Zara Suits?

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

I am trying to dress classier & build a wardrobe that will last a long time (quality & fashion-wise). However, I am wanting a new suit for an event I have on 10/16 & budget is $200. I could wear my old sack suit that I bought in college which has a jacket that is too big, or I could rush a purchase of a new suit that fits better. I am heading to Macy's tonight to check their wares but I found a suit at Zara's that approximates what I am looking for. I do not own any clothing from Zara & have read they are a little trendier than what I am aiming for. But they have such a solid return policy I cannot lose, right?


GREY MICROHERRINGBONE BLAZER (& pants):

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/us/en/zara-us-W2011/118182/446604/GREY%2BMICROHERRINGBONE%2BBLAZER


Composition:

76% POLYESTER

3% ELASTANE

21% VISCOSE/ RAYON


I am not terribly familiar with the best fabrics for suits (ok, I know wool is preferred). So given my criteria, would this be more or less a waste of money?


Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[MaxMan Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close MaxMan]

hmmmm, for the criteria you stated in your first sentence i would say dont buy. 76% polyester is going to look shiny as hell in about a yr or two. It wont breather well and you will feel alot warmer in it than you really should. That blend is very bad, worsted wool is really the way you want to go but you can go with something that is wool blended. But that Zara option IMO is very bad for what you are looking for.

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

I'd say go for eBay, thrifted, or otherwise used. I had a good experience with conticouture.com with a navy blazer. If you know what you're looking for you can get amazing quality for under $200.


If you decide to try conticouture, you can get 40% off with the code 'FALL40CC', but tell Gia I sent you so maybe I'll get a hook up when I go back

[YackoYak Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close YackoYak]

Agree w/ MaxMan. I had a poly blend suit in Jr High / HS that I got for about $100. At the time I thought I was getting a steal, now I know that's pretty much what it was worth. Let us know how Macy's treats you, they should have a decent selection still. I haven't had any experience with the Alfani Red line but people here seem to like it. Agree with the thrifting, although with this time frame I think you need to get something now / this weekend to have time to tailor it by mid month. You can always get something at Macy's today, hold on to it, and see what you can find locally. I haven't had good luck thrifting suits [locally], if I can even find my size (42R, 42L) they are usually a poly blend. I've hit pay dirt on sport coats though...

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

Thank you gentlemen, for the advice. Shiny is not the look I am going for. I started typing the post before I saw the composition of the suit but I figured I would ask anyway to be certain. This site is spectacular.


Jason, Conticouture.com looks amazing, but I am not certain of my size. Bookmarked for later purchases, thank you VERY much. Any idea of the types of styles they have listed there? If I don't know what kind of cut a suit/brand is, may I assume it is a classic fit (no pleats, trim fit)?


I have been meaning to go thrifting, I just haven't had the time. I used to do that all the time in high school; shame I was only looking for silly stuff at the time.


Tailoring, that is a whole other topic I need to address with another thread.

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

Write Gia and ask about any that you're interested in. Do you have any jackets that fit well? If so measure them (shoulder seam to shoulder seam, from the bottom of the collar to the bottom of the jacket, and armpit to armpit) then ask Gia for the measurements of the ones you like. I asked her those and she also volunteered that one of them seemed much better constructed than the other, and indeed it is very well constructed.


You should get a measuring tape or get yourself measured in any case. It will make everything else easier.

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

This is all very exciting. But this Conticouture sounds too good to be true. What is their ship time/cost & return policy?

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

I'm not sure of the return policy. The ship time was very good... It was out the door the same day I ordered and got here in 3 or 4 days. I was concerned it was too good to be true as well, which is why I started this thread to ask people here:


http://threads.dappered.com/topic/conticouture


But I figured it was worth the risk and it paid off for me.

[mikesam82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikesam82]

I have a wool Zara suit that I'm very happy with. I've owned it for several years and its aged well. They run very trim, especially in the pants, so I'd be certain to go to one of their shops (I've only seen a few in the northeast). Looks more expensive than it was. Also try Banana Republic for some nice styles, decent quality and materials, for a price that won't hurt.


Though I've become a huge fan of thrifting, it's unlikely that you'll find any suits that you'd actually wear in thrift or consignment shops. I wouldn't recommend that for your first real suit, not until you start to have a very good idea of what you like, and will recognize a "diamond in the rough".


Your budget cap of $200 is tough to accommodate, any suit that you bought in this range is one that you will not be happy with, and you'll have wasted the cash. I'm also on a tight budget so I can sympathize. For a cheaper alternative, I'd suggest you buy a nice blazer and wear it with an pair of dark pants with s sharp tie that you already own.


Good luck.

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

I put this guy (the suit, that is) on hold last night:

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=449323&CategoryID=17788&LinkType=#fn =BRAND%3DAlfani%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D26


After coupons & what not, it's about $150. Given Joe's recommendation of Alfani Red, I feel pretty good about it. Fit off the rack is pretty good - shoulders are perfect, length is good (38S); jacket needs to be taken in on the sides to be perfect, but it's much more wearable than my other suit; perhaps the sleeves taken up a bit. The buttons on the jacket are non-functioning & stacked or "kissing" that Joe mentioned of his Indochino Ultimate Grey suit (which he didn't like), I hope that isn't too trendy but it seems an easy fix if necessary. The pants aren't near as slim on me as they are on that model, but that is not a problem; they hit about a medium break. Now I just need to find a tailor.

[MaxMan Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close MaxMan]

I like it, light grey is a good color IMO, i have read on other forums (namely styleforum) that you shouldnt but i dont care for that, i like what i like and that will be FLY with a pair of light brown cognac wings...post a pic of the fininshed product in WIWT id like to see whow it comes out

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

Thank you for the endorsement. I was going by Dappered/Esquires 4 recommended suits so I figured it was safe. I don't own a navy one yet, but I thought grey was more fun. I do have some cognac slip ons that I thought looked pretty good with it. Not wingtips mind you; they're pretty trendy but I am not springing for new shoes at the moment. I had a nice subtle patterned lavender shirt & dark purple paisley tie picked out too but the wifester said she is wearing lavender & I should pick something else... What about a navy shirt & lighter blue tie? Any suggestions?

[MaxMan Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close MaxMan]

Lavender and purple are great combos and i think its cool if shes wearing lavender, you compliment your wifes look and gives the idea to people that you coordinated your looks to show that your a happily married couple, me and the wife do it sometimes...lol


but if you are insistent on not matching, id do your blues in reverse. light (pale ice blue shirt) and a dark navy tie...your contrast will work better

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

I like the suit. Should work well for you. I'd stay away from a darker shirt and lighter tie unless you're attending a gangster wedding or something.

[Soleful Strut Member Find all posts View Profile Close Soleful Strut]

Noted & much appreciated.


It was the Wifester's insistence, not mine. Will try to adjust her opinion.


"But the guys on the internet said..."