Why would you buy a NEW suit?

[notdos]

The End

 

[moltoelegante]

Well done on building your wardrobe for such a budget. I also have a mixture of items which are thrifted, RTW, MTM or bespoke and they each have their strengths and weaknesses, imo.

The main downsides of thrifting is that it is hugely time-consuming, the choices are often limited and (especially in the case of online purchases) there is no opportunity to try something on before buying.

Just curious, where are you finding these items?

 

[jimney]

Kind of funny, this recently came up for me. I bought a Hickey Freeman suit on eBay that was close to my measurements for cheap, and got it tailored. It turned out well for off the rack, and all in I think I spent less than $600. This was good for something of a pretty standard style, although I can tell there were some parts of the fit I didn’t like.

I also just ordered a bespoke suit from Edward Sexton (which I’ve been wanting to do for years). I’m expecting this will fit a lot of better, and I’m excited to pick out the exact fabric and styling I want. However, this will probably be 10x or more the cost. It won’t be 10 times better, but it’s an indulgence and something I expect to hold on to basically forever.

If you’re on a budget, I think you can get 80% of the way there with thrifting/secondhand plus a good tailor for a fraction of the cost. If you’re strictly comparing to full price off the rack, you can probably get 95-100% there.

 

[stylecounsel1]

BIG WARNING: don't suffer the terrible surprise that ruined four of my best suits: clothing moths! When you buy used suits, even if they have been, the seller tells you, "cleaned", do take them to a reputable dry cleaner and have them cleaned and then wrapped, air tight, in plastic. Next, quarantine them from the rest of your wardrobe for several months. During that period, wear your suit but store it at the end of each day in that air tight garment bag. Also: Look for tiny openings in the bag because most suit bags are NOT air tight. Seal the gaps with packaging tape.

Moths are a concern. I recently aquired a very old wool overcoat with moth damage.

The coat is likely many decades old and seems to have been hand made from thick wool weighing 2.2kg (vs my new bought wool coat which weighs 1.2kg). The coat is not something you could buy RTW and i'm not sure if such heavy fabric is easily available these days to even make one, so I decided to accept it and deal with getting it clean.

The moth holes look historical as most of them have been darned. I did not let it touch any other clothes and put it in the freezer where it has been for 2 weeks now. Does freezing definitely work 100%? I did heat the coat to about 23 degrees C immediately before freezing to maximise the thermal shock.

I intend to vacuum it and then take it to a cleaner but i'm not 100% sure perchloroethylene commonly used by dry cleaners will actually destroy moth eggs. Can anyone confirm this?

I think I read somewhere that peroxide will destroy moth eggs so I guess soaking a garment in water with oxygen bleach added might work so long as the fabric is not harmed by the soaking.

 

[Suitfry]

Moths are a concern. I recently aquired a very old wool overcoat with moth damage.

The coat is likely many decades old and seems to have been hand made from thick wool weighing 2.2kg (vs my new bought wool coat which weighs 1.2kg). The coat is not something you could buy RTW and i'm not sure if such heavy fabric is easily available these days to even make one, so I decided to accept it and deal with getting it clean.

The moth holes look historical as most of them have been darned. I did not let it touch any other clothes and put it in the freezer where it has been for 2 weeks now. Does freezing definitely work 100%? I did heat the coat to about 23 degrees C immediately before freezing to maximise the thermal shock.

I intend to vacuum it and then take it to a cleaner but i'm not 100% sure perchloroethylene commonly used by dry cleaners will actually destroy moth eggs. Can anyone confirm this?

I think I read somewhere that peroxide will destroy moth eggs so I guess soaking a garment in water with oxygen bleach added might work so long as the fabric is not harmed by the soaking.

Good practice, the freezer. I really don't have confirmation dry cleaning kills the eggs. I have read that high heat, like 140° and freezing cold, for periods of time which I don't know, will kill the eggs. And the damned things can be dormant and invisible a long time. Perhaps for close to a year some sources say.

 

[PenBandit]

I have purchased half a dozen jackets online, particularly Brooks Brothers. It's rewarding stepping out of the box, and a lot of fun.

 

[Andy57]

I also just ordered a bespoke suit from Edward Sexton (which I’ve been wanting to do for years). I’m expecting this will fit a lot of better, and I’m excited to pick out the exact fabric and styling I want. However, this will probably be 10x or more the cost. It won’t be 10 times better, but it’s an indulgence and something I expect to hold on to basically forever.

Yes, it will. You can't get Edward Sexton unless you go to Edward Sexton. Nina will do a good job for you, I have no doubt.

I don't buy ready-to-wear and I don't buy used. More power to those who do, but it is not me.

 

[jimney]

Yes, it will. You can't get Edward Sexton unless you go to Edward Sexton. Nina will do a good job for you, I have no doubt.

I don't buy ready-to-wear and I don't buy used. More power to those who do, but it is not me.

I am finding myself way too excited to get it, even though it will probably be a year long process. I’m tempted to fly to London once just to cut it down a bit.

 

[clee1982]

CM stuff on eBay what not is stupid cheap now, for cosplay that’s definitely where I sources. I’m easy to fit RTW so yea like 80% of my stuff is bought on 80% off…

 

[camez_]

Good practice, the freezer. I really don't have confirmation dry cleaning kills the eggs. I have read that high heat, like 140° and freezing cold, for periods of time which I don't know, will kill the eggs. And the damned things can be dormant and invisible a long time. Perhaps for close to a year some sources say.

48h in the freezer are enough

 

[J.A.G]

Besides moths, another reason to buy a new suit instead of a collection of old ones, is because it can be too easy when buying thrift to make too many compromises with the goal of saving money.

Getting proper fit is very important, but if you’re buying without being able to try on, the risk of getting wrong sizes or strangely modified clothing is high. A lot of used clothing isn’t marked with size, and even if it is, it may have excessive modifications by the previous owner so it is no longer whatever size it is marked.

Even if you are buying in a thrift where you can try on, there is still a temptation to buy it even though it doesn’t really fit, because it is a “killer bargain”. In reality, it isn’t a bargain if it doesn’t fit, in fact it is worthless (to the person it doesn’t fit).

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m afraid I see what looks like that kind of excessive compromise in your samples of clothing: I see two to three inch variations in shoulder width, jacket width, jacket length and arm length. Can these all possibly fit one person?

 

[moltoelegante]

If I buy used online without being able to try it first, I request these measurements and then buy only if the sleeve and leg lengths need adjustment (bringing in the jacket waist is also pretty safe).

 

[Feadog]

Besides moths, another reason to buy a new suit instead of a collection of old ones, is because it can be too easy when buying thrift to make too many compromises with the goal of saving money.

Getting proper fit is very important, but if you’re buying without being able to try on, the risk of getting wrong sizes or strangely modified clothing is high. A lot of used clothing isn’t marked with size, and even if it is, it may have excessive modifications by the previous owner so it is no longer whatever size it is marked.

Even if you are buying in a thrift where you can try on, there is still a temptation to buy it even though it doesn’t really fit, because it is a “killer bargain”. In reality, it isn’t a bargain if it doesn’t fit, in fact it is worthless (to the person it doesn’t fit).

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m afraid I see what looks like that kind of excessive compromise in your samples of clothing: I see two to three inch variations in shoulder width, jacket width, jacket length and arm length. Can these all possibly fit one person?

Excellent points and question. In my case I have bought most from an online store, which means that there's always a 14 day unconditional return policy according to our consumer protection laws. In practice, I'd say it's only the Kiton sports coat that fits significantly differentl than the others as it is wider. It's a heavy weight cashmere and I tend to use it only in winter over some heavy wool pullover, turtleneck or similar, so I think the extra room in that jacket is warranted.

The others have smaller variations which I don't percieve as fit issues but styling differences that I think adds to the variety. I'd say most have a very current and relaxed italian styling with soft shoulders, etc. The charcoal Canali for example has more of what I would characterize as roman styling with more padded shoulders, etc. Together with the colour and subtle pattern I think this makes it work very well for more formal situations (in business or leisure), so I don't tend to use this as an everyday suit. There are other small variations like that which makes me gravitate more towards one or the other to go with a particular shirt, the flavour of the day, etc. I appreciate the slight differences and view them in the same way I view the differences in colour and pattern.

Also, I do totally acknowledge that I probably have lower standards on fit than many here, particularly if you are a bespoke suit wearer. Compared to most other RTW-wearers I see around me all the time though, I'd say everything in my wardrobe is very well fitting. Thrifting is naturally not an alternative to bespoke.

 

[moltoelegante]

Besides moths, another reason to buy a new suit instead of a collection of old ones, is because it can be too easy when buying thrift to make too many compromises with the goal of saving money.

Getting proper fit is very important, but if you’re buying without being able to try on, the risk of getting wrong sizes or strangely modified clothing is high. A lot of used clothing isn’t marked with size, and even if it is, it may have excessive modifications by the previous owner so it is no longer whatever size it is marked.

Even if you are buying in a thrift where you can try on, there is still a temptation to buy it even though it doesn’t really fit, because it is a “killer bargain”. In reality, it isn’t a bargain if it doesn’t fit, in fact it is worthless (to the person it doesn’t fit).

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m afraid I see what looks like that kind of excessive compromise in your samples of clothing: I see two to three inch variations in shoulder width, jacket width, jacket length and arm length. Can these all possibly fit one person?

You make some fair points. Personally I take everything to my tailor so that the fit is better than RTW off the rack. The main drawback for me is that so many non-bespoke suits have large arm holes, which bugs me a bit and is not fixable. However, these suits and jackets are not pieces which I expect to keep for life - they are filling in gaps in my wardrobe now which can slowly be replaced by MTM or bespoke over time.

 

[VintageSwedoItalian]

Hello! New member but long time lurker here on the forum. Would love to hear your experiences regarding the longevity of high end second hand. How long have you kept pieces you bought, how well have they held up?


Personally I have spent the last decade or so buying most of my tailoring second hand. It has been a learning experience since I knew nothing when I got started, hence I have made many mistakes along the way. The last three years or so however I have achieved a good balance regarding fit and style.

In my experience, mistakes regarding fit and style choices are just as probable when you buy new as when you buy second hand. The main difference is that the cost of buying the wrong thing is much lower with second hand.