Your advise will be highly appreciated.....

[Houta]

Hi,

I'm a newbie so apologies if this subject was previously discussed under another thread!

I used to wear jeans to my work however I was recently promoted to a new function that requires me to dress in suits now. I am on a budget so max I can spend is around 600 euros every couple of month.

I only own one suit at the moment which I purchased from Suit Supply couple of month ago. Its a dark navi Napoli 50R (US/UK 40R) that fit me perfectly without any alterations (beside the normal trousers hemming stuff). I'm in average built, 5'10 (179 cms) and 82 kgs.

So I need to build a versatile and stylish wardrobe for many years to come as my current career path won't take me back to jeans under any circumstances. Following some research, I've identified my best options, based on my location (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and budget.

PS: I fly from Amsterdam to London weekly so happy to buy from there as well if you think if any better options there.

1) MTM suit from a local tailor that works with a factory in Germany. He uses fabrics from Italian mills like BREDA, Vitale Barberis Canonico, etc. (similar to those used by Suit Supply). Half canvased and it takes 4-6 weeks to be made.
Prices: 2 piece suit between EUR 600 - 700; Shirt between EUR 100 - 200.

2) Suit Supply
a: Jort Line (full floated canvas) for around EUR 670.
b: Purple Line (half canvases) Lazio, Sienna, Havana, etc. for around EUR 499.

3) Buy from ebay, looking at this price range, I can acquire a Canali or EZ (or pre-owned Brioni) but would risk bad fit as I never bought a suit online before and not even sure of my correct measurements.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks
Houta

 

[breakaway01]

I only own one suit at the moment which I purchased from Suit Supply couple of month ago. Its a dark navi Napoli 50R (US/UK 40R) that fit me perfectly without any alterations (beside the normal trousers hemming stuff). I'm in average built, 5'10 (179 cms) and 82 kgs.

1. Suitsupply RTW fits you perfectly
2. Given point (1) above, how much better can you expect MTM to fit? There is the risk that the MTM suit -- particularly the first suit -- will not fit as well as your RTW suit.
3. You are at the beginning of a new career path -- if it works well I would expect that your budget for clothing will rise accordingly over the next 5-10 years.
4. You will need more than one suit, it sounds like. If you will be wearing suits every day, you will probably want 4-5 suits as a starting rotation. Given your budget, why spend significantly more than your current SS Napoli, particularly as it fits you so well?

My advice would be to stick with SuitSupply for now. Pick up 2 or 3 additional suits now if you can. Stick with the staples: a mid-grey, a charcoal grey, a patterned navy (e.g. nailhead or birdseye) for example.

 

[Houta]

1. Suitsupply RTW fits you perfectly
2. Given point (1) above, how much better can you expect MTM to fit? There is the risk that the MTM suit -- particularly the first suit -- will not fit as well as your RTW suit.
3. You are at the beginning of a new career path -- if it works well I would expect that your budget for clothing will rise accordingly over the next 5-10 years.
4. You will need more than one suit, it sounds like. If you will be wearing suits every day, you will probably want 4-5 suits as a starting rotation. Given your budget, why spend significantly more than your current SS Napoli, particularly as it fits you so well?

My advice would be to stick with SuitSupply for now. Pick up 2 or 3 additional suits now if you can. Stick with the staples: a mid-grey, a charcoal grey, a patterned navy (e.g. nailhead or birdseye) for example.

yeah I think you are right - thanks for your input
In regards to the fit, I think it fits me perfectly but I might be wrong! My tailor said it doesn't require any alterations. I will post a few pics later today so you can let me know what you think of the fit!
Cheers!

 

[Houta]

here are the pictures - I was lazy to put on the full suit so just put the jacket on the shirt and jeans I was already wearing so consider that while judging the fit please
I know the sleeves could be shortened a bit.

This is the first time I see how the back looks and I am not happy with it. Should I go a size down to 48?

Thanks

 

[breakaway01]

The sleeves are definitely long. I am a little concerned whether you can shorten enough from the sleeve end with working sleeve buttonholes. If you only need 0.5" shortened you may be okay. I would advise against going down a size. It may be too short in the body and tight in the chest.

As for the wrinkles in the lower back, do you normally stand this straight, or are you standing more straight than usual for the photo?

 

[Houta]

The sleeves are definitely long. I am a little concerned whether you can shorten enough from the sleeve end with working sleeve buttonholes. If you only need 0.5" shortened you may be okay. I would advise against going down a size. It may be too short in the body and tight in the chest.

As for the wrinkles in the lower back, do you normally stand this straight, or are you standing more straight than usual for the photo?

hmmm, I think this is how I normally stand! I'll put the complete suit on with a proper dress shirt under in the weekend and take more pictures in a relaxed position and lets see if the wrinkles in the back would show!

I was going to order another suit from suitsupply tonight but will hold on for now till we confirm whether the size is good or I need to look at other models/brands.

I really want to thank you for coming back to me, really appreciate it. Thanks man!

 

[breakaway01]

just be aware that it is very easy to find flaws when we look at static photos. This is not a bad fit for a ready-to-wear suit if you can shorten the sleeves.

I suspect the wrinkles in the lower back are due either to an erect posture or potentially to the suit being a little tight in the waist. The latter is relatively easy to fix, the former is not so simple but IMO not really worth spending the money at this point.

 

[Houta]

just be aware that it is very easy to find flaws when we look at static photos. This is not a bad fit for a ready-to-wear suit if you can shorten the sleeves.

I suspect the wrinkles in the lower back are due either to an erect posture or potentially to the suit being a little tight in the waist. The latter is relatively easy to fix, the former is not so simple but IMO not really worth spending the money at this point.

it could be due to weight I put in the last couple of weeks which made it tighter in the waist! I discovered this morning that I gained 3.5 kgs during the xmas and new year holidays! Back to healthy diet from today and will check the fit again in couple of month!

I will follow your advise and not worry about it at this point. Will pass by my tailor tomorrow to see if he can shorten the sleeves.

Thanks mate!