I have an interview coming up, I work in a very casual field and I only own one suit that doesn’t fit very well anymore. Where are the best places to buy a suit? Dept. store, local mensware shop etc? I want a decent well tailored suit but I also don’t want to spend a ton. Where should I start?
Go to a local suit store or men’s warehouse type of place. They will try and upsell you on a bunch of crap, but just go with a basic slim fit navy blue or grey suit.
Some here will say go custom tailoring and all of that, but if your going to wear it for a few hours then hang it up for a few years, its not worth it.
You can find a good enough suit for $200-$300. It will take a week or two to get back and hem the legs so don’t buy one the day before.
Men’s Warehouse or JC Penny are the go to for decent but cheap suit around here. Dillards is another option.
I recently got a suit from Men’s Warehouse for a wedding I was in, it was not even close to fitting off the rack, but their tailor fixed it up for $80 or so and it worked out alright. I had to match or I would have picked a suit that was closer to fitting off the rack then the tailoring would have been a lot cheaper. Nice thing is, once you pay them to tailor it, they will redo it as many times as you want in the future. They will also steam clean and press it anytime I want to bring it in.
Drop into a Brooks Brothers and see what’s on sale. It’s a good time of year to be shopping for a suit. If that doesn’t meet your budget then go to Jos. A. Banks.
If you can find a sale and Brooks Brothers is in the sub $500 wheelhouse it can be the last suit you ever buy given you still fit and take care of it. I sold 2 of my old BB’s here on ST about 3 years ago…they were almost 20 years old a navy blue pinstripe and charcoal gray just classics. Literally it was not easy to discern they’d ever been used they are that well made. Before those I’d had Men’s Warehouse suits and they lasted me a couple of years and fell apart…perhaps the quality has changed over time I don’t know, but that was when I went to BB after those died.
It’s one of those purchases that yes costs more, but darn they were simply as advertised looked great(except the dork in them of course) and lasted forever.
**Dirtydan since I live down the street from BB I called and also verified online. Huge winter clearance up to 50% off. They stock four different suit cuts in Milano, Regent, Fitzgerald and Madison fit and the shop in my hood includes any alterations you may need in the cost of the suit great deal right now…only certain BB stores offer that deal though so double check on included alterations. Too bad I don’t wear suits any longer…oh wait that’s not bad;) Good luck.
depends on how you’re built - brooks tend to cut suits for fat middle-aged dudes.
if you’re built like a triathlete, you might get more joy from a european cut - strellson are nice these days. for a good interview look and solid versatility, i’d go two button, single breast, two vents, pleatless trousers, notched lapels. good and timeless in decent navy blue wool. plus you can wear black or brown shoes/belt with it.
either way, a good rule of thumb: find a suit that fits perfectly in the shoulders and has a decent price. everything else, your tailor will fix. find a good tailor! say you spend $300 off the peg. always be willing to spend the extra $50/100 to get the jacket taken in, trousers hemmed, and so on. you’ll look like a million bucks. it’s something how many guys are wearing good suits that fit like crap because they’re not willing to go down to the tailor, and how many guys look absolutely great in JC Penny suits because they were.
good luck at the interview -
-mike
I have an interview coming up, I work in a very casual field and I only own one suit that doesn’t fit very well anymore. Where are the best places to buy a suit? Dept. store, local mensware shop etc? I want a decent well tailored suit but I also don’t want to spend a ton. Where should I start?
My kids love shopping at thrift stores. I have been shocked at the men’s suits I have seen for sale there because some of them were once worth a thousand+ bucks. I am not sure why they got tossed, maybe death in the family or just ignorance, but for the price you should look here. If the suit doesn’t fit spend of the $$$ you saved to get it professionally tailored.
Go to a local suit store or men’s warehouse type of place. They will try and upsell you on a bunch of crap, but just go with a basic slim fit navy blue or grey suit.
Some here will say go custom tailoring and all of that, but if your going to wear it for a few hours then hang it up for a few years, its not worth it.
You can find a good enough suit for $200-$300. It will take a week or two to get back and hem the legs so don’t buy one the day before.
Go the Men’s Warehouse website, look at what they have on sale at your local store. Go with the Modern Cut. When you go in be very firm on what you want and how much you want to spend. Be careful when it comes to shirts shoes and accessories. I did this bought one of their less expensive suits, got a good white shirt and a nice but inexpensive tie. I was straight up with the Sales rep and he understood my needs and even got me a pair of shoes that someone returned after a brief walk at 50% off
This is all great advice, thanks everybody!
depends on how you’re built - brooks tend to cut suits for fat middle-aged dudes.
Only if you arrive by Delorean time machine.
This is all great advice, thanks everybody!
Sure thing! I don’t mean to say don’t look at Men’s Warehouse I’m sure they have improved their quality since I bought mine that was around 1990. Simply wanted to express what bang for the buck I had with my BB suits…crazy deals with alterations included on stock suits in 4 different cuts though that is nice! Good luck on the interview!
Men’s Warehouse. Seriously. For what you are seeking, they are perfect. Pull one off the rack and have them tailor it.
Jos. A Banks is higher quality and have some crazy deals, so check price. But, Men’s Warehouse will likely be fine.
You don’t need a custom suit for your situation. I have a few custom suits. They are great, but way overkill for your needs. Hell, they are way overkill for most people’s needs.
I don’t know the ins and outs of shit buying, but I was thinking maybe an outlet store like Nordstrom Rack or Sacks off 5th. Get a designer label for huge discount.
I just went through this. I’m a short muscular guy, so had a hard time- anything that fit in the shoulders was tent material in the middle and I couldn’t find a 46s slim fit in anything under $7-800. Jos a bank typically has “buy one, get 1/2/3 free” type deals. Not good if you just need one suit, but they DID have one on sale- a 44s non slim fit for $200. I had the pants taken in several inches and it worked. Coat only needed a little.
Dig through the sale stuff, and get shoulders and coat length right. The rest can be fixed