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As someone who spends quite a bit of time in suits, I tend to go thru them a bit more than most guys. I also don't like buying expensive suits only because of what my, ahem, line of work can do to them. Normally, I buy the off the rack Stafford Performance brand. They're inexpensive, durable, wear pretty well and easy to replace coats or pants when they get damaged or wear out. But, I kinda feel like splurging on some new ones for the spring/summer.

Jos A Bank is having a Buy one get three free. They're "cheapest" suit is $650. So with the three free ones it really works out to about $163/suit. Thats about what I pay for the staffords. Anyone ever buy suits from them? How's the quality? Durability?

I don't have any of their suits, but Buy 1 Get 3 tells me they're not worth anything close to $650 apiece. $163 isn't a bad price for a decent suit, but if you don't like them, you're stuck with four of them instead of just one.

I have about a half dozen suits but I only buy them up when I see one on a good sale. I wear them to court fairly often, but for routine hearings the norm around here is just a sport coat and tie.

I don't think I'd spring for four suits online. One suit, for sure, but that's only one. Do they have a store near you that you could go see them?

Boris wrote:I don't have any of their suits, but Buy 1 Get 3 tells me they're not worth anything close to $650 apiece. $163 isn't a bad price for a decent suit, but if you don't like them, you're stuck with four of them instead of just one.

That's what worries me, I'd be stuck with 4 suits I hate. I can buy 4-5 of the Stafford or Claiborne suits I normally buy for what all "four" of the Banks suits would cost, maybe even a bit less when I catch them on sale, and I know the quality/comfort of them already. Just went back to their site, the "Buy One" suit is wool. That's going to be pure murder in the summer.

Boris wrote:I don't think I'd spring for four suits online. One suit, for sure, but that's only one.

Likewise. I've bought two suits online. I got lucky, and the only thing that needed to be done was the length on the pants because they came unhemmed. The problem would be, I buy these four Banks suits and if I have a problem... then what?

Boris wrote:Do they have a store near you that you could go see them?

About 20 minutes away. I might go this weekend to see how they look. Not sure if the sale is online only though.

I'm not a fan, but one of my now-retired colleagues swore by JosABank suits. Good value and they wear well, but you need to have a body type that allows you to wear them with minor alteration.

I used to wear the Lauren by Ralph Lauren brand sold at Macy's, Belk's, and military exchanges - on sale you can get a 100% wool suite for around $300 that alters much easier than a Bank suit.

I switched to Alexandre of London made to measure about 10 years ago when they were still made in the UK. They are now made in Egypt and the quality sucks.

Men's Wearhouse. I have six of them hanging in my closet . . . expensive, but worth every dime.

halls120 wrote:
I used to wear the Lauren by Ralph Lauren brand sold at Macy's, Belk's, and military exchanges - on sale you can get a 100% wool suite for around $300 that alters much easier than a Bank suit.

My problem with Lauren, and really any of the brands at Macy's is, I unfortunately am too big for most of their suits. Lauren stops at, iirc, 46. I'm a 47/48 in coats, I have no issue with slacks. Go figure. Maybe next year I'll be able to get myself into one.

I think I'm going to pass on the Banks suits. Texted a director friend of mine. He doesn't care for the two he has and their wool ones are ideal for winter only. And the bogo sale is for their wool lines.

Pennys has their Claiborne stuff on sale. I may just buy a couple more of those, I like the one I have currently.

Jos A Bank's fine for a $200 suit, but after that they're suspect. However, they have deals all the time. if you don't like what they have now, wait a month, and there will be a new deal.

I also find their suits "boxy," but that's also my body type. I'm a 42-44 jacket and a 33 pant so I need a slender cut. Come to think of it, I probably should be remeasured...

I get mine at JCPenney.

ShyFlyer wrote:I get mine at JCPenney.

Eh, tailoring makes more of a difference than the label.

Nosedive wrote:

ShyFlyer wrote:I get mine at JCPenney.

Eh, tailoring makes more of a difference than the label.

You got that right.

Shy, don't worry. Most of mine do too.

For $150 out the door I can get a suit that fits good and only needs work on the pants. Then, if it gets destroyed in a year I'm ok with that.

Last time I wore a tie was for my interview two years ago, and even then I had casual trousers on. (Skype interview and gut-rot, not pretty.) Suit? last fitted into one four years ago and don't even have one here.

ANCFlyer wrote:Men's Wearhouse. I have six of them hanging in my closet . . . expensive, but worth every dime.

Good suits, but just recognize that every time you buy one, you're contributing to the legalization of recreational drugs.

halls120 wrote:

ANCFlyer wrote:Men's Wearhouse. I have six of them hanging in my closet . . . expensive, but worth every dime.

Good suits, but just recognize that every time you buy one, you're contributing to the legalization of recreational drugs.

Yeah, but I look GOOOD! And they are comfortable . . . really comfortable. I have five. That enough for summer, summer, mid-season, funeral, winter. I got this.

This thread is HYSTERICAL!!! Sorry, guys.

kmh1956 wrote:This thread is HYSTERICAL!!! Sorry, guys.

Nothing quite like an attractive lady in a nice suit, this thread doesn't have to be guys-only....

I confess that I´m a secret Britannophile. My last suit I bought at Arnott´s in Dublin for the oath taking ceremony, when my girlfriend became an Irish citizen. I thought it appropiate to dress in suit and necktie for this occasion, same as my girlfriend wore a nice, formal dress.
Last time I wore the suit two weeks ago, when I had to appear in court as a witness. As far as I know there are four different kinds of cut for men´s suits:
1) American, relatively loose with padded and wide shoulders
2) English, tailored to emphasise the waistline and slimmer, derived from
horse riding dress and cavalry uniforms.
3) Continental European: Somewhere between the American and English style, and
4) Italian: Like the British, but fan cier.

My suits are either continental European or English style, like the last one.
I still have a 1940s American double breasted three piece suit as well, but i rarely wear it.

Jan

ANCFlyer wrote:Yeah, but I look GOOOD!

That just brings up a picture in my mind since I'm in Canada...

Queso wrote:

kmh1956 wrote:This thread is HYSTERICAL!!! Sorry, guys.

Nothing quite like an attractive lady in a nice suit, this thread doesn't have to be guys-only....

OMG...she's what? 6'2" and about 102 lbs? LOL!!! If I put on something like that I'd look like an Oompa-Loompa...but pale!

That's fairly tame for Don Cherry.

ShanwickOceanic wrote:Suit? last fitted into one four years ago and don't even have one here.

Gf threatened to drag me to a wedding, but it looks like the earliest flight I could get back from the UK would arrive several hours after we'd need to leave. Suit narrowly avoided.

Then again, maybe I should be there to nudge the bouquet away from her...

kmh1956 wrote:OMG...she's what? 6'2" and about 102 lbs?

I was thinking she's about 12...

kmh1956 wrote:OMG...she's what? 6'2" and about 102 lbs? LOL!!! If I put on something like that I'd look like an Oompa-Loompa...but pale!

I'd probably look like a slightly taller, not-so-pale Oompa-Loompa

My thoughts:

- if you need shoulder pads in a jacket, you should be buying a skirt instead.

- Jos A Bank has excellent clothing all around. I have a few suits of various materials, and a few pairs of casual slacks , and some sweaters and such. But they are pricey, whether I can afford it or not, I'm not gonna spend $500 on a suit unless it was handmade by virgin mermaids on the summit of Mt. Everest. They have very good sales ALL the time, to the point that they seem more of a discount store that occasionally raises prices to seem high-end.

- it's all about the tailoring. Nobody is gonna be able to tell who the hell made your suit without looking at the label. And anybody that cares can piss off.

- if there are any typos in this post, it is because posting from an iPhone is ridiculously tedious and I don't care to further exacerbate my angst by proofreading.

- since we love to fly, I think the best solution is take a back-breaking flight to someplace like Vietnam, where you can get ten handmade silk suits for $150.

BAB lives!

ANCFlyer wrote:Men's Wearhouse. I have six of them hanging in my closet . . . expensive, but worth every dime.

Gah... last time I went into a Men's Warehouse the salesman ticked me off so much I walked out in mid-sentence.

Last suit I bought was 4 years and 40 pounds ago. Need to get back in the gym and get a new one.