# of suits for starting out....and how

That does look like a good deal. I'll have to check those out.

Originally Posted by LanceW

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Brooks Brothers 1818. Be there when they open, the morning of the 26th.

+1.

I am sure that I have picked up far better quality for $500, but the overall efficiency of an 1818 on sale is great. They are of decent quality, available in many styles and cuts and include in-house alterations, gratis. I'd recommend a Regent (if you are thin/athletic) or a Madison over a Fitz. I'd bet the house that the skinny lapels date soon.

I'll add that if you can afford to drop around $1500-2000 as an initial investment you should go to your local Brooks this week and tell them your plan. Ask the SA to set aside the three best suits for you for the Boxing day sale. Get a Brooks card and you might get an additional % off.

And best of luck. I have made more professional progress in DC than I ever thought possible.

Originally Posted by LesterSnodgrass

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I'd recommend a Regent (if you are thin/athletic) or a Madison over a Fitz. I'd bet the house that the skinny lapels date soon.
I agree with this. I think it was Spoo(?) that pointed out that the Fitz is not made to be heavily suppressed, and an SA at BB confirmed this when I was there a few days back. It won't look terrible, but the proportions get a bit out of whack.

Originally Posted by LesterSnodgrass

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+1.

I am sure that I have picked up far better quality for $500, but the overall efficiency of an 1818 on sale is great. They are of decent quality, available in many styles and cuts and include in-house alterations, gratis. I'd recommend a Regent (if you are thin/athletic) or a Madison over a Fitz. I'd bet the house that the skinny lapels date soon.

I'll add that if you can afford to drop around $1500-2000 as an initial investment you should go to your local Brooks this week and tell them your plan. Ask the SA to set aside the three best suits for you for the Boxing day sale. Get a Brooks card and you might get an additional % off.

And best of luck. I have made more professional progress in DC than I ever thought possible.

I'm not "thin", but am athletic. I have a difficult build to deal with. If you have to put a suit on 5'10 NFL running back that would be about me. I assume by boxing day you mean Dec 26, is that an advertised sale?

So if I'm gonna check out BB for the 26th sale...I should target

1) Charcoal
2) Dark Blue
3) ???

Thanks again for all your help

Medium gray. However, three from the same brand starting out is risky (tastes and judgment change), and three of the same style shows lack of variety.

I would choose 2-3 good suits (full canvas if possible!). Wool is my favorite fabric, I really dislike some of the cheaper suit feel that is made with blends of polyester.

For colors, I would get navy, dark gray, and charcoal.

I would buy from either the buy and sell forum or from ebay. You can get great suits for a fraction of the price that way. Find a good tailor and spend the money to get it to fit right. I have often spent more money on the tailor than on the price of the item I bought because I want that item to fit right otherwise it just looks silly.

The first part of that advice is sound. After that...

Charcoal is a form of dark gray. True, almost anything that isn't too small (and even then...) can be tailored to fit, but not necessarily well, and as noted, that can be pricey. eBay for clothing is risky enough for anyone; it is high-risk to a beginner.

Originally Posted by The Thin Man

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This classic Will blog entry.
I couldn't turn up the link on short notice, but if I remember correctly Will also wrote about sticking to a variety grey suits at first, and excluding blue. Thus, the money spent on an entire second set of shirts and accessories could be spent on an extra suit instead. So you could go with: Charcoal Mid Grey Chalk or Pin Stripe POW +2 on the extra pair of pants too. I always wear out pants long before jackets. You just have to make sure you alternate wearings and have them all cleaned together.

Originally Posted by goodlife

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I couldn't turn up the link on short notice, but if I remember correctly Will also wrote about sticking to a variety grey suits at first, and excluding blue. Thus, the money spent on an entire second set of shirts and accessories could be spent on an extra suit instead.

So you could go with:
Charcoal
Mid Grey
Chalk or Pin Stripe
POW

+2 on the extra pair of pants too. I always wear out pants long before jackets. You just have to make sure you alternate wearings and have them all cleaned together.

+1

Originally Posted by Rugger

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I know this thread is relatively common. But would appreciate your assistance. If you were starting out building a professional wardrobe, how many suits would you consider a good lot? I was thinking 5-7...at least one different for each day of the week. The questions I pose to you: 1) How many suits would be the target/baseline number? 2) With that number...what would they be? (color/pattern/stripes/style...very macro description) Thanks a bunch!
Go to a quality independent men's store, tell them what you need and your budget. For 5-7 best bet is to start with a stripe navy blue, pattern midblue, solid grey suit, grey pattern (stripe or window pane), navy blazer and 3 trousers (tan, grey, grey pattern). Depending upon your profession, then you can add a tans/browns, black/white Glen Plaid, etc. Shirts at least 4 white and 2 blues then a mix of stripes and checks to compliment your suits/blazers. Key is to buy the best quality you can afford.

I really don't want to hijack this thread but I wanted to ask a similar question about beginning to build a wardrobe. Specifically, when you guys first found yourselves entering careers in which professional dress was mandatory, how prepared were you? Did you land that first job with a closet full of suits or did you have to spend time getting by with any old pair of trousers and poorly disguised casual button downs while you saved for your suiting? Even then, when you had the money, did you know what to get or were you buying things you would never admit to these days?

I started out with hand-me-down suits from my father. They were bespoke and fit me well. All I knew then was the suit had to be wool. He showed me how to spot good woolens (basically by balling the fabric up in his hand and letting go. Massive wrinkles? No. Good spring back with minimal wrinkling if any? Yes!)

After settling at a good weight, I bought a tape measure, got my measurements and ran from there learning the hallmarks of good tailoring (tailoring to me then was hemming the pants).

Stick around a while and you should be able to glean what the fine points of mens tailored clothing is about. Once you do this, you will find a brand or three that suit you well with minimal tailoring and go from there.

There's nothing like knowing how something will fit without first trying it on. Same goes for shoes.

Originally Posted by The Thin Man

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This classic Will blog entry.

+1 Excellent advice, and buy the best you can within your means.
Unless you are wealthy, a wardrobe will take years to evolve anyway so don't rush it.
2 basic suits for warmer & 2 for colder seasons (w- 2 pair of pants each) will easily get you through.
This is where the power of shoes, shirts and especially ties will provide a myriad of combinations.

Originally Posted by ArtOrSartor

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I really don't want to hijack this thread but I wanted to ask a similar question about beginning to build a wardrobe. Specifically, when you guys first found yourselves entering careers in which professional dress was mandatory, how prepared were you? Did you land that first job with a closet full of suits or did you have to spend time getting by with any old pair of trousers and poorly disguised casual button downs while you saved for your suiting? Even then, when you had the money, did you know what to get or were you buying things you would never admit to these days?

When I got my first summer clerkship, my rotation consisted of a suit I got for college graduation and two others I hastily purchased from JC Penney's the day before my first day on the job. Shirts, ties, and shoes were purchased from Gabriel Bros. In short, I looked like garbage, and all the stuff that didn't wear out has since been donated. While I "saved" money in the short term, that really turned out to be a poor use of my money in the long term. That being said, unless your parents are rich, it is really tough when you start out because you simply don't have the money to go out and drop $5k on a starter work wardrobe before you get your first paycheck, but you really should get the best stuff you can afford. Spend money on 2 decent suits, a navy blazer with some odd pants, and two nice pairs of shoes. By decent, I mean something at least half-canvassed, 100% wool, and well-fitted. As for shoes, AEs would be great, but try not to dip below J&M, CH, Florsheim quality. You can make due rotating 2 suits and blazer until you can afford more. If you need to massively skimp, do so on your shirts and ties until you can afford nicer. As long as you buy slim fit shirts in the right size, most people can't tell the difference between a $20 shirt and a $300 shirt. Same for ties.