australia good suit on budget

Originally Posted by m@T

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I have a feeling the OP may be in a Different Life Stage to you Sator

I am sure you are right but even students are able to afford to spend more than $300 if they're really passionate about something. For example the top of the range iPod costs $349 at full retail price. Many students own computers which they upgrade with all sorts of odds and ends - all of which amount to well over $300. When it comes to a suit however, when someone mentions a budget of $300, I just sense the passion is lacking.

In Oz, a suit is regarded as something you are forced to get, like an enema for bad constipation. Hence the hoards of ugly Chinese made fused monstrosities that proliferate here.

Originally Posted by Sator

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In Oz, a suit is regarded as something you are forced to get, like an enema for bad constipation. Hence the hoards of ugly Chinese made fused monstrosities that proliferate here.


He's got a good point. But I guess most people aren't passionate about clothing.

Do they have DFO out your way? They usually have CR and Stafford Ellinson outlets inside them, plus others, where you could find something around that point. For $300 you are not really going to get anything much, unless they fit you well off the rack.

What are your prospects like for future income? Could you put $300 down on a better suit at the sales and lay-by for a while until you can come up with the rest?

Then there is always eBay. Get a tailor to measure you and then shop really carefully for something quality that fits. Research the good brands here. I recently got a Corneliani Sartoriale for $45 and an Edward Sexton for $200. After alterations, both are still well within your budget. eBay overcomes the tyranny of distance.

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the tips, I think I might have a look around the sales etc and see if there is anything that strikes me, and probably lay-by something I like, at the moment with an average of 15 hours a week I am getting about $130 after tax and with school holidays coming up and I have requested to work as much as my boss can offer me I should hit some money over the holidays. As for all other things I own, my watch was a gift from a friend who upgraded, my iPod was bought on mega staff discount night at DSE, my computer is a 2nd hand original Rev A. Apple iMac G5 (the first of the "post it note holder" ones). And I use a cheapo mobile cause I cant afford anything fancy. The Reasoning for the $300 budget was that is all I have on me and now is the time the sales are on (is now really a good time to buy?). But I had never even thought about the Lay-by route. Might pick up a few shirts and lay-by a good suit I think.

Just wondering what different matrials mean etc? I posted on another forum about the fact I had purchased a red microfibre shirt (only red shirt I could find and I have been looking on and off for the last year) and all I got was comments about microfibre being the matrial of a used car salesman and photos of weird guys wearing funny string tie shirts. Is this the case, what are the different materials, what should I steer clear of/stick to etc?

How exactly does the return and re-buy thing work? Could you elaborate a little please?

Originally Posted by dewy

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As for all other things I own, my watch was a gift from a friend who upgraded, my iPod was bought on mega staff discount night at DSE, my computer is a 2nd hand original Rev A. Apple iMac G5 (the first of the "post it note holder" ones). And I use a cheapo mobile cause I cant afford anything fancy. The Reasoning for the $300 budget was that is all I have on me and now is the time the sales are on.

I also have a G5, albeit a PowerMac. An iMac G5 is nothing to be ashamed of IMHO.

If you were equally thrifty with a suit you would own something like a Corneliani or Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece thrifted off eBay for about $300 (new or near new). But be careful with buying off eBay - you have to know your stuff before going down this route. There are masses of dodgy Chinese suits with phoney Italian names on eBay (just as DJ and Myer are full of 'em). That means spending some time mining the archives here and at AAAC to arm yourself up with plenty of knowledge.

AlanC always amazes me on this Forum. I think he once posted that he had never paid more than about $100 USD for a sportcoat and in all of the pics he has posted he is sufficiently well dressed that he would look perfectly presentable beside those forumites who have their bespoke clothing hand made in Naples. You have to be very knowledgeable about clothing to be as thrifty a buyer as he, but he shows that it can be done. All you need is a bit of ingenuity. As with buying a good second hand car - it pays to know what is going on under the bonnet to avoid being stuck with a lemon.

CEO is the go according to my alterations guy who knows

Originally Posted by dewy

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Just wondering what different matrials mean etc? I posted on another forum about the fact I had purchased a red microfibre shirt (only red shirt I could find and I have been looking on and off for the last year) and all I got was comments about microfibre being the matrial of a used car salesman and photos of weird guys wearing funny string tie shirts. Is this the case, what are the different materials, what should I steer clear of/stick to etc?


Try to stick with natural fibres ie wool. Usually that means good 'ol Aussie (or failing that Kiwi) wool too, even if it has been milled in the UK or Italy. No microfibre, no polyester etc, just 100% wool will do.

If you are based in QLD, then you might want to look out for things like cool wool. Wool/mohair blends are also great in the heat but within your budget range you are probably going to be restricted to 100% wool. Any synthetic fibre component eg microfibre, polyester, nylon etc will further reduce the breathability of the fabric and make it run hot and sweaty.

There is also no need to buy any of the Super wools, as it is a marketing gimmick. It will only add expense to your suit.

I'd also recommend ebay - your $300 will buy you a better suit than what you could get in an Aussie store for that much.

Before you go the ebay route, take a tape measure into a myer or DJs, find a coat that fits you well (have a look at the WAYWT thread, and threads where people ask for critiques of their suit fit for an idea of how it should fit), then measure it (these instructions from A Harris are very good). The size on a tag can be misleading - once you know your measurements you'll find it alot easier to judge if a suit will fit you well.

Originally Posted by meister

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CEO is the go according to my alterations guy who knows

They have a store in downtown Sydney. Again, they are stiffly fused (and IIRC in somewhere like China too). The fabrics are nothing special at all. You would be better off going for an Anthony Squire from DJs which is also fused but made in Australia, the last time I looked, with better quality fusing. Better quality fusing is less stiff than the cheapest and nastiest Chinese glue jobs. Ralph Lauren Blue Label similarly features better quality fusing (done in Italy by Corneliani IIRC).

Squires is made in Fiji, comes out the same factories as Stafford Ellison.

That said, I have a Decathlon by Squires suit (3 percent lycra thing) that is still one of my favorite travel suits, and is getting on 8 yrs old now.

Honestly, do some homework and make sure you know your size and go via eBay if you're bold. Bargains a plenty. I just picked up a fully canvassed Made in Italy suit on eBay for US $356 that is new with tags that usually retails for $3,799 in Australia. But then I'm 40R and never bought a 40R that didn't fit me well (save for getting sleeves shortened by 1-1.5 inches). Not that I need another suit given I already have 32 but the Aussie dollar is strong and what is $450 Aussie on a great new fully canvassed designer suit?

Or try and save. It would help a lot and the qualitative difference is worth it. Hell, I routinely spend way over $300+++ on Grand Cru red burgs and Bordeaux and they only last one hour of consumption!

PS - One of 1st suits I ever bought many years ago was Studio Italia. Yes, fused, but lasted me 4 years and looked good.

My first suit was also Studio Italia, a plain black pure wool 3 button that i bought for my year 12 formal in 2001. I still wear it to weddings/funerals.

The ideas on using ebay are pretty good. I hadn't thought of using it for suits. Anyone recommend sellers on ebay who they have had good experience with?

Originally Posted by dewy

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How exactly does the return and re-buy thing work? Could you elaborate a little please?
If Myer has highlighted its barcode, it means it is 'Quit Stock' - has to be gotten rid of before being sent off to the 'Good Buy Warehouse' outside Melbourne.

So for the sake of round numbers, lets say that your suit is $400 at retail, and has a highlighted barcode, this means that it will be 25% off on the first 2 weeks of this sale - so you can buy it at $300 at that time.

If stuff doesnt sell, it will go to 50% after those 2 weeks, and be half price for 2 more weeks, when if it still doesnt sell, it will be reduced to 75% off the last marked price. In this case, $100.

Very little worth owning lasts to the 75% off stage...very very little. Normally just stuff that it really ugly and in really big or really small sizes.

But if you buy your $400 suit at 25% off in the first week, pay $300, never wear it, and keep your receipt...then come back a month later and return it, they will refund you $300.

Then you walk around to the other side of the counter, pick it up again, come back to the register and purchase it, it will only cost $100 now, as it will scan in at 75% off the original $400.

Make sense?