The slim black suit

[Ambulance Chaser]

I'm in the market for a slim black suit, and am interested in this Armani Collezioni model. Â Collezioni seems to be a slight step up from Canali and Corneliani price-wise, and I was wondering if it was comparable to those two brands with regard to quality, slightly better, or slightly worse.

 

[Renwick]

The quality is slightly worse most of the time but the style is better IMO.

 

[A Harris]

I agree with Renwick. The Collezioni line is manufactured by Zegna (at least it was last time I checked) and is equivalent to Zegna's "Soft" line. That is to say they are fused suits. So the construction quality is a big step down. The Collezioni suits are often cut from fairly luxe fabrics but that alone does not account for the high price. You are paying for the Armani label.

If you are looking for a good price on a fused suit try Hugo Boss. Their Mars/Orbit model is a nice example of a longer, slim cut, natural shoulder jacket. There are a lot of them at the Boss outlets for $400 or less. Make sure to try them on though. The jackets run huge - I normally wear a size 44L and I ended up buying a 42 regular.

If you are looking at Armani suits on Bluefly then that means you are willing to pay $500-$1000. For that price you could get a really top quality brand new suit on ebay. The problem you will have with most of the higher quality suits is that they are cut for older men (meaning not slim-cut.) Most young guys simply can't afford them. Take a look at Corneliani - they seem to target a younger customer. Also Brioni did a Millennio line a few years back that was targeted at younger men. They make it onto ebay from time to time. You are better off buying a canvas-front suit as it will look better and last a lot longer.

 

[European Interloper]

Wait, wait, wait.... You're looking for a slim black suit and you haven't looked at Dior Homme. Slimane is the KING of slim black suits- I'd look there for the ultimate cool before trying far more conservative brands such as Armani or Zegna- especially as Italian designers prefer using more material than less.
European Interloper

 

[Joe G]

Slimane is the KING of slim black suits-

I just don't see what Eddy Slim offers in this category that Helmut Lang hasn't offered since the mid-1990s, except for even more cartoonishly-long arms.

Peace,

JG

 

[thc]

I would add Helmut Lang and Jil Sander as brands to look at for a slim black suit.

 

[LA Guy]

I haven't been posting much lately (need to finish my thesis, and quickly) but I agree with Joe G. on this one.  Helmut Lang's is the definitive (modern) slim black suit.  If you want more structured shoulders and a slightly more waist suppression, you might try CoSTUME as well, although the cuts are similar.  Both brands are in the same or a slightly lower price bracket than Armani Collezioni or Canali, and you may be able to find them on YOOX as well at deep discount. (Don't worry, the simple black suit doesn't change much from season to season.  And besides, girls and guys [and especially guys] who follow fashion to the point that a black suit is in one season and out the next are the equivalent of sartorial trainspotters.)

If you're looking to go even lower in price, consider an Emporio Armani suit.  You can pick one up at an Armani outlet for under $400, and the cut is a lot sharper than the more expensive Collezioni, imo.

 

[European Interloper]

I agree, and sorry for not adding Helmut to my list. I actuallylove both Lang and Dior, so it was particularly unacceptable for me not to inclue the former. Jil Sander and Costume do both do great work in this area, but I feel that the ideal slim black suit (look at the comic book Transmetropolitan for my ideal image, sans bald head and tatts) is either Lang or Dior.
European Interloper

 

[Renwick]

I agree, and sorry for not adding Helmut to my list. I actuallylove both Lang and Dior, so it was particularly unacceptable for me not to inclue the former. Jil Sander and Costume do both do great work in this area, but I feel that the ideal slim black suit (look at the comic book Transmetropolitan for my ideal image, sans bald head and tatts) is either Lang or Dior. European Interloper

I'm glad to see someone else reads that comic. I actually based my style off of Spider Jerusalem before I even knew anything about style. I like the tattoo's and the black suit with combat boots look, but not the shaved head and the no shirt). But that comic is great and especially if you are interested in politics. Here is a link: http://www.transmetropolitan.com/ Anyway, seeing as I wear a slim balck suit nearly every day. I'd suggest am Emporio Armani for a better deal than that suit as well or a Dior or Dolce and Gabbana suit in the same price range for a better suit (check out yoox). As far as the Lang v. Dior- I like Dior better because his seem to be less conservative ( I like the 1 button gray wool suits in the fall/winter collection. I've never seen an HL 1 button before). Also the cuts and fabrics are different.

 

[European Interloper]

I'm glad to meet another Transmet fan... The Beast vs. Dubya, anyone notice the similarities?
Anyway, I love both Dior and Lang, but I feel that Dior is most consistent in his... innovation. I'm not sure if that's quite the right way of putting it, but he comes out with a new style of shirt or a new style of coat every season, one that I've never seen or thought about before. Although Lang does this, he is more conservative. A shame. I would really like at least one designer to produce a coat that it warm enough to be worn in the Alps at winter, but is also not overly bulky, has a slim silhouette, and is soft enough on the inside for a lady friend to wear (one of the best judges of jackets ever). Perhaps someone will start a new thread- The Ultimate Coat?
European Interloper

 

[kmikeym]

I'd like to find the slim black suit but it will be my first and only suit. I'm 26 and just starting to appreciate nicer clothes and I need some "first suit" advice. I would have a hard time spending more than 500 and even that seems like so much. I am a bargain buyer and looking through my closet I find a lot of classics (white shirts and dark pants) and not much that is edgy.

 

[GQgeek]

I have a black, 3 button, single breasted, double vented, MTM Armani with flat front pants, and while it might not be kiton quality, it's definitely a lot nicer than anything by boss. I chose mine over Canali btw, without regard to price. I just liked the fabric/cut more and that was enough for me, even though I was quite aware of the quality of each suit at the time of purchase. The material is also MUCH nicer than anything you'll find on a boss suit. Boss suits all felt like cardboard to me, not to mention they didn't fit well and there's no MTM program. And I don't think the boss suits are as well made as the armani ones either. I like the Boss hugo boss casual stuff, but not the suits.

I've worn my suit a lot and it still looks new and doesn't seem to be falling apart on me, nor do I expect it to fall apart on me any time in the near future.

There was a post on a forum somewhere about fusing in suits (maybe it was here, I'm not sure). "High quality" fused suits, while certainly not as good as some of the more elite brands, have a bad rep that i don't think is as justified today as it might have been some time ago. There's a stigma attached to fusing in suits that won't go away, even though they've gotten a lot better in general (at the high end anyway). I guess it's also due to the fact that the really low end suits are fused and people can't seem to understand that there are still big quality differences between $300 fused suit and one which sells for substantially more. Zegna are VERY good about maintaining high quality control on ALL of their lines. Zegna is at the forefront of manufacturing in the suit business.

Trust me, just cause it's fused, doesn't mean it's a crappy suit. Armani/Zegna or not, they wouldn't sell their suits at anywhere near those prices if they were falling apart on people. And unless you're dealing with people that spend a lot of time looking at suits, I doubt anyone is gonna say

"OMG that guy is wearing a FUSED suit, WHAT a LOSER."/snobby_valley_girl-type_accent

Chances are, they won't know the difference and you'll look better than 95% of the population wearing an armani suit, even if it's collezioni ;p

And it's pretty silly to make a point of saying that you pay for the armani name, cause it seems to me that that's understood buy anyone who's buying heh. You pay for any noteworthy name. Brioni, kiton, Attolini, Knize, Kilgour, etc. Anything worth owning carries a brand premium. Are they all worth their premiums? That's for each person to decide.

I think kiton is the worst offender, personally. I really don't think they have *that* much over brioni as to justify the price difference in their suits. Brioni is priced just right, imo. Kiton is too expensive. I'd rather make the trip to savile row or knize or something heh. Then there are kiton shirts.. Do they really justify 200 dollars over the price of borrelli? Hell no. So what, they do an extra 6 hours of hand work on a part of the shirt where it doesn't really matter.. whooptydoo...

And lastly, let's not forget that you can probably get a great bespoke suit from bergdorff or any number of other high end stores around the country for a very fair price. This is actually my personal preference and unless I see something which really grabs my attention, it's what I'll do for future suit purchases. I'm actually going to europe towards the end of this year and I think I'm gonna make a detour to Knize to have my overcoat done there and possibly a suit as well ^_^

That said, there are certainly suits which offer better value or higher quality. All in all though, I've been very happy with my armani suit. Plus if you're young and slim chances are it'll fit very well off the rack.