Let's Go Buy New Suits!

[peter12]

Originally Posted by psicodude

What are the thoughts/opinions on the Black Brown brand, mostly found at The Bay? I find it fits me very well and is of good quality for mid-price clothing, but am curious how it stacks up against other ~$500 suits.

~$500 suits would typically be considered low range. That said, if the cut suits you, you are doing better for that price than you are for a $1200 Hugo Boss.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yeah, dude. That is brutal.

Brutal how? That I'd rather not spend the price of a new guitar or amp on a jacket and pants? I don't care what anyone tells me, no piece of clothing is worth that much money. Even if it has Gucci sewn into it.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by psicodude

What are the thoughts/opinions on the Black Brown brand, mostly found at The Bay? I find it fits me very well and is of good quality for mid-price clothing, but am curious how it stacks up against other ~$500 suits.

On par with other ~500 suits. I have one, it's okay, fits a bit boxy.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Brutal how? That I'd rather not spend the price of a new guitar or amp on a jacket and pants? I don't care what anyone tells me, no piece of clothing is worth that much money. Even if it has Gucci sewn into it.

It's better to have one really good suit, than three crappy suits.

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by psicodude

What are the thoughts/opinions on the Black Brown brand, mostly found at The Bay? I find it fits me very well and is of good quality for mid-price clothing, but am curious how it stacks up against other ~$500 suits.

I have a couple of black and brown suits and sport coats. I like them.

Quality seems good and the fit for me is great, I have really wide shoulders and like a slim fit modern suit.


get a new one every year on bay days

[Coach]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

It's better to have one really good suit, than three crappy suits.

Not when you're a 20 year-old intern who has to wear a suit 3-4 times a week...

[peter12]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Not when you're a 20 year-old intern who has to wear a suit 3-4 times a week...

That is reasonable. Okay, for sure.

[fredr123]

Consider getting extra pants with your suits. I find that pants tend to wear out faster than than the jacket. You can extend the life of your suit this way.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by peter12

That is reasonable. Okay, for sure.

Well you guys suggesting the $1000 suits (or even the $500 suits) realize that's what the thread is, right?

[Zarley]

I made the mistake of going to Moore's to treat myself to a suit right after graduating from University. I hadn't really done any research and had no idea how a suit is supposed to fit, so I trusted the advice of the salesman and ended up swimming in a massive 1990s style suit with pleated trousers. The fabric of the suit was of decent quality, but either the people working there are not trained in how clothing is supposed to fit or they don't care.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Buying several cheap suits is fine but you should be aware that what you are doing is a stopgap - what you're buying is essentially disposable. So it's a question of buying a suit now that you'll keep as your menswear wardrobe gets bigger (even if it's only getting to say, 3 suits and a sportcoat) or buying a few things to tide you over, to be discarded later. The latter just seems like a waste of money, understandable as it is.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Buying several cheap suits is fine but you should be aware that what you are doing is a stopgap - what you're buying is essentially disposable. So it's a question of buying a suit now that you'll keep as your menswear wardrobe gets bigger (even if it's only getting to say, 3 suits and a sportcoat) or buying a few things to tide you over, to be discarded later. The latter just seems like a waste of money, understandable as it is.

Of course, but if those 3 suits cost $500 each (low-end in here) that's $1500 that someone might literally not be able to spend. You're a 20-year-old recent grad, there's nothing to really understand. If you need multiple suits, the low end is really the only option. Of course it's like burning money. So is buying a crappy car that might only last you a couple years, but sometimes there's just not a choice. To me, telling a recent grad to go get a $1200 suit is like telling them to go buy a BMW because it's better than a KIA.

In my example, I have never owned a tux. I could afford to get a decent one, but this is a one time deal, and by the time I'll need another tux, I'll probably look at something higher quality. But even renting a tux is going to cost more than $100. So for one night of less-than-quality fabric, yeah I'll buy the throw away. Give it to charity when you're able to move up in price.

Now, if he can buy 1 and go with his already owned dress clothes (but not suits) that's different. If they're expecting full suits a few times a week, what other options are there?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I didn't say buy three right away... I said eventually, you will have several suits, and as time goes by you can either keep the original one you bought if you bought a decent one, or throw out the three original ones you bought because they're trash and falling apart at the seams. If you have a $1000 budget, work 5 days a week in an office that calls for a suit and have no work clothes to wear, your decision is made for you, I agree.

I've never owned a tux either, but that's because I have no good reason to wear one, and if that's the case I'm not sure why you WOULDN'T rent.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I didn't say buy three right away... I said eventually, you will have several suits, and as time goes by you can either keep the original one you bought if you bought a decent one, or throw out the three original ones you bought because they're trash and falling apart at the seams. If you have a $1000 budget, work 5 days a week in an office that calls for a suit and have no work clothes to wear, your decision is made for you, I agree.

I've never owned a tux either, but that's because I have no good reason to wear one, and if that's the case I'm not sure why you WOULDN'T rent.

Yeah we actually went in there to rent. Honestly don't need a new suit, but I've gained some lbs since buying/fitting and am working on trimming it back, but as of now, my full suits don't fit right. So we go into TipTop and ask how much to rent, and you're looking at $120+ PER DAY. So yeah, I'll spend $100 on something I might be able to wear a few times.

[Igottago]

Check out the bay. They usually have good sales on and I've had good luck getting fashionable suits for less than $500. I would say decent upper entry level suits.

My rule of thumb for clothes in general -- clothes are not a long term investment. Fashions change, tastes change, you physically change, and you just get bored of the same old. Even the amazing $2000 suit you could buy today, who knows if you'll want to wear it in 5 years.

I'm not saying buy bottom of the barrel crap, but don't think you need to spend more for the sake of longevity either. If you get halfway decent suits of reasonable quality for a few hundred bucks and get 2-3 years out of them, that's probably fine -- you'll want new ones eventually anyways.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by peter12

~$500 suits would typically be considered low range. That said, if the cut suits you, you are doing better for that price than you are for a $1200 Hugo Boss.

Oof. That's steep.

I grabbed myself a Hugo Boss red label series suit for less than $500 CAD (at a 1.2 ish exchange rate) in Vegas. I am thinking about grabbing a Zegna down there some time and bring it up here and get it tailored (around 600-1k USD last I saw, and damn they are comfy). I could probably pay full price in the states and still feel like I paid 20% less than here, even with the crappy exchange rate.

I have a striped suit from Asia, tailored. Cost me about $370 back in the day with a strong Canadian dollar. I use in situations where drinks spill.

Macy's has some really damn good deals. Outlets have some great gems too.

[To Be Quite Honest]

I bought a $400 wool suit. I hate it. It looks cheap and it doesn't fit right. I wish I waited another month or two for a $1200 spectacular suit.

[MickMcGeough]

My suit shopping begins and ends with Indochino nowadays. Quality rivals suits I've paid $1500 for and each is custom made for you. They've got my measurements in my profile and I never have to worry about tailoring suits again.

At their prices there's really no reason to ever wear a suit that wasn't custom made for you.

[bax]

A lot of really quality advice ok this thread! For everyone who has chimed in a big thank you from me.

I like hearing both sides of the argument and everything in between, but I think right now I am leaning towards spending money on just one quality suit. It will only be used during home game days so around 35 times this season.

I am quite particular about my fashion and like to be dressed well. I find when I am wearing quality clothes that I am comfortable in and I know fit me well then I instantly have a friendlier and more confident demeanor.

It might not be this way for everyone, but for me it helps.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest

I bought a $400 wool suit. I hate it. It looks cheap and it doesn't fit right. I wish I waited another month or two for a $1200 spectacular suit.

This is the difference between those with nice clothes, and those without (barring other factors like children etc...). I haven't bought tailored clothes since April so that I was in a very comfortable place to drop money for the clothes that I just bought. Self-control.