Tell us about your first suit

[EvilFish]

Tell me all about your very first suit.

Confirmations/barmitzvahs don't count.

Mine was a 50/50 polyester/wool blend, mid-gray with a subtle white pinstripe. It fit me surprisingly well in the shoulders, chest and length. The sleeves were about two inches too long however, but back then I couldn't have cared less. I paired it with a blue shirt and gray and navy striped tie, and sleeve length aside, the whole ensemble would probably have been SF approved.

Well, apart form my shoes, which were some horrible squared toed corrected grain slip ons.

 

[Klobber]

Mine was a fairly dark Tan bespoke suit that was made for me to attend a wedding - my friend paid for it and it was probably horribly expensive. Shoes were light brown wingtips (again paid for by friend), I cant remember the brand.

First suit I paid with my own money was Ralph Lauren Polo University in a nice charcoal plaid. Shame lapels are extremely wide, I would wear it today otherwise.

 

[GBR]

Apart from school uniform which I will not count, my first 'adult' suit was an all-wool, 14oz lovat two piece with a very muted red pin stripe made for me by my late Father's (bespoke) tailor when I was 18 or so. Nothing whatever to do with confirmations or Bar Mitzvahs - I never had to endure such silly ceremonies.

Slightly old-fashioned as I did not know too much about how to alter style etc at that stage but a superb suit which saw me through University until my body developed greater maturity and therefore did not fit well. It certainly served to encourage me to strive for that quality which I still do over 40 years later. Now of course it meets my detailed requirements.

I look back on it with considerable fondness and pleasure and will forever be grateful to my Father.

 

[crider8883]

a gray with tan pinstripe Pavone suit I bought at men's wearhouse. At least one size too big, with an unvented jacket, and double pleated pants. Looked, frankly, like I was wearing the suit of a much larger man.

 

[GoldenTribe]

Jones New York in first year university. Solid blue with faint tonal pinstripes. Notch lapel, pre-everything-slim-era but not that full-cut.

Not really as embarrassing as it ought to be, given how much more I know and how much better I dress now versus then.

 

[globetrotter]

I went into a store in manhattan, I think it was called bancrofts, but I am not sure. they had a sale for 2 suits for 250 bucks, this was in 89 or 90 I think. one gray, one blue, both single breasted with stripes. crappy quality, but I wore them for a few years before I upgraded

 

[GradSchooler]

Moore's (Canada's Men's Wearhouse) when I was 20. Black, single breasted, 3 button super 80s pure gab wool. Very boxy and too big in the shoulders. I got it for an after-party on the closing night of a play I was in. The agreement was that all the guys would get suits. I was the only one who did.

 

[tricky]

Funny enough I have yet to buy one. I'm thinking about RL Black Label.

 

[divitius]

Needed it on short notice for senior pictures. Charcoal and literally two sizes too big. Kept it for ten years, wore it once more for an international conference. Saw how ridiculous I looked compared to everybody else and promptly handed off to Goodwill

 

[Navi]

A black suit from JC Penney. Lol, it was a 40R and I'm like a 35-36... Pretty funny, I thought it looked fuckin awesome back then. I wasted a bunch of money on total **** ties and stuff from JC penney.. Their clothes are way overpriced for the quality. I mean Stafford ties for like $25? Really?

 

[Klobber]

Styleforum is either not very nostalgic or this topic has been beaten to death in a distant past.

Ive been waiting for a comment where the said members first suit has bad prom memories - written in the form of a reworded 1950's song about a guy who could not dance.

"You broke my heart
'Cause I wore a **** suit,
You didn't even want me around,
And now I'm back, to let you know,
I am sartorially perfect,
Do you love (I can really move)
etc etc
...
..."

Why no prom stories like that huh?

 

[mktitsworth]

Originally Posted by Klobber

Styleforum is either not very nostalgic or this topic has been beaten to death in a distant past.

Ive been waiting for a comment where the said members first suit has bad prom memories - written in the form of a reworded 1950's song about a guy who could not dance.

"You broke my heart
'Cause I wore a **** suit,
You didn't even want me around,
And now I'm back, to let you know,
I am sartorially perfect,
Do you love (I can really move)
etc etc
...
..."

Why no prom stories like that huh?

Because we all rented.

 

[Mountains]

My first suit (relatively recent) was a charcoal gray SB, bird's eye. 100% wool. Calvin Klein Collection. It fits well, but a bit slim. I bought it before going off to college.

I didn't have a particularly formal childhood (I grew up in the West).

edit: I wore a rented tuxedo to prom, both junior and senior year. At my high school, at least, very few people wore suits to prom.

 

[emptym]

The first suit I know of from pictures was a white suit for first communion. But I may have had one for something earlier, like baptism. I don't remember. My mom saves everything and may still have the first communion suit.

The first time I can remember wearing a suit was in jr. high, for school dances, awards ceremonies, and recitals. I had two and both were DB. They were passed down to my brothers when I outgrew them, and then donated when they did.

The first time I bought a suit was in high school. It was from a thrift store and I took it to a wonderful old Italian tailor in Las Vegas who said he'd made suits for Frank Mars and Frank Sinatra. He took the whole thing apart and remade it. The fit was amazing, but so was the price... My brother wears it now.

The first time I bought a new suit was a year or so after college from a tailor in Bangkok. It was a four piece in oxford grey worsted wool, 2.5 button peak-lapeled jacket, sb vest, two pairs of pants, one w/ double inward pleats and cuffs, one w/ no pleats or cuffs. I used it for over ten years, but I donated it last year when I got a blazersuit.

 

[dragon8]

Solid charcoal suit from Macy's while in high school for $289 and i thought it was expensive. My mom said I needed one and the price was right ( I didn't think so).