Its been 30 years since I have bought a suit. I was in a Brooks Brothers store yesterday. Are they considered good? If not what is good? Within reason of course. I'm not interested in a skinny form fitted suit. Just a traditional old fashion suit of clothes.

Brooks Brothers is good stuff.
Not the best in the world but well above average. Their outlet prices are excellent.
Just wish the had Large Tall stuff.

Dependable quality at a premium price. Very tradition style. The tailoring to fit the suit to you makes all the difference. BB should have a good tailor. The jacket should drape off your shoulders without a bulge at the neck. The sales person will pull the coat down to make it look like it fits well. When they do they shrug your shoulders a few times to see where it lays naturally. Fixing this is difficult. They should have several different fits or cuts. try each on to see what fits best and then pick from that fit or cut.

On outlet malls, I work with retailers and nearly all "outlet mall" merchandise was made at a cheaper price point and is only sold at the outlet mall. It's a way for premium brands to enter a lower price point market without lower the value of their brand (supposedly not lower their brand value)

It's been a lot of years since I bought a suit as well, and my last was a Brooks Brothers. Sale price on a 3-season, from their lower end probably. I wore out the trousers in less than three months! When I went in to show them the hole in the ass, all they would do was order a replacement pair and tell me to pay for it. I told them to stick it, and walked out.

Caveat emptor!

quote:

Originally posted by AZ_Engineer:
On outlet malls, I work with retailers and nearly all "outlet mall" merchandise was made at a cheaper price point and is only sold at the outlet mall. It's a way for premium brands to enter a lower price point market without lower the value of their brand (supposedly not lower their brand value)

True. In fact, BB logos even have different styles denoting "outlet" goods. IIRC, those logos don't have "1818". And much of the stuff is from China.

However, you can find some retail stuff about 2-3 months behind season changes. And the more upscale outlets (kinda an oxymoron, there) tend to get more of it.

There's almost no reason to buy a suit in a store these days.

I know a couple local tailors who will make me beautiful bespoke suits for $700-1,000+, depending on the fabric and other options.

On the other hand, online retailers like Indochino or Hockerty can produce suits of nearly equal quality and fit for under $500. Not sure about exact measurements or how well you took them at home? They all have a reimbursement or direct-pay arrangement for alterations after delivery. They're also much faster than the local tailors.

-Rob

I used to like JC Penney's Stafford line. Haven't bought any in several years.

The lapels on my suits have come and gone out of style 6 times...

If you’re looking for a funeral/wedding/church at Christmas and Easter suit, look at
Joseph A Banks. I’ve picked up a couple, on sale, for a bit over $100 on Line.

I wear a suit to Church each Sunday and special occasions. I rotate 2 JAB suits and 3 or 4 sport coats.

quote:

Originally posted by Opus Dei:

quote:

Originally posted by AZ_Engineer:
On outlet malls, I work with retailers and nearly all "outlet mall" merchandise was made at a cheaper price point and is only sold at the outlet mall. It's a way for premium brands to enter a lower price point market without lower the value of their brand (supposedly not lower their brand value)

True. In fact, BB logos even have different styles denoting "outlet" goods. IIRC, those logos don't have "1818". And much of the stuff is from China.

However, you can find some retail stuff about 2-3 months behind season changes. And the more upscale outlets (kinda an oxymoron, there) tend to get more of it.

Brooks Brothers 346 is another one of those labels.

The only suit I've had since 1967 has been worn with Sam Browne, sword and medals.

It'll see me out.

tac

Nordstrom

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
The lapels on my suits have come and gone out of style 6 times...

That's probably true for most of us. On the other hand, almost no one would ever notice and those that do aren't going to be impressed with anything a normal human would buy.

Joseph Abboud at Men’s Wearhouse are pretty decent mid range suit.

I’ve been lucky and grabbed a few from Banana Republic when they have their 40% - 50% off sales. Supposed to be Italian fabric but made in China. They offer 3 different cuts.

If you want quality clothing with a timeless look, you can't do better than Brooks Brothers.

They have outfitted 40 out of 45 presidents.

Disclaimer: I worked for Brooks Brothers years ago. I still have a sharkskin 3-piece suit from the "Makers" line I purchased nearly 30 years ago. It still fits (that's my miracle, not the suit's).

What's the starting price point for BB suits?

Indochino starts around $400 while Harry Suits is around $350.

FYI, the fashion now seems to be suits that fit like a wetsuit...

Canali, Brioni, Borelli and Ermenglendo Zegna make good suits. Bespoke suits are a bit more pricey and if you need good dress shirts you can’t go wrong with Thomas Pink.

Lands End. And I'm 6'3, 265#, 37" sleeve.