Suits

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JCShutout
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Suits

Post by JCShutout »

I'm at the point where my suit needs to be replaced. I wear it rarely, but I lost all that weight, and I've had them taken in, but I've lost so many inches in my chest that the sleeves and shoulders are all weird.

Going to get a simple charcoal suit that I can break out to any formal occasion. I look best in non-saturated, softer colors, like charcoal or cream instead of stark white or black. I figure a $150-$200 charcoal suit well tailored will work just fine, and I plan to find some quality shoes to accompany them.

Any tips/ideas? Or any suit info/wisdom/stories to share?

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Re: Suits

Post by Freed Roger »

I used to own 5 suits for work and a couple jackets. Last year had a funeral and needed to get something quick. I opted for jacket because I have plenty of dress slacks. I think its a charcoaly color with some dark blue pattern. Can work with gray or black slacks. Macys. Hope it doesnt see much use. That is all I got.

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Popeye_Card
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Re: Suits

Post by Popeye_Card »

Men's Wearhouse when they are having a good sale (which happens a lot this time of year) is always a safe bet. You'll be able to find a good mid-range suit at a decent price.

Sport coats are fine for many situations, but personally I think everyone needs to still have at least one suit for more formal occasions. Though I've noticed that the formality of most weddings these days has significantly dropped off--only perhaps a quarter of men in attendance are wearing suits.

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go birds
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Re: Suits

Post by go birds »

JCShutout wrote:I'm at the point where my suit needs to be replaced. I wear it rarely, but I lost all that weight, and I've had them taken in, but I've lost so many inches in my chest that the sleeves and shoulders are all weird.

Going to get a simple charcoal suit that I can break out to any formal occasion. I look best in non-saturated, softer colors, like charcoal or cream instead of stark white or black. I figure a $150-$200 charcoal suit well tailored will work just fine, and I plan to find some quality shoes to accompany them.

Any tips/ideas? Or any suit info/wisdom/stories to share?
I was in the same boat as you earlier in the year.

I don't wear a suit every day and ran into a situation where i needed a couple to wear for work conferences. Mens Warehouse is good, but i bought mine from: https://factory.jcrew.com/c/mens_clothi ... _under_300

More specifically: https://factory.jcrew.com/p/mens_clothi ... name=black in navy

And i love it.

I'm 6 and have a slender to athletic build and went with a 40s (because i don't like the tail hanging past my ass--that's just personal preference). Before i bought, i went to the jcrew mens store and tried on a bunch of different coats to get the right size before ordering online.

It's light and breathable and sharp looking.

No matter what you get, you'll more than likely have to get it somewhat altered so be sure to have a good tailor on stand-by.

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CardsofSTL
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Re: Suits

Post by CardsofSTL »

Suits are something I think are worthwhile to splurge on. Bought my last two at Brooks Brothers and have no complaints. Dark suits are a good way to go IMO because depending on the sitch you can splash things up with a bright shirt tie combo or if it's more subdued occasion you can do that too.

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IMADreamer
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Re: Suits

Post by IMADreamer »

I have to go buy one tomorrow for a funeral I'm Paul bearer at. Haven't worn one in years. I'll buy cheap because I will look like a fat idiot no matter what.

Freed Roger
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Re: Suits

Post by Freed Roger »

When I started in workplace, we wore suit and tie every day, and generally kept the jacket on most the time at clients and a good amount in the office too. You tend to emulate your boss,and that's what they did at the time. Also, in winter wore a big tan trenchcoat (ala Columbo, Dragnet, McGruff the Crime Dog) to and fro the office or client or work lunch etc.

Thinking back, sometimes I was good with it, made the decision in the morning easy - just putting on a uniform. Other times, like when it was hot (8 months of the year), not so good. That first job, we audited a lot around central and So Ill in small towns. IMA, that was me in the Pittsfield Cardinal Cafe eating a taco bowl or fried tenderloin wearing a full suit and tie in August. Boy did we look like asses.

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JCShutout
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Re: Suits

Post by JCShutout »

Popeye_Card wrote:Men's Wearhouse when they are having a good sale (which happens a lot this time of year) is always a safe bet. You'll be able to find a good mid-range suit at a decent price.

Sport coats are fine for many situations, but personally I think everyone needs to still have at least one suit for more formal occasions. Though I've noticed that the formality of most weddings these days has significantly dropped off--only perhaps a quarter of men in attendance are wearing suits.
This was my plan-men's warehouse, but I figured I might get a few other names. I agree, everyone should have one just in case. I'm a social worker, so I already dress better than 99% of my coworkers in jeans/courds and a collared shirt. I have a tweed jacket that I wear casually, and I was planning on getting a second tweed/courd sports coat, but I personally think having a suit for weddings/funerals/any business opportunities is important.
go birds wrote:I don't wear a suit every day and ran into a situation where i needed a couple to wear for work conferences. Mens Warehouse is good, but i bought mine from: https://factory.jcrew.com/c/mens_clothi ... _under_300

More specifically: https://factory.jcrew.com/p/mens_clothi ... name=black in navy

No matter what you get, you'll more than likely have to get it somewhat altered so be sure to have a good tailor on stand-by.
Yeah, I already have a good tailor in UCity. I think proper fit is the most important thing in looking good. There are some nice options jcrew has. I especially like this one: https://factory.jcrew.com/p/mens_clothi ... k-charcoal
CardsofSTL wrote:Suits are something I think are worthwhile to splurge on. Bought my last two at Brooks Brothers and have no complaints. Dark suits are a good way to go IMO because depending on the sitch you can splash things up with a bright shirt tie combo or if it's more subdued occasion you can do that too.
I agree in principle, (buy quality when possible) but dropping $1-2k on a suit I'll wear a couple of times a year isn't the best decision for me, I'd rather go mid range, get it tailored to a good fit, and invest in quality shoes. (Any quality shoe advice?)

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haltz
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Re: Suits

Post by haltz »

I ordered one online and while the jacket fits, the pants are so big that they have to be completely remade which is going to negate the deal that I got. I talked to a couple of people in the biz and apparently that's fairly common. If you have a large drop between your jacket size and waist size, be careful.

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JCShutout
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Re: Suits

Post by JCShutout »

That is good to know. Thanks haltz. I'll at least try on sizes in a store, if not just shopping in a store. Comfort is pretty important for me, so I should probably try things on and buy from a brick and mortar anyways.

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