I am wondering how much a suite would cost today? I heard the cheapest would be as low as, say, $250. But somehow we think its quality may not be good. Maybe the price should be, for example, $500? Or, I am really off in my guesstimate?
Also, from where do people usually buy this (say, in the north east area)? Macy’s? Men’s Warehouse? Is it something you could buy (like jackets) or you need to go to some special store to have it made for you.
I really do not know because I have no need to wear one in my day-to-day life.
You can get one for a lot less, especially when there are sales, at many stores. Penneys, Macys, Mens Wearhouse. and others. Think in the 100’s. It’s been five years since we bought our son his first suit- he needed it that afternoon to be in a wedding. We also saw them at a couple of other stores in that OOS mall then. If you only need said suit for rare occasions I would not spring for an expensive one. Let the businessmen spend their money on suits the rest of us don’t notice the quality of. H usually wore sports coats and pants as a medical specialist, he still has a couple of decades old suits (that still fit!). The above stores will sell the pants and jackets (and vest if desired) separately so men can get all pieces to fit well. Penneys in the Seattle are did alterations but we didn’t have the time.
Now, if you want high quality you can spend a lot more. Same thing with dress shirts. Kohls, Penneys et al work fine and have good sales but some insist on the fancy ones.
We like Joseph Bank - always having good sales. And for a suit - you need a store with a good tailor. If you are easy to fit - it’s just doing the pant cuffs. But my husband and sons are slender, so they usually need more tailoring of the jacket as well. The last suit my son bought was around $250.
Not for the wedding for DS. Not so soon. I think it may be for DS’s interview trip toward the end of this year (or the beginning of next year? Not sure about the time frame.)
Heard that DS may need a suite over the phone call while we were waiting for our car to be ready at a auto shop. Although I do not need to worry about it (he can handle it by himself), I am curious about it.
Since you mentioned the wedding, I guess the next time I need to wear a suite is when I am the father of the groom. LOL.
Have you seen the Saturday Night Live spoof commercial for Jos. A Bank and its sale suits? “With their innovative ‘buy one, get three pricing’ …” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do_HioMN_NI
My husband just bought a suit. Our first shopping expedition took us to Men’s Warehouse (he was not impressed) and Macy’s. We didn’t last long in Macy’s – first, the selection was abysmal – there were maybe 5 suits in his size (42 regular), and second, they did no alterations! We did an about face and walked out when we heard that. No way is he buying a suit and then finding a tailor to do alterations. We were really surprised – I thought all men’s departments offered free alterations for suits.
Next stop was Nordstrom’s. The prices were more than he was initially planning on spending ($700+) but alterations came with the purchase. For him, it was worth spending the money – he wears his suits until they die (his last one was purchased more than 10 years ago), and this may very well be the last work suit he buys.
Thanks for asking this question. I was thinking about venting here about our experience at Macy’s, but was too lazy to start a thread.
Last time we shopped one for DS might be when DS was in high school freshman year. (for his school’s orchestra.) That one may be too short by now.
His height is quite typical (slightly shorter than 6’) and his weight is also quite typical (he exercises a lot in my standard.) However, often times the sleeve may be too long for him when everything else fits. So he may need a tailor to do the alternation.
Depends on sizing–for S it was cheaper and better to get a tailored suit, as his waist is 27/28 and really, none of us could find suits that were anywhere near his size. He used a tailor in LA, and I believe he paid about $300-400 for it. I’m not sure if S asked our KA friend about tailors there or just found one on his own. His suit fits perfectly.
Haven’t bought H a suit ever. The last one he bought was over 30 years ago when he was single. Around here, the groom and parents of the bridal party rent a tux. Avfew people wear suits to weddings but most wearbaloha shirts or a dress shirt, with or without a tie.
You can get plenty of good suits online for in the $100-$150 range online if he knows what size he needs. Then take it into a store (you can take it to a Men’s Wearhouse) and get it altered for around $30.
If you want to get it at an actual store, $200ish is about as low as it gets, and won’t be as nice as the one you get online for $150.
Do not skimp on quality. That means avoiding stores with 2-3 Fer 1. Banks and especially Men’s Wearhouse are plain tacky and look exactly what they cost.
If you want to save, look at EBay and find a good tailor.
I bought a simple but very nice navy suit for my son at Brooks Bros outlet. I can’t recall exact price, but definitely less than $300. His waist expanded a little after he finished high school swimming so I thought I needed to purchase new pants for the suit. Thrilled to learn that men’s suits have two-three inches of extra fabric sewn into the waistband. Relatively easy to let out the extra fabric (says she who does not sew), and wonderful to not have to purchase new pants.
Mention to your son the value of no-iron shirts, assuming he wants to avoid the expense and wear & tear of dry cleaning.
A very popular brand among young professional men is Boss by Hugo Boss. Their suits can often be found on sale at their stores or at Nordstrom or Saks. The sale price for a Boss suit is likely to run about $550. They can be found for less at Nordstrom Rack and the like but it is worth paying a bit more to have it properly fitted and altered.
You can get a suit for cheap, but you get what you pay for. I have 2 suits, one is cheaper ($200ish) and the other is a nice, tailored Brooks Brothers. Those types of suits will last you a very long time, and honestly, they look sexy.