Question:
Currently, I’m a junior in college and am preparing to begin my summer internship, which will require me to wear a suit to the office. Consequently, I am in the market for 2-3 new suits for this summer and I would love to get your opinion.
I know that you now prefer to purchase custom-made suits, but as of now, it appears as though I will be unable to purchase roughly 3 bespoke suits. I’m planning on purchasing my suits from Brooks Brothers and I was hoping to get your feedback on the style, colors, and other subtleties that you would recommend. As of now, I have a Brooks Brothers dark-grey, pinstripe suit.
Now, lets address the issue of maker and fit, which, somewhat go hand in hand. And as I have noted before, fit is paramount. Now, it sounds as though you have a good frame with which to work, at 6-1 180lbs. From what I know many suits are modeled off of a 6 foot mans frame. Now, you could go the Brooks Brothers route. Off the top of my head I do not remember which line is the most slim fitting, but I am guessing that the slimmest of them would suit you best, given your height and weight. Now, that said, whichever you choose try to get one with side vents, not a center vent. But if the best fitting suit comes with a center vent I suppose you can settle. And of course, take the jacket and pants to a competent tailor. I have used 2 different Brooks Brothers tailors with mixed results. But I will say that they do do all of their suit alterations at a central location, presumably this will help with quality control; at least I would hope… Currently, for a decent Brooks Brothers suit you will be paying around $1,000 per suit, plus alterations. Spend your money that way if you want, but as you know I feel rather strongly about made to measure. And as such, I would strongly advise against acquiring your suits from Brooks Brothers (although they do have some solid socks, shoes, sweaters, ties and casual wear) and highly advise going the made to measure route.
The fit you will attain from a made to measure suit will ALWAYS be better than an off the rack suit, keyword always; that is if the mtm suit is done properly. At this point in time I would recommend either Indochino or My.Suit. However, MyTailor will be on tour in the states soon, I hear they do good things as well but have no personal experience with them. Basic suits from each of the three companies come in at or under $600, which includes alterations. Indochino’s basic suits come in just shy of $400. Although the construction may not always be on par with Brooks Brothers the value received I believe is greater. Let’s think in terms of economics, you can safely acquire 5 suits from one of these made to measure shops or 3 from Brooks Brothers. I would choose 5 of the made to measures every time, I would even choose 3 of the made to measure suits over 3 Brooks Brothers suits.
Cheers,
Justin
Good post thanks. I’m looking to update some of my 10+ year old suits from Jos. A. Banks (I know a curse word on most style blogs) with some basics from indochino thanks to online friends like you. How about collar suggestions? Slim or regular notch? Or what about choosing a lining color – can I go wild here or do I need to keep it simple and tame?
Chris,
Thank you, glad FYGblog has been able to help. Good move on going MTM and I hope you will find yourself satisfied with Indochino, its a good company. By collar do you mean lapel? Collar is the piece that goes around your neck, it should be such that it ends roughly 1/2 inch below the collar of your shirt, so you will have your shirt collar sticking out above your jacket collar. Regarding lapels, this is a rather in depth subject, I shall do a post on it in the next few days to adequately answer your inquiry. But generally speaking, peak lapels are more formal than notch. And the width is up to you, but I am a proponent of a healthy lapel; that is, one that is in proportion to the rest of your body, not one that is noticeably slim. As I believe they often do more harm than good.
For the lining, if you want a more conservative suit go for a solid color, if you want something more exciting and aggressive go for a contrasting color or something with a design. For starters, a burgundy lining on a navy jacket looks great. Its really a matter of preference and what would be most appropriate for the setting you will be wearing the suit in.
Justin
Justin – Respectfully, in my opinion, flat front trousers should never be worn with cuffs, regardless of the cuff size. Also…totally agree that 3-roll-2 suits are badass. I had one over a decade ago and had it re-pressed as a straight 3-button when they were all the rage…wish I hadn’t done that now. Great blog.
@DEWestEnd,
Thank you for the compliments. Unfortunate about your 2-3. Maybe it can be reconverted to its natural state? I actually have a few 3 button jackets that I think I am going to have tailored into 3-2s, will definitely have that experiment up on the blog when the time comes.
Regarding flat front and cuffs, as I said, it is a matter of preference. But generally, most would stick with no cuffs on flat front and cuff on pleated. A rule I often go by as well (so in that respect I partially agree with you DCWE). But, this is not an absolute rule. I believe the Ivy League style enthusiasts would swear by flat front cuffed trousers. I would like to note that cuffs do add weight to the bottom of the pants which will help them drape better (whether flat front or pleated), this is especially useful for lighter weight fabrics.
Justin
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