My First Wool Suit That I Don't Own Yet

4102 Views 101 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Vecchio Vespa, 8 d ago

Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Please forgive me for creating yet another post, asking for your thoughts and advice. I really value and take in what you have to say, so here goes. I'm interested in purchasing my first 100% wool two-piece men's style suit, but I'm left with few options given my size (petite woman, 5' 1," 103 lbs.) and I'm not ready to go the custom tailor route. Typically, a boy's size 16 fits me with a few alterations (e.g., chest, sleeves, trouser length). Two brands that I know of carry 100% wool in my size and in the color that I'm looking for (charcoal), as well as the price range (I don't want to go too crazy unless I want an unhappy husband. lol): Brooks Brothers (which I know lots of AAAC members are not fond of due to diminishing quality perhaps) and Ralph Lauren (another "bad" brand??).

The Brooks Brothers suit is advertised as a wrinkle resistant stretch wool. I found my size on Poshmark, new without tags, at a much lower price than retail. The material is apparently a "thin" wool as stated in the product title. One reviewer on the BB website was disappointed in how thin the material is, others raved about the quality of the suit overall.

The Ralph Lauren suit is more expensive than the BB at retail and advertised as wool twill. I haven't seen any reviews on this suit.

Many AAAC members score quality items for a steal at thrift stores, but I always come up empty handed given the size I'm looking for AND in 100% wool. And the vast majority of what is online and in brick and mortar stores is a poly/rayon blend with a few brands offering a poly/wood blend. And I can only assume no one in this forum will recommend a poly/rayon blend suit.

Your thoughts on any of the two suits mentioned above? I would save a significant amount of money on the BB suit new without tags, but am I sacrificing quality? And does it matter much? I'm no longer working and will likely wear the suit just a small handful of times at most a year. So either suit will not get much wear. Also, I'm not in desperate need of a suit at this time, so I can certainly wait for perhaps something else to come along but again it's slim pickens unless you know of a store that is right up my alley!

Lastly, can a skilled tailor safely reduce suit jacket chest size by up to 1 to 1 1/2 inches? I know shoulders must be good from the get go as well as length to some degree.

As always, I very much appreciate what you have to say, good or bad! I'm learning so much from AAAC members in such a short amount of time!

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William Kazak

· #2 · 2 mo ago

Whenever I make a purchase online, such as ebay, I always want "returns no problem". Why not make the online purchase, examine it and decide if it is for you to keep? You could bring it to a tailor and ask questions about alterations and quality. It is a far different story if you plan on wearing an item just a few times in a year. Make sure that you can return it to the seller.

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #3 · 2 mo ago

William Kazak said:
Whenever I make a purchase online, such as ebay, I always want "returns no problem". Why not make the online purchase, examine it and decide if it is for you to keep? You could bring it to a tailor and ask questions about alterations and quality. It is a far different story if you plan on wearing an item just a few times in a year. Make sure that you can return it to the seller.

Thank you! Poshmark doesn't allow returns unless it's the seller's fault (e.g., item not as described, item defective). I've had very good luck buying clothes via Posh thus far (keeping fingers crossed). With the RL suit, I can buy now directly from RL online at full price (ugh) and see if I like it. If I do, I can return the suit and buy it when it comes on sale (shhh, don't tell RL. lol). The more I think about it, I'll pass on the BB suit. Although the asking price is less than half of what it sells for retail and it's new without tags, it's still a good chunk of money for something that "might" not work out for me. Something about the advertised "thin" material is making me cautious.

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Vecchio Vespa

· #4 · 2 mo ago

A thin wool is most likely a tropical worsted. If that is what the suit is made of, it would be a very nice weight for Southern California. Of course there are tropical worsted and then there are tropical worsted. Some are finer, some are more coarse or less dense. I live in Texas and find a good tropical worsted to be the best choice. I have only one dressy suit, a charcoal tropical worsted, plenty for a retiree!

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Vecchio Vespa

· #5 · 2 mo ago

For your size you may have better luck at a very nice department store.

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #6 · 2 mo ago

Vecchio Vespa said:
A thin wool is most likely a tropical worsted. If that is what the suit is made of, it would be a very nice weight for Southern California. Of course there are tropical worsted and then there are tropical worsted. Some are finer, some are more coarse or less dense. I live in Texas and find a good tropical worsted to be the best choice. I have only one dressy suit, a charcoal tropical worsted, plenty for a retiree!

Thank you! That makes sense to have the lighter wool suit given our locations. So lighter wool is not a bad thing then! And now I learned something else--tropical worsted! Is wool twill a heavier material? That's what the RL suit is advertised as. And I'm with you, fellow retiree, on having just one dressy suit!

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #7 · 2 mo ago

Vecchio Vespa said:
For your size you may have better luck at a very nice department store.

I've been to several very nice department stores nearby and I've only found boys' suits in a wool blend or non-wool blend. There are wool suits out there in my size, just not a great variety. However, I only need one! RL does measure you in the store (and there is one nearby) to find your perfect fit.

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Woofa

· #8 · 2 mo ago

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Do not be afraid of Ralph Lauren. Over time some wonderful menswear has been produced and even today some of the tailoring is quite good with purple label being very high end. The problem is that over the years he has produced alot of clothing under many different lines. If you can generally purchase the older blue label stuff it is very good quality. However the Lauren by Ralph Lauren (green label) has not been made by Ralph and while they still have some good pieces here and there, quality is lower. The modern Ralph by Ralph Lauren is also lower quality (also a blue label unfortunately.
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Font Material property Electric blue Fashion accessory Metal

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Tartan Publication Textile Book Sleeve

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Purple Product Fashion Sleeve Textile

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Vecchio Vespa

· #9 · 2 mo ago

Preppy Climber said:
Thank you! That makes sense to have the lighter wool suit given our locations. So lighter wool is not a bad thing then! And now I learned something else--tropical worsted! Is wool twill a heavier material? That's what the RL suit is advertised as. And I'm with you, fellow retiree, on having just one dressy suit!

Generally a twill will be heavier. I was shocked to see how much nonnatural fiber is used in boys' sizes. You might contact a store like the Andover Shop or Eljo's to ask where the younger folk at the prep schools they doubtless serve go for their clothing.

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #10 · 2 mo ago

Woofa said:
Do not be afraid of Ralph Lauren. Over time some wonderful menswear has been produced and even today some of the tailoring is quite good with purple label being very high end. The problem is that over the years he has produced alot of clothing under many different lines. If you can generally purchase the older blue label stuff it is very good quality. However the Lauren by Ralph Lauren (green label) has not been made by Ralph and while they still have some good pieces here and there, quality is lower. The modern Ralph by Ralph Lauren is also lower quality (also a blue label unfortunately.
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Plenty of other tags so feel free to check in.

This is very good to know! Thank you for the tips and helpful photos! I do own a large variety of RL items (e.g., button downs, sweater vests, pants--khakis and cords, sports jackets), but I have come across a number of folks discussing the increasingly poor quality of the clothing, which made me wonder. I will say that I am very happy with everything I own from RL. I just recently purchased a Polo by Ralph Lauren herringbone sports jacket. It has the blue label, states Made in Italy, 100% wool. It appears to be high quality. Thus far it's my favorite jacket!

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #11 · 2 mo ago

Vecchio Vespa said:
Generally a twill will be heavier. I was shocked to see how much nonnatural fiber is used in boys' sizes. You might contact a store like the Andover Shop or Eljo's to ask where the younger folk at the prep schools they doubtless serve go for their clothing.

Excellent tip! I will contact these stores! I'll admit that I do own two RL sports jackets that are made of non-natural fiber, thus low/lower quality (please don't hate me! Ha!). I loved the patterns and colors, and overall look, and so decided to buy them. Both were new without tags for much lower than retail, so I'm happy with the prices given their quality. One is a navy blue/hunter green/black tartan holiday'ish jacket (I think it's called a watchman jacket??) and the other is a blue/brown check. I'm keeping these types of materials to a minimum, however, as I realize wool is king! In addition, I'm slowly replacing other items that I can't stomach keeping, such as my current medium grey boy's suit that is poly/rayon! I'll donate as soon as I find my 100% wool charcoal grey suit!

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William Kazak

· #12 · 2 mo ago

Have you made a search on eBay? I have gotten some very nice items, new and used.

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Vecchio Vespa

· #13 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

Preppy Climber said:
Excellent tip! I will contact these stores! I'll admit that I do own two RL sports jackets that are made of non-natural fiber, thus low/lower quality (please don't hate me! Ha!). I loved the patterns and colors, and overall look, and so decided to buy them. Both were new without tags for much lower than retail, so I'm happy with the prices given their quality. One is a navy blue/hunter green/black tartan holiday'ish jacket (I think it's called a watchman jacket??) and the other is a blue/brown check. I'm keeping these types of materials to a minimum, however, as I realize wool is king! In addition, I'm slowly replacing other items that I can't stomach keeping, such as my current medium grey boy's suit that is poly/rayon! I'll donate as soon as I find my 100% wool charcoal grey suit!

Sounds like Black Watch, now treated as an open "tartan," i.e., permitted for wear by people without ties to the Black Watch. The other very common one is Royal Stewart, appropriate for anyone in the service of the crown. Other than those two, it is preferred that people stick to their own family tartans and regiments, especially in the UK. In the USA we do not observe those rules and just choose what we like.

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #14 · 2 mo ago

Vecchio Vespa said:
Sounds like Black Watch, now treated ax an "open tartan," i.e., permitted for wear by people without ties to the Black Watch. The other very common one is Royal Stewart, appropriate for anyone in the service of the crown. Other than those two, it is preferred that people stick to their own family ptartans and regiments, especially in the UK. In the USA we do not observe those rules and just choose what we like.

Great lesson for me today! And now I know it's Black Watch (sans Man).

Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #15 · 2 mo ago

William Kazak said:
Have you made a search on eBay? I have gotten some very nice items, new and used.

Yes I have and continue to do so! My favorite sports jacket that I just acquired, a medium RL herringbone, was purchased via eBay. It was advertised as new without tags. The seller offered a 30-day return, but I was happy that I didn't have to take advantage of that!

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TomKnighton

· #16 · 2 mo ago

I hate that you're having this difficulty, but considering your size and that you're basically relegated to boys sizes, I think that's one of the challenges you're going to face no matter what, unfortunately. I suspect that many retailers aren't that interested in top-quality boy's stuff because a lot of parents aren't interested in paying for it since the kid will just outgrow it in a year or two.

Which makes it more difficult for someone like you.

I'm afraid all I have to offer for sympathy for your plight, especially as my son is now 22 and massive, thus no longer in "boy's" sizes, thus don't have any such challenges.

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Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #17 · 2 mo ago

TomKnighton said:
I hate that you're having this difficulty, but considering your size and that you're basically relegated to boys sizes, I think that's one of the challenges you're going to face no matter what, unfortunately. I suspect that many retailers aren't that interested in top-quality boy's stuff because a lot of parents aren't interested in paying for it since the kid will just outgrow it in a year or two.

Which makes it more difficult for someone like you.

I'm afraid all I have to offer for sympathy for your plight, especially as my son is now 22 and massive, thus no longer in "boy's" sizes, thus don't have any such challenges.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness! I do agree with you on perhaps why retailers don't offer a lot of high-quality clothes in boys' sizes. It does make sense. I came across a website the other day, Peter Elliot, with a price tag of $895 for a boy's wool windowpane sports jacket. The jacket is gorgeous, but that's a lot of money being spent on a sports jacket for a growing boy! My height (and hopefully weight) is staying put (well, perhaps a little height shrinkage) and I don't want to spend that kind of $$!

Reactions: 3

Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #18 · 2 mo ago

Vecchio Vespa said:
A thin wool is most likely a tropical worsted. If that is what the suit is made of, it would be a very nice weight for Southern California. Of course there are tropical worsted and then there are tropical worsted. Some are finer, some are more coarse or less dense. I live in Texas and find a good tropical worsted to be the best choice. I have only one dressy suit, a charcoal tropical worsted, plenty for a retiree!

Do you think navy blue is just as versatile (e.g., for weddings, funerals, formal events) as charcoal if one were to own just one suit?

Reactions: 1

Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #19 · 2 mo ago

I posed this question to a comment from @Vecchio Vespa, but I'm open to other folks' opinions: Do you think navy blue is just as versatile (e.g., for weddings, funerals, formal events) as charcoal if one were to own just one suit? Blue is a good color on me (charcoal "might" wash out my pale face), but I'd rather keep with just one suit that is very versatile given that I'll rarely wear it.

Reactions: 1

Preppy Climber

Discussion Starter · #20 · 2 mo ago

Woofa said:
Do not be afraid of Ralph Lauren. Over time some wonderful menswear has been produced and even today some of the tailoring is quite good with purple label being very high end. The problem is that over the years he has produced alot of clothing under many different lines. If you can generally purchase the older blue label stuff it is very good quality. However the Lauren by Ralph Lauren (green label) has not been made by Ralph and while they still have some good pieces here and there, quality is lower. The modern Ralph by Ralph Lauren is also lower quality (also a blue label unfortunately.
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Not as good
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Very good
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Plenty of other tags so feel free to check in.

I'm so glad you provided this info. The RL suit I was looking at is Lauren by Ralph Lauren and it turns out it's not even wool. I'll pass!

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