A Good Suit

[jonny]

Well we have the thread on a good pair of shoes.

Well a good pair of shoes goes with a good suit as well as decent watch (a bit ovious).

Well seeing as so many of you are so experienced in whom makes a decent pair of shoes .What do you have to say about tailoring?, It almost goes hand in hand.

Personally i wear a suit one or two days a week and when i do its one of the two Gieves & Hawkes suits which I own.

[stifflersmom]

This could be interesting - a good suit will depend on body shape as many are cut for a particular shape/size. Many off the peg suits are frankly, rubbish when it comes down to any assessment of style or quality. However, that is oftern irrelevant if you are sitting in an office all day and just need something formal for that. A bad suit is easily spotted, but imo you can't go wrong with Hackett or Aquascutum for off the peg suits that use decent cloth and are flatteringly cut. The best option is to go bespoke, or at least made-to-measure. For £500-£600 you can get a made-to-measure suit which will look the business. A no brainer really when you can pay that for an off the peg "designer" suit that is churned out by the dozen. Remember the retail mark up on clothes is horrific, so if you pay £500, the retailer pays £250, the distributor £125 etc etc.

[tuscanracer]

I have been using the same tailor now for about 6 years, he makes all my suits and stocks a good range of casual wear as well.

Hopefully I'm not breaking any forum rules by posting his site details (note to Ed, I'll remove his address if a problem):

http://www.regenttailoring.co.uk/

He's Saville Row trained, and extremely helpful - and there is a sneaky glimpse of a watch in there on his site somewhere!

Worth a look if anyone's interested,
Steve

[Thurein76]

Try TK Maxx. Most towns/cities have one. I know it seems a bit "downmarket" to some but I've picked up most work stuff there. They have a formal wear section. Can be very variable. My local one has suits by Hackett, Aquascutum, William Hunt(Savile row), Paul Costelloe, YSL. Maximum you will pay is £150-£200 for a £600-800 suit, in perfect nick. Definitely worth a look.

Cheers

Thurein

[Thurein76]

I've also seen Lanvin, Vivienne Westwood, Ted Baker ties and Ralph Lauren work shirts in my local TK Maxx recently. All very discounted!!

[crazyp]

This could be interesting - a good suit will depend on body shape as many are cut for a particular shape/size. Many off the peg suits are frankly, rubbish when it comes down to any assessment of style or quality. However, that is oftern irrelevant if you are sitting in an office all day and just need something formal for that. A bad suit is easily spotted, but imo you can't go wrong with Hackett or Aquascutum for off the peg suits that use decent cloth and are flatteringly cut. The best option is to go bespoke, or at least made-to-measure. For £500-£600 you can get a made-to-measure suit which will look the business. A no brainer really when you can pay that for an off the peg "designer" suit that is churned out by the dozen. Remember the retail mark up on clothes is horrific, so if you pay £500, the retailer pays £250, the distributor £125 etc etc.

+1 on all of this, Aquascutum have an excellent cut and not too expensive, especially in the sales. But otherwise bespoke and made to measure are the way to go.

Oh and for shirts, I find TM Lewin very good at sensible money.

[tekkno]

Vivienne Westwood

Really? love westwood ties. I have one which reads "Blow Me" if read in the correct light. I wear it on selected occassions :lol:

Bespoke is good and as has been mentioned, not outrageous but I prefer Erminigeldo Zegna for day to day and Alexander Jackets. There is a particularly nice silk and cashmere number I have been thinking about but it has an approprate price tag. Bit like the shoe thread really, a very good suit is very hard wearing. A cheap suit is just that, a cheap suit. There is a new range of Zegna belts and I was looking at them in Selfriges the other day, one is a particularly nice oiled leather! Mmmmmm.

[DeusIrae]

Bespoke is the only way to go. An ill fitting suit is still an ill fitting suit regardless of whether it's cheap or expensive.

However, a suit that fits perfectly will always look better than the most expensive name brand shite you can lay your hands on, regardless of the material chosen.

[AlphaOmega]

If your budget is limited to less than £300 I'd recommend picking up a single breasted double vented suit from a high street chain for around £250 and the remainder on getting it tailored.

It might not be a perfect fit but it will be better than a more pricey off-the-shelf number.

I've done this a few times and it's worked fine - normally I have the following done:

- Trousers lengthened
- Belt loops removed from trouser waist
- Darts put in jacket
- Sleeves shortened

By the end of it, you can get pretty close to a good fit. Of course it won't be as good as a bespoke item - nothing is. But it will be respectable if the cloth you choose is ok.

[Mr Stoat]

I'm 6' 7" tall so struggle a bit getting clothes that fit, so I've ordered quite a lot of made to measure from off-shore tailors where you provide the measurements (do a search, they're loads of them). Ones I'd recommend highly ....

Suits : http://www.tailor4less.com or for more upmarket http://www.asuitthatfits.co.uk
Shirts : http://www.tailorstore.com (expensive, but made in Sweden and better than ANY shirt you can buy here and you can customise the design and size to your hearts content)
Jeans : http://www.makeyourownjeans.com

BTW, a two piece suit from tailor4less is going to set you back around £175 ... and it'll fit !!

[Shakir Khaja]

T M Lewin all the way for Suits and Shirts.......

[dejjl]

M&S at Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays outlet village......bargain prices for decent kit if you don't mind wearing last season's colours! :roll:

[bydandie]

I'm 6' 7" tall so struggle a bit getting clothes that fit, so I've ordered quite a lot of made to measure from off-shore tailors where you provide the measurements (do a search, they're loads of them). Ones I'd recommend highly ....

Suits : http://www.tailor4less.com or for more upmarket http://www.asuitthatfits.co.uk
Shirts : http://www.tailorstore.com (expensive, but made in Sweden and better than ANY shirt you can buy here and you can customise the design and size to your hearts content)
Jeans : http://www.makeyourownjeans.com

BTW, a two piece suit from tailor4less is going to set you back around £175 ... and it'll fit !!

Some good links there, I find that TM Lewin and Charles Thyrwitt shirts fit fine with the CT shirts being better for quality and slightly bigger cuffs to fit a bigger watch under.

You also have bigtallorder for jean and trousers and JCPenny do some great bespoke chinos.

For suits, King and Allen are good value, but make sure you really use the second fitting to make sure that everything fits just right.

[VA]

T M Lewin all the way for Suits and Shirts.......

I agree, I recently bought one of their Penhurst suits, with a waistcoat and it fits great. Good service and their suits are now half price. On the same category I would recommend Charles Tyrwhitt for suits (and shirts).

:)

VA

[miked10270]

Hmm...

Since we can't really recommend our own wee tailor in such a thread, my vote will go to Rohan for their Envoy suit (actually sold as jacket & trousers).

See: http://www.rohan.co.uk/ProductDetails.a ... uage=en-GB

Mike.

[bogie]

ive got a selection, as I used to wear them daily...not so often now I can get away with cords + sports jacket or trousers/shirt

got 4 suits around 10-15 years ago, all classics, from T&A in Jermyn St http://www.turnbullandasser.com/

all are still wearing well now, and of non-trendy designs in blues/greys/brown so should never go out of "fashion"

then Ive got a few odd jackets, some Rohan stuff jackets/shirts/casual trousers

thats about it really ...Ive no problem with paying good money for a bespoke suit, my cloth of choice etc, but I dont wear £300 "designer" jeans, nor would I pay £800 for an off the shelf suit made in a sweatshop because its got a "designer" label on it ;)

[Dapper]

Here you go :D ..........

http://www.mytailor.com/

[dachi]

any particular pointers for a young guy with not much money going to interviews for jobs in public sector/economics/NGOs?

i await the jokes, but any tips would be appreciated as well :)

[Hatco1800es]

I have a few suits from:

http://www.cadandthedandy.co.uk

Quality for the price is excellent.


I am about to try this local tailor

http://www.tailoratdrum.co.uk

[Mr Stoat]

any particular pointers for a young guy with not much money going to interviews for jobs in public sector

Yeah, a workshy attitude and a copy of the Guardian :D

[Josh B]

1) go off the peg and find a brand that fits you well. Missoni and Ralph Lauren work well for me.

2) avoid Next

3) Try a bespoke service like dress to kill (google them) - much cheaper than you'd imagine

[davidcassell]

I like Mark Stephen Marengo. They have branches in the city of London, West End and Canary Wharf. I'd love to go bespoke but these are "work suits" for me so I prefer to keep the price down, and so I go for the cheaper range. For £200 they are FAR better than TM Lewin, Austin Reed etc. Such a good price and really nice suits with a super fit.

TK Maxx was mentioned above...in the past I've had huge bargains from there...Westwood ties, beautiful Dior suits, Comme des Garcon, etc. It's just hard work sorting out the rubbish from the good stuff. Haven't had a success at TK Maxx for quite some time which shows they probably become much more popular.

Cheers David

[rfrazier]

Marks and Spencer. I'm more of blazer/sports coat and khaki type of guy myself. When I wear a suit, it is usually black linen from M&S. My dinner suit is from there as well. Otherwise, I wait for the sales at local shops (Ede & Ravenscroft/Walter's/Shepherd & Woodwards).

Best wishes,
Bob

[london lad]

I have been using the same tailor now for about 6 years, he makes all my suits and stocks a good range of casual wear as well.

Hopefully I'm not breaking any forum rules by posting his site details (note to Ed, I'll remove his address if a problem):

http://www.regenttailoring.co.uk/

He's Saville Row trained, and extremely helpful - and there is a sneaky glimpse of a watch in there on his site somewhere!

Worth a look if anyone's interested,
Steve

Another vote for Will and Jason at Regent tailoring, they have just started to do made to measure shirts too.

I have had suits made by all sorts of tailors all over the world and IMHO:-

Avoid Savile Row as you are paying too much towards rent and rates.

Find a local (you will need at least two fittings) time served tailor who makes on the premises.

Find a tailor you like and listen to what he has to say, if he is any good he will find a discreet way to tell you if you are asking for something that won't suit your shape of size but you need to listen between the lines.

[Bristolian]

any particular pointers for a young guy with not much money going to interviews for jobs in public sector/economics/NGOs?

i await the jokes, but any tips would be appreciated as well :)

The dullest answer, Im afraid... but you'll not go wrong with M&S. They have various qualities, but all giving excellent value - and the chance to buy 2 prs of trousers : essential if youre going to get maximum wear.

I do quite a lot of work with pubic and voluntary sector organisations where sartorial elegance is, frankly less prevalent than it is, say, in merchant banking. However, a PLAIN charcoal grey or dark navy suit and white shirt with a sober tie will stand you in excellent stead.

[bloater]

regenttailoring are fairly local to me, I think i might pop in and have a chat next time i'm in Salisbury.

A handy hint that I try and follow is to buy 2 or 3 pairs of trousers. Although with my last suit i only bought the one pair and managed to get white paint on them and cannot get another pair as the style has been discontinued :cry:

[Andy Ted]

I have to admit having some great finds in TK max before. It varies and it hasn't been as good recently but if you pass one by its worth popping in. Might save a bit of money for more important things ;)

[SimonK]

I haven't lived in the UK for a year or two, but I doubt things have changed much and I seem to remember that just about every High Street has a branch of John Collier (the window to watch!). If their prices are a bit rich, then there is also Hepworths and Foster Brothers.

[roger645]

Google Slaters menswear, they do some great suits and offer a tailoring service. Saw a nice Aquascutum at £275 there that was really nice. As has been said, Dress 2 kill are good if you want made to measure

[Wild Rumpus]

Another vote for Slaters, they have a good selection of off-the-peg suits, well trained staff and in-house alterations. I bought my weddings, funerals & interviews suit there a few years ago - a Baumler, it was between that and an Aquascutum, but the Baumler just fitted my lard-arse frame better.

[gentlemenpreferhats]

any particular pointers for a young guy with not much money going to interviews for jobs in public sector/economics/NGOs?

i await the jokes, but any tips would be appreciated as well :)

M&S, and if you can stretch your wallet Ted Baker or Banana Republic. Avoid Next, Top Man and Zara.

Yeah, a workshy attitude and a copy of the Guardian :D

These days, a copy of the Economist and sense of impending doom, actually :wink:

[Tahiti]

I'm currently contemplating a made to measure suit, and the market's an unknown to me. I note that Austin Reed are doing them for £399. Has anyone had experience of these?

Naive question, but otherwise, where can I get measured up properly in/around London, and buy online?

[DeusIrae]

...where can I get measured up properly in/around London, and buy online?

Don't know. However, it's always better to have a face to face fitting as no matter how well a tailor measures you up there's always a minor adjustment needed before they proceed to finishing the suit. That's not available to you online.

[Bristolian]

I'm currently contemplating a made to measure suit, and the market's an unknown to me. I note that Austin Reed are doing them for £399. Has anyone had experience of these?

Naive question, but otherwise, where can I get measured up properly in/around London, and buy online?

Not naive at all - the tailoring business is a minefield of misleading terminology - and suits come at all price points and qualities, Im not sure anyone has a complete handle on what's what.

You might suppose however that less expensive suits are made either with a lot of machine assistance or by a low paid workforce (in countries where $5 a day is a good wage). Anyone selling suits from expensive premises and/or with big advertising budgets will be paying for those overheads out of the price ticket. The most common way of making a profit on such products is to use cheap fabric.

When contemplating the 'ideal' for suits, the common preference is to have a big % of hand made elements, which at the lower end of the cost scale means either a 'back street' tailor in the UK or one of the Hong Kong etc tailors who travel round the country (Raja Fashions being a good example). If you are happy with a re-cut machine made suit (which is what AR sells) you will not, frankly, notice much difference and the suit will fit OK. If you are nearly a standard shape, you'd be better off IMHO buying a top end Marks & Spencer suit and having it altered to fit better - the main reason being the better quality fabric M&S tends to use.

If you want the 'uniqueness' of a suit that is made by hand in a fabric that you have chosen from '000s of possibilities and with all the tailoring detail that your imagination can compass, then you'll not be happy with anything short of a hand made suit. I use a tailor who works from a tiny shop, makes everything himself and has decades of experience. The result is something that in my estimation is 95% of what you'd get from Savile Row at about 20% of the price. I wear a suit about once a week - and clients (quite reasonably) expect me to dress respectfully, rather than for my own comfort, so Im happy to make the effort. When I wore a suit every day in an office, I bought 2 suits a year from M&S, wore the arse out of them and passed them on to Oxfam. If I still had to work in an office, Id go back to that arrangement.

Cheers

David

[Tahiti]

Thanks for both replies (above). The difference between tailored and made to measure is interesting.

I am not far off a "standard" size but my arms and legs are quite short - I also have a bit of a belly according to my wife.

I wear a suit 5 days a week, and will accept that I'm picky, but truth be told, I have 8 or 9 of them, and only two fit me well. This doesn't worry me too much when I'm in the office (I look smart enough), but when seeing clients, I do like to make a good impression.

I have tried numerous suits over the years, but have been considering a nice suit as a treat for "special" client meetings. The issue I have is knowing where to start. I went to Saville Row but was rather intimidated (I also got distracted by the Burlington Arcade). I then noticed the Reed suits mentioned and thought it must be too good to be true.

It looks like a little more research is required.

Interesting thread.

[jonny]

I have tried numerous suits over the years, but have been considering a nice suit as a treat for "special" client meetings. The issue I have is knowing where to start. I went to Saville Row but was rather intimidated (I also got distracted by the Burlington Arcade). I then noticed the Reed suits mentioned and thought it must be too good to be true.

It looks like a little more research is required.

Interesting thread.

Gieves & Hawkes No1 Saville Row offer a MTM service thats starts at £795 .During sale time it gets reduced to £555-£595 .You make an appointment go on & be measured up and then choose your cloth (plenty of choice) and then you wait 8 weeks . A machine cuts the cloth to your specification rather than a tailor thats the main difference between made to measure & bespoke.They then call you up and one goes for a second fitting to see if any adjustments are required.I recommend them and i am exceptionally happy with their suits. Dont feel intimidated going to the Row , the staff will treat you like a proper gentleman.

[roger645]

This is a good source of information about tailoring and suits:

http://www.englishcut.com/

[dachi]

here is a little doc on the matter with ozwald boateng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5hOVmFCt24

[NickyW]

depends on your body shape and how long you are willing to wait, but Richard James or Gieves & Hawkes are the ultimate in bespoke tailored suits...

[SimonK]

depends on your body shape and how long you are willing to wait, but Richard James or Gieves & Hawkes are the ultimate in bespoke tailored suits...

I suspect Anderson & Sheppard, Huntsman, Henry Poole & Co. and Kilgour, French & Stanbury would beg to differ.

[gawkrodger]

you missed Norton and Sons :wink:

I'm in the unenviable position of having very few OTR suits which fit so often have to go MTM.

On that note can anyone recommend a good MTM/bespoke tailors in Brum? I know of Gieves in the Mailbox and I'm sure there used to be a nice looking tailors just off Newhall street near Crockett and Jones but when I had a quick gander for it on the net couldn't find owt.

If I remember when I get home I'll post that BBC4 docco on Saville Row with Patrick Grant

[Hatco1800es]

I'm currently contemplating a made to measure suit, and the market's an unknown to me. I note that Austin Reed are doing them for £399. Has anyone had experience of these?

Naive question, but otherwise, where can I get measured up properly in/around London, and buy online?

http://www.cadandthedandy.co.uk/

[gawkrodger]

If I remember when I get home I'll post that BBC4 docco on Saville Row with Patrick Grant

hmm, can only find the harris tweed one with Patrick Grant. Will have a further mooch tomorrow

[Paddy]

There a few bespoke tailors in Brum. There's Yusuf in Chad Square, but I don't know much about him. The other three that spring to mind are Harwicks (the one you're thinking of) which can be found at http://www.tailorsinbirmingham.co.uk, Clements & Church, where Harwicks used to be I think- http://www.clementsandchurch.co.uk and also Rosen and Nathan, the alterations tailor above Carphone Warehouse on Cannon Street now also do bespoke tailoring and may be worth a look. Then there are King and Allen who visit Brum regularly.

[gawkrodger]

aqh, it was clements and church I think. They've changed their website since I last looked. Would explain why I missed them, I was one road to far to the west! :lol:

Cheers Paddy

[hogthrob]

I haven't lived in the UK for a year or two, but I doubt things have changed much and I seem to remember that just about every High Street has a branch of John Collier (the window to watch!). If their prices are a bit rich, then there is also Hepworths and Foster Brothers.

A year or two? John Collier disappeared from the high street in about 1985! The Hepworth's brand disappeared about the same time (that company is now called Next). Foster Brothers are now known as Fosters, and seem to specialize in fashion brands. We don't have C&A in the UK any more either, before you ask. :)

[Tahiti]

http://www.cadandthedandy.co.uk/

Great site - thanks

[Maris]

I haven't lived in the UK for a year or two, but I doubt things have changed much and I seem to remember that just about every High Street has a branch of John Collier (the window to watch!). If their prices are a bit rich, then there is also Hepworths and Foster Brothers.

A year or two? John Collier disappeared from the high street in about 1985! The Hepworth's brand disappeared about the same time (that company is now called Next). Foster Brothers are now known as Fosters, and seem to specialize in fashion brands. We don't have C&A in the UK any more either, before you ask. :)

John Collier, Hepworths lol, I thought it was a message from Sam Tyler trying to come through.....

[Crash7]

depends on your body shape and how long you are willing to wait, but Richard James or Gieves & Hawkes are the ultimate in bespoke tailored suits...

x2

Would also add William Hunt!

[gawkrodger]

You can't compare William Hunt and Gieves!