a nice suit like a pair of rubber soled squaretoes.

Solid

 

[Patek]

Originally Posted by ktrp

Sure, you can compare quality to quantity with sex. I'd rather ******** with a 'meh' girl once a week then one hot girl ... once a year. Its a balance.

.

Well the comparison was two to one so it would have to be two alright girls vs. one hot one. Once a week vs. once a year is a very different story.

 

[marg]

Originally Posted by Patek

Also, dont forget the shoes. Nothing ruins a nice suit like a pair of rubber soled squaretoes.

So true. Best way to ruin a good suit is to wear it with crap. Shop at Off Saks, Last Call, or Nordstrom Rack. You can get 2 "good" suits for the price of 1. Take the remaining money you would have spent on the Black Fleece nonsense and buy:

(2) pairs of respectable dress shoes, dark brown and black. Nothing too pointy - you're not an elf.

Conservative ties that will give you 4-5 years of wear. I love Valentino and Zegna ties for business, and they will cost much less through the discount store. Store brand ties are good, too, but they can be flimsy.

Buy Brooks Brothers slim-fit dress shirts when they are on sale. Priced great and should hold up well. That Van Heusen/ Geoffrey Beene crap most grads wear will ruin the look as well.