John Varvatos Suits

Hi everyone. This is my first post, although I have been a visitor to the site for quite a long time.

I was shopping for a suit for quite some time, literally trying on everything from Zegna, Isaia, Richard James (will probably go back tomorrow and pick this up because it also fit like a wonder but was too flashy for casual wear), Thom Browne (pant has a low rise but looks like it has a regular rise--otherwise, jacket looked great), Brooks Brothers, Prada, Ralph Lauren Black Label, (shoulders are very padded) but decided to purchase a John Varvatos suit from their boutique and not from a major department store that carries their Star USA brand. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge about Varvatos suits and can give me a break down on how they compare to other quality suits and how Varvatos suits even compare to Star USA branded Varvatos suits. The main reasons I bought the Varvatos suit over the others was because I liked how it fit my body, I liked the cut, and the price was right.

It felt like it fit better than everything except the Isaia. Some of the other suits I tried on looked really roomy on me. (One note is that the salesperson at Varvatos said I should wear a 36S when all my other salespeople at other stores told me 38S. So I'm wondering if people have found that fluctuation in size from trying on different brands). I really liked the narrow lapel, low 2 button, slim fit look. I'm beyond model skinny, so regular suits at department stores look baggy on me even with extensive alterations. Finally, I got hooked up on the price (Not going to say how much--but their suits retail for about $1700-$2000). So I felt like I was getting a great deal. All the other suits I tried on were hovering in the $3,000 range. For some reason, I have trouble pulling the trigger on an off the rack suit, even with some hand tailoring, for that much money.

Anyways, if anyone has any comments on Varvatos on how they compare to the above, I'd really appreciate it. I think being extra skinny, the slim fit is something I really wanted. That's why I also own a Dolce & Gabanna suit because of how slim and snug it feels. All other suits I've owned seem subpar--probably because they don't fit my body type well and not because they are actually bad suits in general. Sorry for the long winded, unorganized post. I'm fried from sleep deprivation.

I can't comment on specific construction qualities of JV suits, but if you think the fit is great and you are happy, that's what matters. I've been in the boutique before and looked at their suits. I personally wouldn't pay more than $300 (if that) for one.

Why don't you post a pic?

Originally Posted by teddieriley

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I can't comment on specific construction qualities of JV suits, but if you think the fit is great and you are happy, that's what matters. I've been in the boutique before and looked at their suits. I personally wouldn't pay more than $300 (if that) for one.

Why don't you post a pic?

+1

I now have two Varvatos suits, a Varvatos jacket, and a Varvatos overcoat. The quality on one of the suits is questionable, and I' thinking about returning it. On the other hand, they fit my body better than any suit in the price range. The quality overall seems to be decent for the price, but overall they fit me very well. For that reason, I really enjoy them and that's why I buy them.

If you are just building your staples and that's what you can afford, then IMO they are very decent if they fit well.

Edit: I didn't pay retail for any of them since I get discounts. Just thought I would throw that in there.

Im in the same predicament with suits as you. I love a slim sleek fit, and ive come full circle in my taste in a suit since joining here, first loving the fit of d&g and gucci but then aaac and clothing forum made me believe oxxford/kiton/brioni/samuelsohn/etc are the only way to go for suitings.
But then later finally realizing my heart goes back to the designers (solid ones, not hugo boss mind you).

Out of all the suits ive tried on i also find john varvatos suits styled exactly how i like it, very slim but has got manly lines to it i like how the shoulders slope on me the silouette from side and front cant be beat by no other.

The sales staff has an inclination to suggest the slimmer take rather than a more conservative fit like you will find at any other place. (At nordstron et al, they will suggest i wear a 44R but jv recommends 42R and i agree with them).

I dont know anything about their construction if it is canvassed or what not, i just know by feel and look it is appreciable quality and it's function and form will suffice in my line of life if i were to ever wear a suit. It's good enough for me.

I actually am going to purchase jv or marc jacobs for my next suit when the opportunity presents itself in the near future, but i would say you should look for at least a 40-50 percent off on varvatos at least.

Varvatos usa i have seen and tried it is not in my interest.

Cool stuff. I'll get a picture when I get it back from it being altered. It's one of the charcoal grays on their runway ad for the Fall '08 I believe. They all look pretty similar so you can get a sense of what it should look like if I can't get a pic in time.
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With regard to another post about not paying anything more than $300 for a JV suit. I too believe that most of the stuff in the JV boutique is overpriced, but $300 for a suit? That's the price you pay for something you get off the rack at Macy's. I don't think a JV suit is comparable to an Alfani or DKNY or whatever they carry at Macy's. (But I am glad to say that I paid nothing even remotely close to the retail. I do not think a JV suit is worth its retail price. At most, I believe it's roughly worth $1k. Then again, I don't believe a Isaia RTWnor a Zegna RTW is $3000, which was the price I was given today while out shopping those suits. Some Isaia and Zegna were on sale at around $2000 but not in my size, cut, or fabric pattern).
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I decided to go with JV mostly because of the cut and fit. I know it's not going to have the pedigree of fine craftsmenship backing it, but I don't get why the suit is bad. So far, I've read mixed comments about JV. One comment in this post is that one of their suit's is questionable. Another comment I read in a different post was that a person had taken in a number of his designer suits to a bespoke tailor to show him what he wanted, and out of all the suits, the tailor pointed out at the craftsmenship on the JV was better than the Prada and Dolce that the person had brought in with him. (Ultimately the tailor told him all the suits were crap and that he would make him a much better suit).
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Anyways, I still can return the suit before it gets altered or whatever. I just paid for it and left it at the store to get alterations another day because I was tired from looking at suits all day. I do really love the cut and the way it fits my body. I almost feel like I must go bespoke if I don't buy those kinds of cuts, just so I can get a suit that fits me well and is at the same time fashion forward. Any imput is appreciated. All the comments are great so far. I'd love to hear more from people who have owned Varvatos and other suits for a while.
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A final note. I'm not bagging on any of the other brands of suits. I think they are all great suits, but with all RTW, the fit is going to be inconsistent and certain brands and cuts of suits fit certain body types better. I'm near-death skinny. So Dolce & Gabanna, JV, and Thom Browne so far I have found to fit me the best.

I understand the feeling and challenge when looking for a good suit since I was in the situation a couple of year ago.

Just my .02.

You won't wear the suit if you don't like it in the first place. It is good if you find JV fits better than others because as many people said, the fit is one of the most important factor when buying a suit.

This is a link to a picture of the suit I bought. It's from their Fall/Winter 08 line I believe.

http://men.style.com/fashion/collect...rend=&iphoto=4

I'm pretty much as skinny as the guy in the picture...

They look great on Alice Cooper.

I'd ask them to throw in an anaconda for free. Retailers are desperate.

Originally Posted by ziggysnorkel

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This is a link to a picture of the suit I bought. It's from their Fall/Winter 08 line I believe.

http://men.style.com/fashion/collect...rend=&iphoto=4

I'm pretty much as skinny as the guy in the picture...

That's a sharp suit. I think the mainline JV makes some nice things, I have a bunch, fits great and looks good. The star and jeans and all that diffusion crap is crap.

Hahha.. yes the salespeople are either super nice or desperate. But the woman who was helping me yesterday was very hot. So it was hard not buying a suit.

Originally Posted by ziggysnorkel

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Hahha.. yes the salespeople are either super nice or desperate. But the woman who was helping me yesterday was very hot. So it was hard not buying a suit.

That argument doesn't make sense unless instead of her giving you an anaconda she gave you some kitty cat.

If it fits you great, I'd say a JV suit is a tolerable buy at $600-$800. Just note that it's completely fused construction, so you're definitely not getting bang for the buck. I'll wear JV, but mostly for jackets. They just happen to fit me nicely in the shoulders and they are cut shorter compared to most other suits/jackets. I tend to avoid the suits since I'm usually suited for more formal business meetings, and their narrow lapels just don't feel right to me in such occassions.

FYI, in that same $600-$800 range, you can get RL blue label on sale, maybe black label, both of which to me have comparable fits to JV. $800-$1000 range, you can get Isaia or Corneliani on STP which IMHO offer much better fabrics and construction.

Originally Posted by boo

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If it fits you great, I'd say a JV suit is a tolerable buy at $600-$800. Just note that it's completely fused construction, so you're definitely not getting bang for the buck. I'll wear JV, but mostly for jackets. They just happen to fit me nicely in the shoulders and they are cut shorter compared to most other suits/jackets. I tend to avoid the suits since I'm usually suited for more formal business meetings, and their narrow lapels just don't feel right to me in such occassions.

FYI, in that same $600-$800 range, you can get RL blue label on sale, maybe black label, both of which to me have comparable fits to JV. $800-$1000 range, you can get Isaia or Corneliani on STP which IMHO offer much better fabrics and construction.
Hmm. I've tried on the RL Black Label and thought it fit me really well, but I didn't like how the shoulders were really padded. It kinda made my shoulders look poofy. I also didn't want to risk having crazy wrinkles around that area if I decided to remove some of the padding. Also, from my knowledge Black Label on sale right now is around $1395 for most models, which is almost double what the JV cost me. (Note: I am willing to drop up to $4k on an impeccable suit)

I also looked at their RL Blue label and didn't feel it was anything special. I thought I could get a similar quality suit with a more aesthetically pleasing cut on my body type going with a Brooks Brothers Fitzgerald for about $600, which I may end up doing for that conservative, plain type suit. Most of my suits are pretty fashion forward, yet still can pass for things like interviews.

As for suits off of STP, I've looked there before and found that even though the suit may be from a top brand, it's either in a color or a cut that I don't think I would wear often. Or the suit may have pleated pants, or the lapel sits too high on the suit for my taste. I just looked now in my size and only found 1 high end suit in my size--Isaia. It looked decent in cut and everything, except that it comes in Chocolate Brown. That might be a color I would wear once a year. For some reason, I'm not brash enough to wear a wide variety of suit colors even though I am willing to try on new cuts.

I got an RLBL suit for only 560. they have navy and charcoal pinstriped.