--My apologies right off the bat for the rather long post--
Hey Folks,
It's about that time. I graduated from college in 2010, and have been getting by without a suit, but I feel like my wardrobe is sorely lacking without one. I recently got a good steady job, so I'll finally have a little disposable income for a relatively high quality suit. I'm kinda short (5'7) and lanky, so I've found that even as far as dress shirts go everything looks baggy, even with the small sizes (I recently found out that Banana Republic has dress shirts that fit me, at a nice discount! See below). I've been doing a little research, and I'm thinking a navy or charcoal single breasted 2 button suit ought to cover most of my needs for now (I figure that should cover formal events/any other job interviews in the relatively near future). I think right now my limit is about $500, and I'd hope that would be enough for a good quality item that should last me quite a while.
So, here's my question, and it may be heresy (as I really can't afford stuff like Brooks Brothers and such). SWMBO is working at Banana Republic right now, and that means that both her and her domestic partner (me ) get a 50% discount on clothing there.
Anyone have any experience with the BR Monogram line? It's a slimmer fit, which should be good, and it sounds like they're made with quality material (italian wool). However, I started looking into it, and realized that after alterations even with the discount I'd be spending about 400 on a suit (I'm looking at that as a good price, by the way--let me know if I'm wrong). Big problem is that they don't have a solid navy or charcoal option if I'm going for the style listed above. Plenty of black or lighter grey (and plaids or stripes).
With that in mind, I've been looking at other options, and something that popped up in my google searches was My.Suit. They're a company that has vertical integration, manufacturing suits and then selling them directly from a storefront in NYC, thus cutting out middleman prices. The suits are made to measure as well (you get measured in the store), and pretty customizable. Seems like their entry level option is $500.
I'll be planning on checking out both options in person, but basically I'm trying to find out if anyone has any thoughts on the quality of BR Monogram suits (perhaps they'll get new styles/colors in soon and I could hold off a bit to use that hefty discount).
Alternatively I'm curious if anyone has had any experience with My.Suit or similar options like Black Lapel or Indochino. Ideally My.Suit would be the best Made to Measure option for me as I'd be able to actually go in and try out sample suits, and feel the various fabrics in person.
Other options are also welcome. I know that there will be plenty of opinions
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey Folks,
It's about that time. I graduated from college in 2010, and have been getting by without a suit, but I feel like my wardrobe is sorely lacking without one. I recently got a good steady job, so I'll finally have a little disposable income for a relatively high quality suit. I'm kinda short (5'7) and lanky, so I've found that even as far as dress shirts go everything looks baggy, even with the small sizes (I recently found out that Banana Republic has dress shirts that fit me, at a nice discount! See below). I've been doing a little research, and I'm thinking a navy or charcoal single breasted 2 button suit ought to cover most of my needs for now (I figure that should cover formal events/any other job interviews in the relatively near future). I think right now my limit is about $500, and I'd hope that would be enough for a good quality item that should last me quite a while.
So, here's my question, and it may be heresy (as I really can't afford stuff like Brooks Brothers and such). SWMBO is working at Banana Republic right now, and that means that both her and her domestic partner (me ) get a 50% discount on clothing there.
Anyone have any experience with the BR Monogram line? It's a slimmer fit, which should be good, and it sounds like they're made with quality material (italian wool). However, I started looking into it, and realized that after alterations even with the discount I'd be spending about 400 on a suit (I'm looking at that as a good price, by the way--let me know if I'm wrong). Big problem is that they don't have a solid navy or charcoal option if I'm going for the style listed above. Plenty of black or lighter grey (and plaids or stripes).
With that in mind, I've been looking at other options, and something that popped up in my google searches was My.Suit. They're a company that has vertical integration, manufacturing suits and then selling them directly from a storefront in NYC, thus cutting out middleman prices. The suits are made to measure as well (you get measured in the store), and pretty customizable. Seems like their entry level option is $500.
I'll be planning on checking out both options in person, but basically I'm trying to find out if anyone has any thoughts on the quality of BR Monogram suits (perhaps they'll get new styles/colors in soon and I could hold off a bit to use that hefty discount).
Alternatively I'm curious if anyone has had any experience with My.Suit or similar options like Black Lapel or Indochino. Ideally My.Suit would be the best Made to Measure option for me as I'd be able to actually go in and try out sample suits, and feel the various fabrics in person.
Other options are also welcome. I know that there will be plenty of opinions
Thanks in advance for your help!