What to do with $1200?

[jabts]

I bought three suits when I was 27, 5'10" 185 lbs and all my weight was in my belly and neck. The suits looked bad, as did I. I'm 29 now, lost 30+ lbs, gained a little muscle and decided to give the suits (wore each once) to my dad. (These were Jos A Bank/ BR suits that were never going to look good on me anyways) I am self employed, work from home as a luxury brand designer (hospitality, not fashion). The problem is, I have never had a need for, and therefore do not own acceptable clothing for many upcoming business trips. I tried to resolve this myself. Hugo Boss always fits me well and I tried on a black 2 button jacket at ($800 boss black suit) and loved it. Then went to Emporio Armani and tried on their $1100 black suit. Much nicer material—but wow are these salespeople pushy. I realized i'm in over my head. The people I work for know fashion. I DO NOT want to look like the 29 year old kid who buys a label and doesn't REALLY know anything about fashion/material/stitching etc... Where do I begin? I really don't need work-suits ever—but I just love the way a plain black suit looks on me—as does my beautiful, VERY fashion/label conscious girlfriend—who calls the shots here

I have one or two shirts that fit me (hugo boss). A pair of Allen Edmonds black shoes that aren't awful—but not great. A passible belt. I'm willing to spend some money, but I don't want to go too crazy (thinking max of $1200 on suit alone to start). Keep in mind, i'm a designer, thin, and young—so not looking to go too conservative. Much appreciation to anyone's help here. Best

 

[in stitches]

Warning this forum does not have much love for black, so there is nothing to do but give the money to me

 

[bananananana]

Get a suit from astor & black or scott hill.

 

[Fraiche]

I offer a great training course for people like you which currently is on sale coincedently at the low price of $1200.

This course will teach you all you need to know about how to do searches on the internet using a fantastic tool called "The Search Engine." I will also throw in the advanced level course by teaching you how to search this particular forum for FREE.

Pm me for details.

 

[amplifiedheat]

I stopped listening right before "I'm a designer."
http://brooksbrothers.com/IWCatProdu...=&sectionsize=
It's on sale.

 

[Harold falcon]

How do you work as a "luxury brand designer" and not have a clue how to dress yourself?

 

[jabts]

Originally Posted by harvey_birdman

How do you work as a "luxury brand designer" and not have a clue how to dress yourself?

Plenty of photographers/designers have no clue... This is brand design work"”not fashion.

 

[in stitches]

Originally Posted by bananananana

Get a suit from astor & black or scott hill.

 

[Imhoff]

$1,200...? Easy.... hookers and blow. Snap polaroids to make memories last forever.

 

[jabts]

Originally Posted by Imhoff

$1,200...? Easy.... hookers and blow. Snap polaroids to make memories last forever.

sorry... should have mentioned I have $2400"”but the first $1200 is reserved for activities mentioned above.

 

[usctrojans31]

Originally Posted by Imhoff

$1,200...? Easy.... hookers and blow. Snap polaroids to make memories last forever.

Son of a *****, I was just about to post that. Glad I read the responses before responding.

+1

 

[iamjammin]

You'd be better off with a dark gray suit that's close to black than actual black. Take, for example the gray color on the Brooks brothers suit listed above.

 

[Holdfast]

At the serious risk of daring to give actual advice to the OP, albeit couched in Yoda-esque mysticism, I suggest he meditates on the similarity between brand design and choosing what to wear that will look good. What basic principles do you use when designing a brand? Presumably, you consider the target demographic, think about what strengths and weakness the brand currently has, identify important areas to focus on when thinking about what image you actually want it to project, and then design the new brand to appeal to the demographic by modifying the appearance of those assets, after researching the market. Apply the same logic to yourself and you will look fine to anyone, fashion-conscious or not. You may not look amazingly individual, but you will look perfectly presentable. The reason you're getting snarky answers is because no-one will want to bother the above work for you unless they were getting paid for it. Why should we? If you want a shorter (but anodyne) answer, follow amplifiedheat's link upthread and ignore this forum.

 

[jabts]

Originally Posted by Holdfast

At the serious risk of daring to give actual advice to the OP, albeit couched in Yoda-esque mysticism, I suggest he meditates on the similarity between brand design and choosing what to wear that will look good.

What basic principles do you use when designing a brand? Presumably, you consider the target demographic, think about what strengths and weakness the brand currently has, identify important areas to focus on when thinking about what image you actually want it to project, and then design the new brand to appeal to the demographic by modifying the appearance of those assets, after researching the market.

Apply the same logic to yourself and you will look fine to anyone, fashion-conscious or not. You may not look amazingly individual, but you will look perfectly presentable.

The reason you're getting snarky answers is because no-one will want to bother the above work for you unless they were getting paid for it. Why should we?

If you want a shorter (but anodyne) answer, follow amplifiedheat's link upthread and ignore this forum.

Appreciate the real response. Was not under the impression there was a cost for this advice. I am willing to pay"”if it's legit.

However, your point is well taken. I do have a clue what I like and what looks good"”but career-wise I got where I am due to tech knowledge, natural eye and ability to research (again, I should apply to developing a wardrove).

Working in luxury branding tells me that if I want value I need to do my homework. I am not in the position to drop $10k right now"”nor do I have the time to riffle through 15 TJ Maxx or hit the outlets.

I probably am the perfect candidate for Emporio Armani or Hugo Boss (which seem to get mixed reviews here) due to the ease and comfort level of these brands.

I must say the Brooks Brothers suggestion I thought was a joke due to my perception of Brooks Brothers (having a navy jacket from there with big gold buttons since 1997).

I'm still wondering why I had it in my head that if you have only one suit, it needs to be black. The dark charcoal might work. Black just looks better on me IMHO.

 

[TimelesStyle]

OP: would you wear double breasted? saw some Ralph Lauren Black Label DB suits at Barney's on sale for half off.

While I wouldn't buy a black suit personally, I don't go to a lot of evening events I'd wear a suit to. If this is for cocktail parties as opposed to business meetings, then I don't see anything wrong with black.