New Suit on a College Budget

[yardpup01]

I'm reaching that point in my life where interviews and weddings are popping up, and a good suit is necessary. I'm specifically for asking advice on B&B (as opposed to AskAndy and Styleforum) because I know I'll get objective answers.

I don't have the budget to pay $1000 for a single suit. At 22 I'm pretty sure I'm done growing, but over the past 3 years I've lost 50 lbs and plan on losing around 20 more so I don't want to invest too heavily on a single suit. I have access to a Jos A Bank but have heard negative things. What are your thoughts or suggestions?

 

[BladeDE40]

Not sure if there are any of these where you live but Jos A. Banks and Men's Warehouse have been having some pretty good deals...I have even seen 2 for 1 deals. I have never tried Banks but I've bought many suits from Men's Warehouse.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Skip the Men's Warehouse, the quality there isn't so great.

OTOH, Jos A Bank suits are actually pretty good. Get on their mailing list and only buy stuff on sale, because the regular prices bear no relation to reality but the sale prices are generally pretty good.

 

[JoeH]

+1 on the Joseph Banks suits on sale. They're decent quality and will last you a while. If you can, get an extra pair of pants to go with the jackets 'cause they always wear out first.

 

[Echo]

Jos A Banks just had a sale on their executive suits, but I think it just ended.

I would recommend you go check out "The Wizard of Aahs" (aka the style-wizard) on ebay. He sells suits that are of good quality but are no name brands. I would recommend looking at the M. Valentino suits, which go for about $395 I believe. I purchased an M. Valentino Tuxedo from him during a fire sale for $200!

I just got the thing tailored for a wedding this weekend and it looks great on me (wore it around the apartment the day I got it back haha). I'll be taking pictures of me in it this weekend and posting my thoughts on it later.

 

[TheShaun]

I'm not a fan of the banks suits. speaking in terms of style only. I prefer a suit with side vents or no vents. for no good reason, i hate center vents. all banks suits to my knowledge are center vent.

i wear suits pretty frequently, and have two from the burlington coat factory (laugh if you want) both are oscar de la renta, both fit my style and cut requirements. one i've had for at least 3 years and the other is only a few months old. both of them were less than $200 each after tailoring the pants (i don't need the jackets tailored). The newest one if I recall was about $145 of the rack, and the older about $175.

 

[Plano]

I would check S&K mensware or mens warehouse

 

[john parker]

I have had good luck at my J.A. Bank. Had what I wanted in a suit that came in separates to provide my fit, and good tailoring. Heed the advice about the mailing list and sales; never buy at their "regular" price - which they almost never have because of all the sales!

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

Hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs, but wanted to add - it's not just the suit you want to watch, especially at interviews.

Obviously you'll be perfectly shaved, but...
...get a couple of really good shirts that suit your frame, learn how to tie a 4-in-hand and a half-Windsor as some ties look better with one knot than the other, get a decent pair of shoes and break them in before you need them (and make sure they're polished).

Another gotcha - try wearing a collar and tie after you've shaved as some people get irritation and chaffing on the neck-line (talc may help) and best to find out before a big day.

 

[C Reed]

you should never be paying less then $500 for a new suit unless you derictly intend to spill a large amout of drink on it, or wear it in the muck.

mens wear is all about details, quality and fit you wont be getting any of those on the cheap. Also if you find your self wearing suits soley to weddings and interviews then you need to spend the money beacuse people are judgeing you. I run my own (very small) business and I have been hired and not hired people based on the way they are dressed when I met them.

You can probably get away with one midweight jacket and 2 pairs of midweight trowsers and wear them for 3-4 years if your so inclined, change out the shirts and ties and no one will be the wiser for how many times you've worn it.

Also, you need to spend more on your tie then your jacket, espicly for interviews, and keep a solid color with either one color of dots, or up to two stripes.

I wouldn't consider shopping at Banks but then I don't know your area or whats around. Since its your frist suit don't buy it from some one you don't feel comfortable talking with. If the sales person needs to push a suit on you, its just not right. I segust a quick look at atailoredsuit.com and browsing Amies' "The ABC's Of Mens Fashion" before you buy as both are good primers on the vocab of tailoring.

 

[TheShaun]

you should never be paying less then $500 for a new suit unless you derictly intend to spill a large amout of drink on it, or wear it in the muck.

mens wear is all about details, quality and fit you wont be getting any of those on the cheap. Also if you find your self wearing suits soley to weddings and interviews then you need to spend the money beacuse people are judgeing you. I run my own (very small) business and I have been hired and not hired people based on the way they are dressed when I met them.

You can probably get away with one midweight jacket and 2 pairs of midweight trowsers and wear them for 3-4 years if your so inclined, change out the shirts and ties and no one will be the wiser for how many times you've worn it.

Also, you need to spend more on your tie then your jacket, espicly for interviews, and keep a solid color with either one color of dots, or up to two stripes.

I wouldn't consider shopping at Banks but then I don't know your area or whats around. Since its your frist suit don't buy it from some one you don't feel comfortable talking with. If the sales person needs to push a suit on you, its just not right. I segust a quick look at atailoredsuit.com and browsing Amies' "The ABC's Of Mens Fashion" before you buy as both are good primers on the vocab of tailoring.

Useless post. Did you bother to read the OP?

22yr old, small budget, gonna lose another 20lbs, first suit.

Here's this guy saying your tie should cost more than your jacket. He says don't spend less than $500. I'd like to know how many $500+ ties he has.

 

[C Reed]

Useless post. Did you bother to read the OP?

22yr old, small budget, gonna lose another 20lbs, first suit.

Here's this guy saying your tie should cost more than your jacket. He says don't spend less than $500. I'd like to know how many $500+ ties he has.

1. I'm 23 and I said for interviews you need to step your tie game up, when I meet with clients for the first time I generally go for one of a few Hermes ties I have collected over the years.

I also said your tie should cost more then your jacket, this was a mistake, I meant shirt (it will make it and your jacket look more expensive by reflection). My advice is also for some one whom is buying 1 suit to wear only when/ where he is being judged, and will leaving it hanging in his closet the rest of the year.

2. 20lbs is around 2inches off your waist that is not asking much of a tailor at all.

3. You can learn more about some one by one good look their clothes and style of dress then by talking to them for a much longer time.

4. This suit will probably last him 5ish years, with maybe a $40 touch up at some point, its a worthy investment, like a watch or a nice razor.

 

[Echo]

Whatever your final price ends up being for a suit, you DEFINITELY need to get it tailored. Don't expect everything to magically complement you off the rack (although I admit sometimes there is a small chance that this can happen - maybe if the orbits of Pluto and Neptune are aligned...). A $300 suit that's tailored to fit you will look much better than a $700 suit that's too big and makes you look like a little kid.

 

[yardpup01]

I'm not a fan of the banks suits. speaking in terms of style only. I prefer a suit with side vents or no vents. for no good reason, i hate center vents. all banks suits to my knowledge are center vent.

This is unfortunate as I specifically want a double vented jacket.

you should never be paying less then $500 for a new suit unless you derictly intend to spill a large amout of drink on it, or wear it in the muck.

I appreciate your advice and see all of your points. If there's anything B&B has taught be over the years, it's not to sacrifice quality. I understand that a good suit is an investment, but when you make $9k a year and have a growing student loan debt, it's hard to justify spending a lot on a suit if you can get by with less. But, this is why I posted this. To get advice about something I have no experience with. I think I'd be perfectly happy with a decent suit properly tailored until I have more significant cash flow.

Whatever your final price ends up being for a suit, you DEFINITELY need to get it tailored. Don't expect everything to magically complement you off the rack (although I admit sometimes there is a small chance that this can happen - maybe if the orbits of Pluto and Neptune are aligned...). A $300 suit that's tailored to fit you will look much better than a $700 suit that's too big and makes you look like a little kid.

Getting whatever I buy tailored was never optional, I've picked up at least that much in my studies.

Would Brooks Brothers be a better choice? What can I expect to pay, tailoring included?

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

If you do not need it in a hurry here is my suggestion.

First find you a tailor where you go to school or home. I mean a real tailor, one that is skilled in the trade. Be sure to check the person out and find out what type of clients that they have.

Second, check the second hand stores. I have found many BRAND new suits with tags in the Goodwill stores. However, I have found some great $500 to $1,000 suits for $30 on the racks. You have to know what you are looking for and check for flaws. The Goodwill stores close to the nicer neighborhoods are great to search in.

I drive 60 miles to have my clothes tailored. I have a couple of clothes butchers in my area. They whack off the length and sew them in a couple of seconds. Once I had tan pants with olive thread. Clothes whackers !!!

I buy stuff them off ebay at greatly reduced prices. I look very hard at what the person is selling and sometimes I ask if there are any flaws... I recently bought three Banks pants for only $35 with shipping. The seller through in another pair of Nautica, and they did not need any alterations!!! I paid $10 for cuffs. So I have four pairs of great looking pants for only $65 !!!!

I have done this with suits, too. I don;t wear a suit any more except on special occassion.

Another idea is put an ad on Craigslist...college student looking for a great buy on a suit....need help...just be careful, but you never know, you may find somebody with a great suit they may just give you....

I agree about the shirt, the tie and clean shined shoes. very little to no cologne...

Good luck and I hope I helped...

 

[Dennis]

Buy your suit online. I just went through alot of this. The quality of suits at JAB and MW is much much less than you can get for an equivalent amount online. Go to a tailor or suit store and get your measurements and note them/write them down. I personally trolled eBay for about 2 months and came down with a Oxxford grey nailhead 2B super 120s suit for $150 plus tailoring. Fits perfectly. That is a crapshoot route though, but you should definitely take a look at Jeff from the Wizard of Aahs. Send him your measurements and ask which line of suits he has that would fit best. Ask for a discount too - he usually knocks off a good percentage. The Daniele suits are Brioni suits - nice. Here is a review of them from Andy at Ask Andy About Clothes.

These suits are at least half canvassed and have no fusing on them which you will NOT find at MW of JAB for less than $300. I highly recommend this route.

Good luck.

 

[SRA7594]

please check at macy's for off the rack suits that can be tailored for you. dkny, hugo boss are two excellent brands. i got a dkny for 250 on sale, half off. another option on the second tier of suits at macy's is calvin klein, tommy hilger, kors, etc. those can go for abotu 200. good luck.

 

[BCatl]

You can spend a lot less on the suit, and spend some of what you save on your tailor.

Find a good Vietnamese tailor who has been in business for a while. Avoid having your suit to fit you like a box, even though it might be more comfortable that way. Tailored means tailored, and it should be a bit tighter than your intuition may tell you is correct.

I'm not saying the coat needs to be pulled in at the waist to the point you look like an action figure, but proper fit is the key. Of course, the coat sleeves and hem of trousers should be perfect, and no bunching between shoulders.

 

[andrewckellogg]

Mens Wearhouse (when I was in law school, a lot of people went there for interview suits and landed good jobs), just make sure you go to one with a good taylor and don't let the salesman put you in something absurd

 

[andrewckellogg]

This is unfortunate as I specifically want a
Would Brooks Brothers be a better choice? What can I expect to pay, tailoring included?

Yes, but $800 wouldn't be out of the question for a brooks brothers suit- most employers know college grads. looking for entry level jobs can't afford a Hickey Freeman.