J Crew Factory Thompson Suit...any good?

[Madaoua05]

On the front page of Dappered, there is an article about a sale on the J Crew Factory Thompson suit. I'm curious to know if anyone owns one of these suits or knows about its quality. If so, would you kindly tell me a bit about it?


- How does it fit?

- Do you use it as a work suit?

- Is the cost worth the quality?


Thank you mucho for the help.

[ChrisW]

I own both the charcoal wool/poly and the navy 100% wool. I wear them for work.


The fit is fairly trim, especially in the upper arms. The shoulders are not very padded, which is great. The pants are tapered nicely.


I think the low cost of these suits is definitely worth it for the quality. The construction seems good enough at this price point. I would definitely recommend them for everyday wear.


I don't actually think they are on sale at the moment. Joe just included the price that they would be at with the common 30% off as an illustration. If you need a suit quickly though, I think you could do much worse than one of these at full price.

[trash]

How is the waist on the pants? True to size? I assume they're both polyester lined right?

[MagM]

I own one. It's great, very worth it. The waist on mine is pretty TTS--I measure as a 36 waist and that's what fit.

[jake89]

im curious to hear more thoughts on the waist size..I recall reading earlier that you may need to size down.

[nicholascrawford]

The Factory store in Napa has it in navy. SF Dappered meetup venue?

[jordan]

Waist was TTS for me, but the inseam ran long. But i've heard others say it ran TTS for them. So you should be safe ordering TTS and having the tailor take them in slightly if needed.

[ChrisW]

I agree with Jordan, my inseams ran a little (1" or so) long, and waist was TTS.

[vwpokerchamp]

How does this thompson suit compare to the regular jcrew ludlow suit? it looks similar.

[guiltybystander]

According to personal experience and to Joe's full review here: http://dappered.com/2011/08/in-perso...-factory-suit/ the fit is similar to the Ludlow (true-to-size) but might be a little looser. I found the 34 pants to be true-to-size but I could take in a quarter of an inch (not enough to warrant this, since I'll wear a belt). The jacket fits true-to-size as well, but the sleeves will have to be hemmed.


The Thompson fit is similar to the regular Ludlow suits I wrote a mini-review on the suit (below if you're interested) but after evaluating it more for the purposes I would be using it (interviews), I have decided to return the suit. To me, the material is too lightweight and the lapels are too small/modern for the industry I want to enter (law).


Mini-Review.

Price: $189 after 40% off final sale price. I would not recommend paying full retail for this suit.


Fit: The fit was true to size. Fine throughout the jacket torso and

pants, though I will need to hem the pants length slightly as well as

the jacket sleeves.


Material: Extremely lightweight (good for spring and summer in the

South) but on the other hand the material is a lot thinner than I

expected. I held it up to the window and I could see light coming

through the suit material and the inner lining (which was minimal). It's

not like people can see your skin through the suit jacket sleeves or

anything, but material is a relevant consideration from a durability

perspective, which is the only reason I bring this up.


For comparison, I held up a Calvin Klein suit I got (off Gilt for

about $300) and I could discern pin pricks of light, but nowhere near as

much light as through the J. Crew Factory suit. The lining and

thickness of the material is definitely where the cost-cutting came into

play.


Damage: The thread holding the left edge of the breast pocket came

undone, meaning my breast pocket flaps down. This will need to be

repaired at the tailor.


Conclusion: 3/5. Would I buy again? Well, if it were more of a summer

color, definitely yes. This appears to be more of a summer weight suit

(granted this is a wool/and in a more "wintery" color (versatility not

withstanding). -1 star for damage to the relatively flimsy breast

pocket. Since I usually buy for quality first and price second, no, I

probably wouldn't purchase again. That said, I'm [returning this suit].

[matchem]

I was very impressed with the fit of the thompson factory suit coat, im 5'11" 165 lbs and a 38R fit nicely with only the sleeves needing work. the minimal padding is a huge bonus for me. The color of the 100% wool navy suit offers versatility, as a lightweight material i've worn this to a summer wedding and i intend to continue use through the winter. For $250 total this suit was a nice addition to my wardrobe.


Here is what I do not like about the suit: as previously mentioned the material is generally thin and therefore tends to pick up any wrinkle lying underneath the suit. The material in the shoulders and arms does not lie well compared to calvin klein and hugo boss wool suits. In my opinion the pants are loose and are not close to a ludlow cut, i have skinny legs and my tailor did her best to pull in the inseam to match my desired fit. More material remains in the thighs than i would have liked, however, the pants give a more traditional look which can serve certain purposes.


In summary I am very satisfied with the suit for the price, it has its place within a wardrobe. Just do not expect the distinct ludlow cut, be willing to accept a less fit pant

[LesserBlackDog]

Received my navy blue Thompson. As usual it comes fully wrinkled and smashed into a tiny paper package (grumble grumble). That aside, the fit off-the-rack is great on the jacket. The sleeves are on the longer side for an OTR, slim-fit 36R. I'll need to have them shortened by about an inch and a half before I can wear the jacket. By comparison, the 36R Bonobos sleeves are basically perfect in length for me, the SuitSupply 36R and 35R are both fine, and the Banana Republic 36R sleeves are maybe .5" too long. Overall, the jacket is not as slim as a Bonobos jacket, but seems fairly comparable to the Ludlow sportcoat I own.


Button stance is noticeably lower than a lot of "modern cut" jackets, but not too low. The lapels roll naturally just above the top button, not several inches above as the stock photos seem to suggest. The lapel hole is functional (i.e. already cut open). The sleeve buttons are not (thank goodness).


The trousers run quite long, something I've experienced in other Factory pants. I am normally a 31x31 - whether I get a 30 or 32 inseam depends entirely on the brand. The 30 inseam is actually long enough to give me a solid half-break, almost a full break, in the Thompson trousers. I sized up to a 32 waist since they don't have a 31, and the last 30 Factory trousers I bought were on the snug side. The 32s are a hair loose but it's easy enough to hoist them up with a belt or, if need be, have the waist taken in. The trousers are more of a straight fit than a slim fit - the seat and thighs are nicely fitted, but I didn't notice that they were particularly tapered, if at all.


The navy material has some subtle color variation which makes it, in my opinion, much nicer than the standard solid blue-black navy suit. The material is on the thin side - comparable to my Banana Republic tailored-fit suit. The thinness of the material is convenient for these warm summer months, but may not bode well for the longevity of the suit. We'll see.


Overall, I am very satisfied for the price I paid ($275ish). With a 30-40% discount, it would almost be stupid NOT to buy it.

[jessy_diamond]

@BenR : Could you provide me the shoulder width and the armpit to armpit measurement of your suit? I already asked their customer service, but I wanted a second measurement just to be sure.