Are Valentino suits any good?

Originally Posted by chobochobo

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The reason the Dolce and Gabbana suits are more expensive are because they're much nicer - they're canvassed, I checked

I was tempted but the cloth looked too much like something I already have ('Super Worsted' Oxxford) though the cut is obviously very different. If the Dolce fits you well, it'd be a better buy than the 200 pound suit with alterations.

I do like the Dolce and Gabbana one, altho I am not so sure about the colour of the DG suit. It looks kind of a dark cloudy dirty kind of blue to me, not sure if I could pull it off. Altho from what you said, the quality seems to be not bad at all. I might give it other try on to see. They do have a few of them in stock so I guess they won't be gone so quickly.

As regard to the quality of the fabric used on these suits, could you teach me how to tell if the quality is good/bad? I've read a bit about super 100s, 120s..etc but surely, it must be hard if not impossible for someone clueless like myself to identify the exact quality of wool?

I was looking at the TaT thread and its website. I do really like the silhouette (Not sure I used the word correctly LOL) of their one button suit I can imagine it would look quite flattering for my body shape, altho the trousers could possibly be too tight from some of the pictures I saw of other SFers wearing the suit. Feedback from other people are mostly brilliant as well. Furthermore, the price is spot on to my budget as well (US$400 for SFers inc. shipping). However, the only thing I'm concern is that the one-button style might be not so suitable for graduation, work, interview and more formal occasions? Well...nevertheless its definitely something worth considering for me.

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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Disagree. Any competent tailor can fix it. I have very "square" shoulders..... but my very competent tailor made the fit perfect.

Please, post some photos of these perfectly fitted re-cut shoulders.

Originally Posted by lotmoon_uk

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However, the only thing I'm concern is that the one-button style might be not so suitable for graduation, work, interview and more formal occasions?

It's fine.

in the wsj today it mentions that the italian family that owns valentino is selling off their stake to the private equity firm carlyle group. who knows what this means for valentino. carlyle will obviously make some sort of push to get the value of the label back up again so they can sell off. perhaps we're going to see a revival of valentino!

Originally Posted by gnatty8

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Disagree. Any competent tailor can fix it. I have very "square" shoulders so very few suits or sportcoats ever fit my shoulders off the rack. If I took your advice, I would never be able to wear many of what have become my favorite suits, since the shoulders fit horribly, but my very competent tailor made the fit perfect.

i don't think we're talking about the same thing - square shoulders tend to create bunching below the collar, which is fixable. That seems to be what you're talking about - i have the same problem (well, it's a good problem to have), and my tailor has no problem fixing it. it probably costs in the $20-50 range.

Fit through the shoulder is talking about the width of the jacket. if it's too tight, you're not going to have enough material to extend it out (for starters, the shoulder padding might be insufficient, plus you need more material to extend the shoulder out). if it's too wide, you have to recut the shoulders, armhole, and probably the chest, as well as slice out some of the guts. that's a significant alteration, and will probably run you $100 to way up for that alone.

All Valentino suits I have seen and touched are fused and IMO overpriced. They are nice.. but you can do better with the money

Originally Posted by NoVaguy

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i don't think we're talking about the same thing - square shoulders tend to create bunching below the collar, which is fixable. That seems to be what you're talking about - i have the same problem (well, it's a good problem to have), and my tailor has no problem fixing it. it probably costs in the $20-50 range.

Fit through the shoulder is talking about the width of the jacket. if it's too tight, you're not going to have enough material to extend it out (for starters, the shoulder padding might be insufficient, plus you need more material to extend the shoulder out). if it's too wide, you have to recut the shoulders, armhole, and probably the chest, as well as slice out some of the guts. that's a significant alteration, and will probably run you $100 to way up for that alone.

Not only that, but the collar may well need to be constructed, which is time-consuming and difficult to do properly without the original manufacturer's templates. If it's a large adjustment, a new collar might need to be made, which means more fabric will need to be sourced. If this isn't done, the collar will never be right, which will be quite obvious.

Originally Posted by NoVaguy

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i don't think we're talking about the same thing - square shoulders tend to create bunching below the collar, which is fixable. That seems to be what you're talking about - i have the same problem (well, it's a good problem to have), and my tailor has no problem fixing it. it probably costs in the $20-50 range.

Fit through the shoulder is talking about the width of the jacket. if it's too tight, you're not going to have enough material to extend it out (for starters, the shoulder padding might be insufficient, plus you need more material to extend the shoulder out). if it's too wide, you have to recut the shoulders, armhole, and probably the chest, as well as slice out some of the guts. that's a significant alteration, and will probably run you $100 to way up for that alone.

Note that I said within reason. I think recutting shoulders and slicing out guts is sort of, not within reason.

I agree I really meant the collar roll problem, but I stick to my comment that as long as the alteration is within reason, a competent tailor can do it.

I have seen Valentino suits at my local marshall's. Some of them indeed are fused, while there are a few are full canvassed. The ones that are full canvassed seem to have nice construction. They all have a black "Valentino" label, except the nicer ones also have a small label reads "Tailoring" beneath the main label. They may represent different lines. Anyone cares to comment?

Originally Posted by A Guy from Shanghai

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the nicer ones also have a small label reads "Tailoring" beneath the main label. They may represent different lines.

I visited the Valentino Boutique in NYC a couple of years ago and checked out their couture line. I found them to be of Hickey Freeman quality in make, at a 3k plus price point.

Originally Posted by tiger02

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It's fine.

For graduation, a one-button suit probably is fine. For work, formal events, and especially interviews, probably not.

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

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For graduation, a one-button suit probably is fine. For work, formal events, and especially interviews, probably not.

Umm.. yeah I was thinking that as well, then its no good having a suit when I can't get a job is it!?

I own a black 100% linen Valentino (runway collection) suit. I bought it from the clearance section at Loehmann's with a coupon, and paid $150 in the end (marked down from $599). It's my favorite elegant summer suit. The fit is super-slim and the jacket is beautifully taken in at the waist. It's officially a size 52L, but a tight 50L would be more realistic (and that's my size). It fit me unaltered like a glove. I look like ten pounds less when I wear the jacket. The original price tag was still in one of the inner pockets: $ 1,795.00. It's the only Valentino I have, and I love it.

I think Valentino suits are okay, but nothing to write home about. I don't know the different lines of their suits, but apparently there is a broad range and a lot of other "Valentino" labels that are not actually Valentino.

I bought my only Valentino suit on the recommendation of a Barney's associate about 3 years ago at their Santa Monica warehouse sale for $600 (down from retail $1400) and the fit is average --- not too slim, not too boxy. Makes a good interview suit and has held up well, but if I could do it over I would probably not buy the suit again mainly because I'm not overly impressed with the construction, details (or lack of), or the cut.

the current Valentino labels for men seem to be: Valentino - main runway collection Valentino Roma - diffusion line (recently discontinued) Valentino R.E.D. - secondary line for a younger audience (recently discontinued) Everything else that existed has been discontinued (Oliver by Valentino etc.). Mario Valentino is a handbag manufacturer (entry level prices), Marco Valentino seems to be a small leather manufacturer and Gino Valentino (amazon.com) is probably better not even mentioned....