Suits

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ShamgarTheJudge

ShamgarTheJudge

Puritan Board Freshman
Brothers, where is the best place you currently buy new suits for wearing on the Lord’s Day? Seeing as the Lord is granting me more responsibilities at my congregation, I am in dire need of a more professional wardrobe. I am an utter novice in this department, considering it’s been pearl snap western or Hawaiians shirts since my wedding in 2017.

Thanks for any help.
 
Don't know much particularly about this, but unless you are looking for tailor-made, might want to check the probable plethora of thrift stores in the IE area. Might get some good deals on used ones. I know SD had a ton of thrift stores. Even our small one in the small town in TX I now reside in usually at least has a few each time I go in there. If by "new" you mean brand new, can't help you there.
 
What's your budget? Higher end consignment shops are great assets. Thrift stores can have good options with some caveats. Buying suits new is rarely a good deal, and you can get some amazing near buy-it-for-life stuff quite inexpensively.

If you're going to be wearing suits regularly, and 1-2x per week is definitely regular, here's a good starting point. A navy blazer & gray slacks is one step to a half step down from a full suit and is a VERY flexible combination that dresses up and down so it should be the second purchase to a suit. Black is a no-no because it looks terrible in the daylight, is associated with morticians, and is a specialty item for eveningwear below a tuxedo at most. Charcoal gray is the answer there.

Navy or Charcoal Suit - DO NOT GET BLACK
Navy Blazer
Gray Wool Trousers
[2nd suit, the color you didn't go with] - DO NOT GET BLACK
White and Blue Dress Shirts
Brown and Black Shoes
Brown and Black Belt
Navy and Charcoal/black socks

A lightly worn half-canvassed wool suit and blazer won't cost a fortune but will last MUCH longer and fit you better than a cheaper suit worn regularly. The reason to get the Navy blazer is that you should not wear the jacket apart from the pants or vice versa because you don't want to make the suit unevenly worn (check a thrift store one to see if one piece looks obviously more worn than the other).

Wool and cashmere are the only things you should consider in a suit's material (a pinch of spandex is no biggie but polyester is a big no-no for many reasons). The biggest is that wool breathes very well and naturally releases odors and moisture into the air. The dry cleaners should only be for stains and a couple of times per year with that frequency.

Something else I'd add is that you should plan a significant portion of your budget to tailoring, especially if your budget is strictly in the lower end thrift store side of the coin. A good tailor can make a meh suit look really nice and help you maximize the value and comfort.
 
davejonescue said:
Don't know much particularly about this, but unless you are looking for tailor-made, might want to check the probable plethora of thrift stores in the IE area. Might get some good deals on used ones. I know SD had a ton of thrift stores. Even our small one in the small town in TX I now reside in usually at least has a few each time I go in there. If by "new" you mean brand new, can't help you there.
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I have very little experience with our local thrift stores. I’ll have to give them a go.

Theoretical said:
What's your budget? Higher end consignment shops are great assets. Thrift stores can have good options with some caveats. Buying suits new is rarely a good deal, and you can get some amazing near buy-it-for-life stuff quite inexpensively.

If you're going to be wearing suits regularly, and 1-2x per week is definitely regular, here's a good starting point. A navy blazer & gray slacks is one step to a half step down from a full suit and is a VERY flexible combination that dresses up and down so it should be the second purchase to a suit. Black is a no-no because it looks terrible in the daylight, is associated with morticians, and is a specialty item for eveningwear below a tuxedo at most. Charcoal gray is the answer there.

Navy or Charcoal Suit - DO NOT GET BLACK
Navy Blazer
Gray Wool Trousers
[2nd suit, the color you didn't go with] - DO NOT GET BLACK
White and Blue Dress Shirts
Brown and Black Shoes
Brown and Black Belt
Navy and Charcoal/black socks

A lightly worn half-canvassed wool suit and blazer won't cost a fortune but will last MUCH longer and fit you better than a cheaper suit worn regularly. The reason to get the Navy blazer is that you should not wear the jacket apart from the pants or vice versa because you don't want to make the suit unevenly worn (check a thrift store one to see if one piece looks obviously more worn than the other).

Wool and cashmere are the only things you should consider in a suit's material (a pinch of spandex is no biggie but polyester is a big no-no for many reasons). The biggest is that wool breathes very well and naturally releases odors and moisture into the air. The dry cleaners should only be for stains and a couple of times per year with that frequency.

Something else I'd add is that you should plan a significant portion of your budget to tailoring, especially if your budget is strictly in the lower end thrift store side of the coin. A good tailor can make a meh suit look really nice and help you maximize the value and comfort.
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This is wonderful advice. Thank you!
 
I'm going to have to look into Scott's posts more closely, and that might change how I think about purchasing suits. The last couple of years, my wife has shopped deals from Jos. A. and Paul Frederick, and we've been able to have a decent wardrobe for me at a reasonable price.
 
Are full-service menswear shops a thing yonder? Normally here they have a couple of guys who'll guide you through trying on a bunch of stuff and help you get something that fits and looks right. Dear, but you end up with an outfit that looks well. One year I was took for my birthday and it basically set how I dress ever since (7 years ago now).
 
Unless you are savvy you will find it very difficult to buy a second hand suit that actually fits you well. But it is possible if you know all your measurements and know what good quality feels and looks like. This is where you could ideally use the help of a friend who knows what they are doing.

For new, if I had the money I would want invest in a single high quality suit from a tailor.

If you go the second hand route, I applaud you, but be very choosy and take your time, do your research, make sure the fit is perfect (you shouldn't adjust a suit at a tailors, maybe with the exception of trouser length), avoid trends (like very slim/tapered or baggy cuts, cropped trousers, flashy patterning, etc).
 
alexanderjames said:
Unless you are savvy you will find it very difficult to buy a second hand suit that actually fits you well. But it is possible if you know all your measurements and know what good quality feels and looks like. This is where you could ideally use the help of a friend who knows what they are doing.
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I strongly agree with this. In fact, I recently did exactly this recently for a friend who knew nothing about suits but needed to have a nice suit for a wedding and to start wearing for church and other events.
 
Nothing wrong with starting out with suit separates from places like Nordstrom Rack or JC Penny.
 
Following with interest.

I'm curious for the more fashion aware: do you think a dark navy blazer with dark gray pants is considerably less formal than a suit? Right now I don't have a suit but have a few jackets (brown sports coat, navy blazer, grey blazer) that I mix and match with slacks that I rotate for Lord's Day worship. My blazer for example is very dark navy and has brass buttons. I usually go for the navy+grey or grey+black combo when assisting in leading in worship, but may mix in more light colored slacks (like khaki or stone) otherwise. I've considered getting a suit but have not yet.

I find with my proportions it is almost impossible to get a suit off the rack, but haven't bitten the bullet in trying to get something tailored. I was looking at SuitSupply.
 
Jake said:
Following with interest.

I'm curious for the more fashion aware: do you think a dark navy blazer with dark gray pants is considerably less formal than a suit? Right now I don't have a suit but have a few jackets (brown sports coat, navy blazer, grey blazer) that I mix and match with slacks that I rotate for Lord's Day worship. My blazer for example is very dark navy and has brass buttons. I usually go for the navy+grey or grey+black combo when assisting in leading in worship, but may mix in more light colored slacks (like khaki or stone) otherwise. I've considered getting a suit but have not yet.

I find with my proportions it is almost impossible to get a suit off the rack, but haven't bitten the bullet in trying to get something tailored. I was looking at SuitSupply.
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I'd call it a half step down. A sportcoat with nice slacks is a full step down but still way above no coat.

Blazer + Jeans is probably about equivalent but more complete than dress shirt and nice slacks but no coat.

Incidentally, the daytime versions of white tie and near-black tie involve a color mismatch of the jacket and pants, but it's very specific stuff that's basically unseen of outside of US Supreme Court argument or something VERY British on this side of the pond.
 
I yearn for the old days where all undertakers, and clerics wore black, all accountants and bankers wore gray, and blue pinstriped suits were something worn by only attorneys.

In 1988 I noted a shift, many politicians began wearing navy blue blazers, with gray slacks, and blue button down shirts. Democrat politicians dispensed with the tie. Republican politicians wore a tie because they were expected to look professional.

Those days are long gone

We get to Asia every other year or so. We usually fly into Bangkok before venturing on to Nepal, or Myanmar. My wife has kinsmen who are tailors in Bangkok, and in Hua Hin. So I always have a suit made there, whether I need a new suit or not.
 
Jos A Bank will get you a suit that fits pretty well. You can look for when they have sales, usually on holidays. On sale you can get a suit for around $200. You could also ask for gift cards for birthday, etc. and use that when a sale comes around.
 
Don't underestimate a Good Will. Find a rich community and they will likely have some good material for really cheap....................
 
Gforce9 said:
Don't underestimate a Good Will. Find a rich community and they will likely have some good material for really cheap....................
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VERY true. I once got 2 $200 ties for $3 apiece at one of these.

It's way out of my price range but at a higher end consignment store in town, some guy who must have been either an executive, had the budget of one, or was the estate of one was unloading 3-5 $3,000 suits at consignment where they were priced at $400-500 apiece and had barely been worn. It was an insane deal for whoever bought them. All told, I wouldn't be surprised if 20+ were offloaded there over a period of months.
 
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Gents, this truly has been helpful. I’m very thankful for all of your input. Leave it to PB to contain not only theological warriors, but purveyors of proper, gentlemanly attire.
 
Two things impact cost for suits. material and label. 100% wool is about the best, but will cost more than a blend. Go with a medium or light weight unless you are going to some place with really cold winters, and you should be able to wear it year round. And look for a traditional cut and it should last for decades as a Sunday/Wedding/Funeral suit. (Keep the moths away). Scott has given good advice where to try to find a gently used one cheap (easier if you are average size).

Quality costs, but should last better than a cheap suit.

ZackF said:
Nothing wrong with starting out with suit separates from places like Nordstrom Rack or JC Penny.
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I'm in the market for a new suit. Current suit was from JC Penny, but a fairly recent visit I wasn't impressed - no 100% wool, these days. and a drop in quality from what they used to have. As for Men's Wearhouse, I'd only shop there on sale. A guy at Dillard's tried to sell me a tailored suit, but I had a bit of a sticker shock that precluded an impulse purchase.

These days, I only wear a suit and tie for weddings, funerals, and ushering or other semi-official duties at church. Otherwise, it's going to be dark slacks and a seasonal sports coat. No tie, except for court. (OK, federal court might merit a suit).

Pro tip for suits - suspenders are a lot more comfortable than a belt and you can go with a looser waist.

Pro tip number 2 - get several different ties - folks shouldn't notice the suit, but they will remember the tie.
 
Edward said:
These days, I only wear a suit and tie for weddings, funerals, and ushering or other semi-official duties at church. Otherwise, it's going to be dark slacks and a seasonal sports coat. No tie, except for court. (OK, federal court might merit a suit).

Pro tip for suits - suspenders are a lot more comfortable than a belt and you can go with a looser waist.

Pro tip number 2 - get several different ties - folks shouldn't notice the suit, but they will remember the tie.
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Edward gives good advice. Allow me to also add, get two or three different white shirts with different styles of collars. If you feel so inclined you should also consider getting couple of blue button downs when you are wearing a suit and the occasion is not court, a funeral, a wedding, or other semi- official duties at Church.
 
Edward said:
Pro tip for suits - suspenders are a lot more comfortable than a belt and you can go with a looser waist.

Pro tip number 2 - get several different ties - folks shouldn't notice the suit, but they will remember the tie.
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Seconded big time on both of these. Varying white, light blue, and light pink if you want (yes it's a very valid color especially with a navy suit) also provides lots of variety as Yeutter mentioned.

@Edward , ReThreads and Luxury Consignment on Oak Lawn are where I've found most of the good stuff. ReThreads is always high quality but high for secondhand price. Luxury Consignment is hit and miss, though at least it's traditional and quite reasonable in its apparel choices despite what you might think given its location. Genesis Benefit store is mostly a miss these days.
 
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