What is the price range for a "High-quality" suit?

[Tarleton]

Just curious as to what the price range is for a really nice suit. In other words, what is the bare minimum I could expect to pay to purchase a suit which most of you guys would think was a nice, high-quality suit? I am guessing around $600-$800 or is that estimate too conservative?

 

[Vintage Gent]

Depends on what you mean by "really nice suit." You could, for example, get a Hickey Freeman suit on sierratradingpost, for around $500 (using one of the many discounts they e-mail on a daily basis). That would be better than what 95% of men are wearing.

 

[Tarleton]

that is exactly what I was talking about, VintageGent. What is the lowest I could reasonably expect to pay for a suit that would be better/of a higher quality than what MOST guys wear (i.e. a "quality"/nice suit).

 

[lee_44106]

Pay for FIT.
Quality should be a close second.

 

[GBR]



Pay for FIT.
Quality should be a close second.

Fit and fit again is correct, quality is vital but the best garment needs to fit as well.

 

[Tarleton]

so then what would be the price range for "quality" fit AND material? $600-800?? More than that?? Less than that??

 

[Steve Smith]

You can buy NWT Brooks Brothers 1818 suits on B&S for around $300. These retail at about $1000 but can be found for less on sale. The made in USA BB or HF inhabit a sweet spot IMO. Spending more money can get a better suit but with greatly diminishing returns.

And I agree with one of the posters above. A properly fitting $400 department store suit looks better than an ill-fitting $4000 suit.

 

[Tarleton]

So Steve, I can get a quality suit for anywhere between $300-$500? Is that what you are saying? "Diminishing returns" kick in around the $600 mark? Is that what you are saying?

 

[Despos]

You are asking the wrong question. There is no correlation between cost and quality and assuming that if you pay "X" you are getting a "Y" quality suit is misguided and erroneous.

Suits sold for $300.00 (Mens Wearhouse, Etc) have little to no value because the cloth and construction are sub par entry level.

Between $300 and $1000 there is little difference in construction and you will be drawn to styling and fabrication.

A better quality suit will have a full canvass front and better quality of cloth and trimmings. It is a minimum foundation of construction for a quality suit.
Over $1000 the best quality is finding the silhouette that is best for your body type and personality.

The canvass construction will provide a better shaped shoulder and chest that will endure over time and result in a better return on your investment. It is good to learn to recognize construction points and you can assess the quality of the garment. Learning to recognize how the collar is made and applied to the jacket will tell much about the level of construction is one example. The benefit of better construction will be felt when you wear the suit. This will be a garment you can wear for a longer time and look and feel good wearing it, if you maintain it well.

Regardless of what price you pay you need to know your fitting issues regarding posture and proportion and how the cut of the suit works with those issues. You need to know what can be altered and what is not adjustable. The suit you find that needs the smallest amount of adjustments and has the silhouette that is right for you is the best one for you.

If you are buying RTW, better to find a higher priced suit on sale to meet your price range. One that works for your body type and is styled to your liking.

 

[NativeTxn]



So Steve, I can get a quality suit for anywhere between $300-$500? Is that what you are saying?  "Diminishing returns" kick in around the $600 mark? Is that what you are saying?

I think what Steve is saying (though he can certainly correct me, if I misstate anything) is that, while a $400 suit is not going to be anywhere near the pure quality of a $4,000 suit (mainly because at that price disparity, it just can't), that someone wearing a well-fitting $400 suit will "look" better than someone wearing a $4,000 suit that does not fit them well (e.g. sleeve/pants too long, chest too large or too tight, etc.). A big part of that is probably because the vast, vast majority of people cannot honestly tell the difference between a $400 suit and a $4,000 suit (at least in passing someone on the street or in the mall without actually being able to feel the fabric, look at the stitching, etc. - and even then probably most would not be able to tell that much of a difference), so they will often think that the person who has a better fitting suit spent more on it than the person with a poorly, or improperly, fitted suit.

And without getting into a long economic dissertation on diminishing returns, whether that "kicks in around the $600 mark" is a question that cannot be answered, as it will be different to everyone. Someone who is used to getting a pair of suits BOGO at K&G or Men's Wearhouse for $200, may think that a $500 suit is the greatest thing that they have ever put on their body, and they don't really see the difference in that and a $1,000 or $1,500 suit. So their returns would begin to diminish around the $500 mark.

However, someone who normally wears $2,000 suits because they are better quality than a $500 suit may not see the point of buying a $4,000 suit, because even though it might be "higher quality" in the purest of terms when it comes to the fabric, the time and method of creating the suit, etc., those things may not be worth twice the price to them - in other words, what does the $4,000 suit provide me that the $2,000 suit does not. In that case, their returns being to diminish around the $2,000 mark.

So, I think what Steve is saying is that at some point, you are no longer paying for truly beneficial upgrades in the quality of the suit, but rather you are paying for the ability to say that you have buttons made from the horn of a rare mountain goat found only at the top of Mt. Everest that were hand sewn onto the jacket by blind Nepalese Monks using silk thread from a rare Amazonian spider who only spins the silk for 5 days every other year. But whatever that point is will vary from person to person.

 

[Despos]

If fit is paramount then the issue/question is how to get a better/best fitting suit. If you have posture issues, barrel chest, sloping shoulder or high/square shoulders the fit will not improve with the cost of the suit. Better to know what physical attributes you have and how they effect the fit of your clothes. Know what can be adjusted, what cannot. Experiment with what gets you the optimum result for dollars spent. It is a good idea to try on as many different cuts of suits as possible to see which brand works the best on your body type.

Buy RTW that can be properly altered and you can pick your price point.

You need small adjustments to balance out proportions that aren't right with RTW and not able to be adjusted, you try MTM.

You have posture, proportion, or other intricate issues that MTM doesn't accommodate and you want a precise fit and styling you can try custom.

It may take several tries with various MTM programs or trying several tailors to get the suit you want and to find the right relationship to work for you.

 

[Steve Smith]



So Steve, I can get a quality suit for anywhere between $300-$500? Is that what you are saying?  "Diminishing returns" kick in around the $600 mark? Is that what you are saying?

I agree with most of what NativeTxn wrote but would offer the following clarification:

What I mean is that there is a price point which reaches a satisfactory level of quality, beyond which the increased value of the item is no longer proportionate to the increase in price. In other words (in my opinion) a $2000 suit is not twice as good as a $1000 suit. You can change those numbers for individual taste. I am sure that others would substitute $300/$600 or $4000/$2000. It is just my personal opinion that the bang for your buck starts dropping quickly after you get past suits which retail for about $1000.

To stick with a brand with which I am intimately familiar, I can explain to you and show you how a BB Golden Fleece suit (retail around $2000) is superior to a BB 1818 suit (retail around $1000). Is the Golden Fleece suit worth twice as much? Not to me. The BB 1818 suit is of higher quality than about 95% of what you will see on the street or in your office. It is my opinion that with a properly tailored Brooks Brothers 1818 suit nobody in any environment ever will look down on a person because of the quality of his suit.

Don't get confused about pricing. I am using retail price as the convention. So the "$1000" H-F or BB suit can be bought on sale for maybe as low as $500, or as low as $300 here, but I am still calling that a $1000 suit. I price a Golden Fleece suit higher than an 1818, but not twice as high---more like 125% to 150%.

 

[Tarleton]

I just want one of you guys to buy me the Hugo Boss Pasolini suit for my birthday...that's all...

 

[indigoroots]

I don't mean to steal the thread but are BB 1818 and Hickey Freeman the best bang for buck brands for ~$500?

 

[spiermackay]

You can a great fitting, high quality suit in the $400 - $600 range Off-the-Rack. It may not be "Full Canvas", but you will get Half-Canvas at that price. And for most guys purposes and usage, it is just fine and performs as needed. Fits well, Looks great, drapes well, offers comfort.

As mentioned before, fit is king. You can spend as much as you want, but if it doesn't fit well, then it's wasted money IMO.