[Fish Monger]

I am in need of a proper suit for my daughters wedding at the end of October and I think I know what I want, but I would appreciate some guidance.

Background: all of my fathers suits were Hickey Freeman or HSM and so my first couple of suits (which he paid for) were HSM. When it came to buying my own suites I was more of the Jos Banks price range, soooo there's that skeleton in my closet. I want a traditional fit appropriate for my age and stage in life: I'm 62, 6'1, and 250, with the usual middle age spread. and I'm looking for a US company so my options are limited: Hart, Shaffner & Marx, Hickey Freeman, and Oxfford.

I seldom have a need to wear a suit today in a professional environment but I want a real, well made suit, that looks classic and fits me perfectly. So, with that in mind I have been thinking that I would have a couple of suites made by HSN, one of which will be an "Obama" suit (97% wool/3 % cashmere) and one of a more textured material like a herring bone. Price will probably be $1,400/suit.

I can not seem to find a local shop that sells HF, so that may not be an option. There is a local shop that sells Oxfford, which would be spectacular, but I don't believe I need to spend that much on a suit and I don't want to be afraid to wear it.

Thoughts?

JDG

 

[drpeter]

I checked your profile to see where you were located, and it said Franklin, Michigan. It also gave your gender as female, so I am a bit confused: Are you looking for a woman's suit perhaps? Or are you looking for a man in the family?

Well, on the assumption that you are indeed looking for a man's suit, I would recommend O'Connell's. They are located in Buffalo, NY, so they are not local to you. But they provide outstanding service and help in selecting clothes, and if you have a local tailor who can make adjustments, you would do well to buy one of their suits, which are classic and traditionally cut and styled, with splendid fabrics. If you know your measurements exactly, or if you can have a tailor take those measurements for you, it will assist the O'Connell's chaps in helping you find a good fit. Here's a link:

Suits - Men's Clothing, Traditional Natural shouldered clothing, preppy apparel

O’Connell's, established in 1959, is a family owned and operated traditional clothier offering mens, womens, and young mens clothing.

oconnellsclothing.com

I used to live in East Lansing in the early eighties, and they had some good shops there including Redwood and Ross. Perhaps Franklin is close to Lansing.

I am not quite sure what an "Obama" suit is, so I'll pass on that!

 

[The Great Garbanzo]

Good advice above, I was there a week ago and treated like royalty although I walked out empty handed

But please bear with me here.

I was at a deposition 2 weeks ago and commented on an attorneys suit. It fit him vey well...looked well made and had a subtle detail to it that made me look twice.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit but it was a Joseph A Banks Gold suit....

Which enforces the rule....fit fit fit.

 

[drpeter]

Years ago, I had two suits (a grey flannel and a dark charcoal worsted), both with DB jackets that fit me very well. The Banks in-house tailor did the adjustments on both and they fit me to perfection. I got a lot of compliments when I wore those suits, and I too liked the way they fit me. I felt very comfortable in them. I don't know what Banks is like now, but in the late nineties, when I bought these suits, they were an outstanding value for the money.

And I agree. Above all else, make sure your clothes fit well. Everything else is secondary.

 

[vonSuess]

Good advice above, I was there a week ago and treated like royalty although I walked out empty handed

But please bear with me here.

I was at a deposition 2 weeks ago and commented on an attorneys suit. It fit him vey well...looked well made and had a subtle detail to it that made me look twice.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit but it was a Joseph A Banks Gold suit....

Which enforces the rule....fit fit fit.

I bought up some JAB made in the USA Reserve suits a while back when marked way down. My understanding is they were made in the J.Abboud facility in MA. Mine get a lot more compliments than my more expensive suits. Go figure...

 

[floridasenior]

I know JAB gets a lot of flack, but in my opinion has some good values. Not the skinny/short jacket, skinny pants look, but a more classic look. In the past year, I bought a Reserve line tailored fit suit, medium gray half canvas made in the USA on clearance for $100. Looks good and fits well.

 

[never behind]

I did a MTM HSM suit through Nordstrom a few years back. It is a nice suit and fits me well. But honestly I wouldn’t do it again. You said you don’t wear suits that often; I don’t either. Unless you have a fit issue, I would just buy something off the rack and have it tailored. I wouldn’t spend $1,400 on a suit I wouldn’t wear much and no way would I buy an Oxxford.

I think you’d open more options if you would consider Canadian made suits.

I would second the O’Connell’s recommendation. A truly great place to do business with.

 

[medhat]

TBH, if you're staying OTR, knowing and trusting a good tailor takes precedence over any given brand or store. With the JAB example noted above, good tailoring is the difference between a passable suit and a suit others notice. A caveat though. Having a good understanding of what elements of an OTR suit are less malleable by a tailor can go a long ways towards making OTR fit. As I have a breadth of suits from low-priced OTR to bespoke, for OTR I value fit through the shoulders as a non-negotiable; if it doesn't work there then I pass. Then it's if the lapel width and the button stance come next; I think those are pricey alterations that seldom get it right with alterations. Along with this is suit length; I tried that once and that was enough. What do I consider easy fixes (apart from cuffs, which are essentially table stakes? I expect any decent tailor could fix rear shoulder horizontal creasing (by adjusting the fabric at the neck collar). Also, waist suppression (or conversely, letting out) is IMO pretty straightforward. I've never asked my tailor to alter sleeve pitch or armhole size, nor have I asked for narrowing sleeves. But despite all that pickiness, I have some OTR that works for me. I think I mentioned on another thread that I have a suit out for alterations right now, a OTR slim fit in 40R that had a 32 pant. Apart from the alteration in the shoulder/back and the pant length, I didn't even have to touch the jacket sleeves nor the jacket waist; both were close to perfect from the factory, even my tailor looked and said, "not worth it." Looking forward to getting the finished product next week.

 

[drpeter]

@medhat , excellent advice! The one thing I might add to your list of difficult/impossible alterations: Shoulder divots on the outside of the top part of the sleeve. This is a sign that the fit is poor, and changing that so the sleeve will lie flat without that depression is close to impossible. This happens because your biceps are wider than the jacket sleeve top or are not proportional to the size of the scye/armhole, and pushes out against the fabric, causing the divot to appear just below the shoulder seam. It can also be a sign that the shoulders of the jacket are too narrow or tight, and moving up a size can resolve this latter issue.

As I have mentioned before, I am very lucky to have a tailor who can, and will, take in the shoulders of a jacket with remarkable results. In a bigger city, this is a very expensive alteration, and unless there are compelling reasons, it is best to find a jacket with shoulders that fit you!

 

[some_dude]

The last couple of suits I have bought have been MTM from Empire, made in Canada. Of course, I am lucky to have a great men's shop with a great owner who can do the measuring and ordering... if there is a local shop which does some MTM, you might ask them to look into Empire.

 

[never behind]

The last couple of suits I have bought have been MTM from Empire, made in Canada. Of course, I am lucky to have a great men's shop with a great owner who can do the measuring and ordering... if there is a local shop which does some MTM, you might ask them to look into Empire.

I’d second this. My Empire-made articles are solid. Also O’Connell’s uses them for jackets/suits/etc.

 

[Adriel Rowley]

What about buying a used suit in your preferred brand since saving money and not going to get worn often? There are some great deals out there. My advice is if has just one moth hole, pass as probably the seller missed others, unless can clearly see all of the suit and know isn't more. Then once arrives and before going in the home, have it dry cleaned to be sure no larva.

I would suggest a lighter color warm weather and a darker cool weather suit, learned from a fine menswear shop.

Why two suits, what about a suit and an odd coat?

Just some thoughts, hope it helps. Oh and congratulations and hope you all have fun.

I’d second this. My Empire-made articles are solid. Also O’Connell’s uses them for jackets/suits/etc.

And I looked, Empire will also adjust the shoulder slope, thank you for letting us know about them.