CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Non-Audio Stuff => The Geek Cave: Home Theatre, Computers, and More! => Topic started by: Kunlun on April 24, 2015, 12:46:36 AM
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It's the Changstar Suit Thread!
This is the place to share any and suit knowledge you have acquired. Do you go bespoke, off the rack or a combination of off the rack plus extensive after-tailoring?
It's time I bought a nice suit that fits and feels good for wine-and-dine, mafia meetings and funerals (in that order). I have no real idea, so all your comments will be appreciated!
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Bespoke or off the rack tailored. Armani was the nicest fitting off the rack IME but might as well go all in. As an amusing aside, all Marine dress uniform Alphas are tailored twice over the period of two to three weeks at Boot Camp, and Dress Blue Bravos done on your own. Easiest way to spot a fake or movie actor.
https://www.google.com/search?q=marine+corps+dress+alpha&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=25M5VYjiNoXRsAWlloD4Ag&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1248&bih=710#imgrc=_
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I've gotten most of my suits made-to-measure from Charlie Davidson at The Andover Shop in Cambridge. It's traditional American, but he can do anything Anglo. Besides the obvious detail-work, such as surgeon's cuffs (working button holes), he has his own bells and whistles such as a little loop behind the left lapel to hold a flower stem in place. He also has a private collection upstairs, a sort of museum, which includes one of the suits he made for Pres. Kennedy that was never picked up after the assassination.
Made-to-measure is the best value. In New York, Bergdorf's has the best selection of the different houses. Paul Stuart is very good quality but they made only American style (mostly Canadian-made like Charlie) and their lapels are too wide: 4" on everything regardless of length/height?
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Got a collection of bespoke and off the rack. Pretty simple tastes for me - most of time went with Brooks Brothers. I do have a couple of Armani suits (off the rack) which I picked up in Seoul during the 1997 currency crisis. Talk about a huge bargain. The guy was so desperate to get inventory off that he had the tailor do the minor alterations in a couple of hours and dropped them off at my hotel.
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Gotta share this with you as well... during the pan-Asia trip in 1997, I was in HK right after Seoul. Friend of mine took me to this tailor who measured us, stitched 3 suits and 3 shirts each for a grand total of $400 per person. We were in HK for just 2 days and the turn around time was phenomenal. Fit was so good I still have them !
Joch (in the watches thread) commented on this so if you know the right person to take you, you can get real bargains.
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Love the title: The Suit Thread (pun intended?)
If you guys are out in HK, give me a shout.
Most of my "work" shirts are bespoke (it's actually cheaper than a brand name shirt that will be too baggy), with the exception of proper button down shirts from Brooks Brothers. I gotta have my button downs from BB.
I hardly wear suits anymore, but have several that are tailored.
Reasons to go bespoke (shirt, suit):
fitted to you -- there's nothing like it because the proper tailor will note the curvature of your spine, the slope of your shoulders
customization -- the fabric color, the pattern, thread count, weave. You can get Loro Piana cloth, made to a zoot suit style with pink lining.
cost -- competitive to better off the rack makers. Might be cheaper.
@kothganesh -- Did you go to Sam's? they have a fast turnaround. BTW, some of the better tailor shops here are not even Chinese, but run by local Indian and Pakistani HKers hahaha
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Joch,
this was in 1997 so I have no clue on the name. And yes, the tailor was Indian :)
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A good place to start is to find suit styles that work for you with off the rack. The Italian and English styles have lots of design elements that tend to define them. Each name brand house has a fit that tends to work best for certain body types.
I personally prefer English style suits with soft shoulders, double vents, and hacking pockets. J. Press fits me well enough that I can often find suits on e-bay that require minor tailoring.
I wouldn't jump into bespoke until you have a better sense of your personal style. When you do go bespoke, start with a navy or gray suit since it is the most versatile.
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Good advice, thanks guys!
I'm told Suit Supply is a good source in Manhattan and a Bonobos is opening up down the street which I'll stick my head in before heading over to Bergdorf. I'll look around and try to get a sense of styles before picking up a navy suit as a starter.
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I'm glad I could help. I work in a "business casual" environment, so I wear a sport coat and slacks most days.
Another suggestion when you go bespoke, buy two pairs of pants with the suit jacket. This way you can wear them as separates on more casual days without too much concern. I find that my pants wear out long before my jackets.
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*posts pictures of fursuits*
:)p8
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(http://s.mlkshk.com/r/C3CQ)
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*posts pictures of fursuits*
:)p8
Ha, start a separate thread. What the hell, maybe people will contribute.
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I got my first (real) suit bespoke. Subsequent suits were made-to-measure based on measurements of the first suit. I'll do this until I can afford more bespoke suits.
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Wow, I did not think folks still wore suits, aside from special events. In the day when I had to wear them all the time, I liked Armani but Samuelsohn was a great fitting lower priced alternative. The HK made suits from the late 80s and 90s were probably the worst, but I am sure my budget pushed me into a lower quality level at the time.
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Well, I have to admit, part of what's holding me back is: "When am I going to wear this?"
But, but, if I had a suit worth wearing that fit me well and was comfortable, then maybe I would wear a suit more often.
Right now, it's slacks and a polo, all day (and all night, baby). My world could expand to heretofore unknown heights just the right attire, possibly. Or, at least, I'd be wearing a suit. So, there's that.
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Reasons to go bespoke (shirt, suit)
agreed - though MTM is really mostly worth it on shirts, unless you must wear suits every day. (I used to have that kind of job, and now I don't, so now I have too many suits, but I never feel like I have too many shirts). if I ever go back to five or six long days a week in suits, then always having something that fits in your rotation will make MTM worth it. otherwise, I'll gladly wear out my older pieces... for shirts, though, I've gone back to good tailors with new fabrics.
also, for what it's worth, neither hong kong nor shanghai are as easy and affordable as they used to be, while it's become easier to find decent craftsmanship in europe and even california. my new kick is to find fabric (marche st pierre ftw!) and then give it to a tailor who has my measurements on file. and as previous posters pointed out, if it's done right it's cheaper than buying ill-fitting stuff off the rack.
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I fit pretty good in off the rack slim fit suits. I use some italian 100% wool suits from a store kinda like Suit Supply. But I need to get the arms tailored down a tiny bit, and loosen up the ass on the pants, cause I have big thighs and ass (I do alot of olympic weightlifting)