Any last minute advice for a trip to a Suit Supply store?

[DocDave]

I had a good experience at the one in Las Vegas a few years ago. Wound up buying a Napoli. The associate who helped me was probably in his 20s but was knowledgable. Amazingly the suit didn't need any tailoring other than the pants hemmed, which they did while I waited. My tip would be to prepared for fits that are quite a bit slimmer than typical off-the-rack fits. In particular the jacket waists are basically pre-suppressed and pretty aggressively.

This ^^ I was in the Vegas store and the experience was amazing. If we were not in the middle of summer holiday, with a messy car and a bunch of camping gear, I likely would have purchased a new suit. That's how impressed I was. Luckily (?) my role in the office has changed and I no longer wear a suit four days a week, so my suit wearing is now where it used to be. But still. Totally impressed with the service.

[Ruggedcasual]

Dave,
Have you ever visited the Toronto store? I need to invest in a formal biz suit and am thinking about making the trip downtown...

[DocDave]

@Ruggedcasual yes. I stopped in there when I was passing through there on business. Again, I was tempted to pick up a new suit and a couple of dress shirts. But I was getting ready to catch a plane in a couple of hours and didn't feel like doing the whole packing/unpacking thing.

[mebejoseph]

Picked up the suit the other day. The tailoring seems to have done the trick. But still a much slimmer cut than I'm used to. Like my wife says, it will keep me motivated to not get fatter.

I'm not sure if this suit is worth $700 or not (that includes alterations and tax). How does one determine that?

It's a really nice suit, no doubt. Seems better made then my two Brooks Bros suits that I got on sale for about $500 each; with taxes and alterations, close to $650--so, I guess it has value when compared to BB.

On the other hand, it looks like S&M has suits for a couple hundred less. Are they as good? I don't know. I haven't seen one in person that I know of.

Certainly better than my BR, JB, and Macy suits. But those were really inexpensive on sale. $100 to $250. So, not really a fair comparison.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to wearing it sometime soon. Not sure when I'll have a chance.

[CK83]

I wish my wife would make me buy a suit!

[Ruggedcasual]

I finally made it in to my local store. Associate was very helpful...unfortunately helped me into a mor expensive suit than originally planned. Only needed pants hemmed, jacket was perfect.
Now I have a business formal charcoal suit. And a couple of ties. And a shirt... and... don’t tell my wife!

[joekono]

Big fan of Suit Supply. I have 15 now including a Tuxedo and finally did an online custom suit. I do have a tailor(one of life's needs) that does a great job and doesn't kill me on price. You can be almost guaranteed that which ever suit you choose from them OTR, you can find a cut that will be similar to your build. They have the same material i.e. Navy Plain suit but in different cuts. I used to lift weights and have wide shoulders so I always buy a size up and have the jacket taken in and sleeves shortened. The pants always expect a hem job and usually have to have he waist taken in. You are now buying a quality suit(half canvas) and really quality fabrics, so expect to pay $500-$700 with tailoring. If you buy in store, you have the luxury of having them tailor it. I too feel that a custom suit from scratch is expensive( as it should be) but too expensive when you start getting into the $1500 and over range. Nothing wrong with it though if you can afford it.

[armedferret]

Big fan of Suit Supply. I have 15 now including a Tuxedo and finally did an online custom suit. I do have a tailor(one of life's needs) that does a great job and doesn't kill me on price. You can be almost guaranteed that which ever suit you choose from them OTR, you can find a cut that will be similar to your build. They have the same material i.e. Navy Plain suit but in different cuts. I used to lift weights and have wide shoulders so I always buy a size up and have the jacket taken in and sleeves shortened. The pants always expect a hem job and usually have to have he waist taken in. You are now buying a quality suit(half canvas) and really quality fabrics, so expect to pay $500-$700 with tailoring. If you buy in store, you have the luxury of having them tailor it. I too feel that a custom suit from scratch is expensive( as it should be) but too expensive when you start getting into the $1500 and over range. Nothing wrong with it though if you can afford it.

true bespoke suits are also crafted with (depending on the maker) up to four inches' extra fabric so that they can be let out a tremendous amount should the owner gain weight or what have you. They're also traditionally fully hand-crafted, as opposed to machines, at every step. There's a lot more time that goes into them, which is why the price is higher. Ultimately, a bespoke suit is intended to last 10, 15, even 20 years. If you wear suits every day and utilize Spier or Suitsupply (and this is coming from someone who absolutely adores both houses) they'll likely last 2, *MAYBE* 3 years or so. At that rate, yes, they're less expensive at the front end, but bespoke will last SIGNIFICANTLY longer.

and this is coming from someone who has a closet full of spier, suitsupply, and some bonobos even, with one Black Lapel MTM (and grand designs for more, inshallah). i strongly doubt i'll ever own a bespoke suit.

but i also definitely get it regarding the differences and the reason for the enormous price bump of bespoke compared with OTR/tailoring.

i'm also not a daily suited guy, so i don't necessarily need the "10-15-20 years of daily-wear longevity". Most of my suits will likely last 5-10 or more simply because of how infrequently they're worn.