My nephew is starting college next month and needs a suit for band performances. His mom is a single mom and she (and I) don’t know much about suits. He will be going to school in PA, so cold in winter, I assume. Any suggestions on places to look or type of suit? Are there such things as suits that can be worn fall, winter and spring? Money is an issue so he’ll only be purchasing one suit.
My son has white shirts and tie, if he needs a suit, I will probably buy him a pair of dress pants and a suit jacket.
Department stores have sales sometimes.
So far he has only needed a suit for a semi formal dance and we rented that.
He should be done growing so by next year I will invest in a suit.
He will need a coat, a peacoat would work over a suit I would think.
I would double check with the band director/staff and see if there are any specific color requirements. Barring that, I’d opt for a single breasted dark blue suit in a 3 season weight fabric. Second choice would be a dark charcoal. Classic cut, nothing flashy. For a young man on a budget, see if there is a Men’s Warehouse or Jos. A. Bank nearby.
@Emsmom1 – Is he a music major? If so he may need both a tux and a suit.
Depending on where you live Burlington Coat Factory and Men’s Warehouse often have good deals on suits… there are also online wholesalers.
If he needs a tux, this may be something that he can find out about from the band director, including low cost options. I was a cater waiter years ago, and was able to buy an inexpensive tux through a uniform wholesaler.
As a musician he may want to invest in a black suit, as well as a black shirt and tie. There lay be times where he needs to be in all black, and others in a more traditional suit (with a lighter shirt and tie), and others in a tux.
If you post on the Music Majors forum there may be posters there who can suggest reasonably priced options.
If you shop carefully, second hand stores often have suits in excellent condition. Around here the church stores are the best bets.
They do make summer weight wool suits with more breathable weaves. If you don’t need to wear a suit outdoors, most office buildings with AC will stay the same temperature year round within a few degrees. For that reason, I don’t think it makes much difference whether you get a summer suit or winter suit in most cases. Everything else equal, a summer or tropical weight wool suit will wear out faster than a winter suit with a heavier fabric.
If you can find out if the groups he will be in have a requirement for a specific color suit that would be good to know. Otherwise I would go with black. My S was a music performance major (cello, so orchestra) and a black suit was the required attire for most of his orchestra performances. He got away with wearing a black suit with a tux shirt and bowtie also when a tux was specified until he landed a job that required a tux with tales. When the students are coordinating attire for small groups they often wear black suits because that’s what they all have, for instance when my S has played at weddings. I second the suggestion for Men’s Wearhouse, we have gotten some good deals there.
If you’re on a budget and if he is relatively easy to fit, you might try JCPenneys or Kohls. Most of what they have is suit separates, which means you find the jacket that fits and the pants that fit, and the jacket and pants can be different sizes. I bought one suit for S18 from Kohls and one for S20 from JCPenney and got good deals, and they have held up until each grew out of them. I tend to buy one suit, but several ties (or they borrow ties from friends) and two shirts to change up the look when they have had to wear the suits multiple times over a short span of time.
Music major parent here. Check with the school…but most likely if he needs a suit…it will need to be black…not navy or grey or any other color…black is almost always the color musicians wear.
I would start looking at second hand stores, and consignment shops. You can get suits there for decent prices, and even if altering is needed, it might be less costly than new.
i know folks are saying get wool…but my kid has two black polyester suits that are like iron…and can be worn year round.
Oh…check Kohls. They have suit separates…and often have sales. Same with JC Penney.
This kid is not going to wear the suit every day. He might wear it four times a year.
My son’s first black suit…which he still wears…was a hand me down from a friend who seldom wore it. I believe it’s about 35 years old…and still just fine.
Thanks, everyone. He’s not a music major. The email said a tux was preferred but barring that a “dark” suit would be fine. I was thinking charcoal but dark navy would be fine, too. I just want something he can wear for other occasions when he needs a suit (i.e., not a tux).
That is a lovely, thoughtful, and useful gift on your part.
As others mentioned, I would first have your nephew check to see if it has to be a certain color (oftentimes orchestras require black suits). Your nephew can probably email the orchestra leader or head of the music department. If no specific color is needed then I like a solid navy suit. There definitely are suits that can be worn in all 4 seasons – don’t worry too much about the winters (the concerts are indoors and he can throw a down jacket over his suit to get to where the concert is) or the summers (when there is no school) – just get a nice, medium weight suit. He should see if he needs a specific color dress shirt and tie as well.
I’m not sure where you live, but we have found some good prices at Mens Warhouse, Macys (on sale) for my S.
Really…I know it says “dark suit” but get black for a music ensemble. Most students will have black…not charcoal, or navy or any other color.
And if a tux is preferred…but a suit is OK…then definitely get black. I mean really…when was the last time you saw a charcoal or navy tux?
Music performance groups wear…black.
Visit a department store or nice menswear store to figure out what you want. (#buttons, vent, etc.)
You’ll be well informed then if you visit second hand stores. Burlington Coat Factory seems to excel in this area, but bargains can be found in a number of places including outlets (especially Brooks Brothers.)
But definitely check with director on color. It’s almost always black as it’s easiest to make uniform.
@doschicos gave good suggestions. If there is only one suit, it is wise to stick to solid, conservative color, such as navy or dark charcoal; try to avoid windowpane or wide stripe patterns. Fabrics does not need to be fancy so that the cost can be reasonable. Note that it should fit well and has right sleeve length. This suit then can be used for internship and job interviews.
A conservative men’s business suit is traditionally a charcoal or dark gray or solid navy. On the other hand, the world is becoming more casual and there’s a lot of jobs where he might never need a suit.
Even if he is not a music major, but is looking for a suit to wear when playing in ensembles a black suit is the ONLY choice. He can purchase a tux shirt, bow tie, and cummerbund package to wear with it if he needs it to be a “tux”… a black shirt and tie, if all black is in order, and white/ colored shirts, and a couple of ties (often easily found at a thrift store) if he wants to wear it for an occasion.
A dark blue, or charcoal suit would be fine if he were not playing in ensembles, But playing ensembles black is the way to go! 
@roethlisburger @doschicos @prof2dad
This student needs this suit for a MUSIC ENSEMBLE. It is not for a job search or anything else. It’s,for playing in band concerts.
Musicians wear BLACK suits. Check with the director but I would wager a week’s pay…he will say black…and especially if some of the ensemble will be wearing tuxedos.
If you were buying one multipurpose suit…I might agree with a charcoal or navy…but for a music ensemble…get black.
RE Post#17 ^Yes! This!
@thumper1 thanks for the advice. I didn’t know it mattered so much but I wouldn’t want him to feel out of place…