Suit pricing
Ok, save-the-dates for friends' weddings are starting to roll in, and I've never bought a suit before. I realize that I'm completely out of my element to know what I should be prepared to pay. Is the guide at https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/an-extensive-look-at-mens-suiting accurate?
An Extensive Look at Men's Suiting
by u/Eltonbrand (2013)
58 Replies
It looks like some stuff isn't up-to-date. Indochino is probably not recommended. Thick as Thieves no longer exists.
(I wore a thick as thieves suit for my wedding. Tried it on yesterday and it is very 10 years ago)
I'd be wary of 10 year old information, but the terminology and options bit is still true. For instance it notes that pleats aren't flattering in the pants section
Spier and Mackay isn't on there, and probably should be.
ok, i'll definitely take the guide with a grain of salt. Is Spier and Mackay online-only?
Unless you can go to Toronto
Probably not a good idea to buy something you can't try on, especially for a first suit.
What is your budget?
honestly, i'm not sure on budget. I'm sort of trying to suss that out now
here the easy way, suit supply and spier mackay. suit supply is slim only, while spier has slim and regular, unless u very buff then it time to drop by brooks broa
I'm usually in a "spend as little as possible" mindset, but I'm trying to keep in mind that suits aren't a thing to do that with 😂
also if u have a chance, visit a reputable local tailor for measurement and chit chat your sizing. write the numbers down, while it isnt 100mpercent sureway, it helps gauge the fit
I think suitsupply is around $600. $2k will get you custom made, if not fully "bespoke", whatever that means.
where u live
nearby nyc? if ur budget 1500 to 2000 i will stop by the armoury
much nicer than suitsupply
I'm a bit atypical on sizing, so I'm definitely going to need to try some on in-person
I think it's totally fine to go to a department store like Nordstrom or Bloomingdales and try some things on, even if you have no intention of buying there. They can also help with sizing too.
I'll 100% do that. I wish the trans-specific suit place here wasn't bespoke-only lol
It's a big decision, and and a pretty expensive piece of clothing, so taking some time to look is helpful.
Do you know how much they would charge for a suit?
nah, i might reach out to them though
Yeah, they may have some good recommendations about more affordable options.
As well as general advice for someone like you.
for sure
If budget is an issue you can also go to a tailor and ask them to take your measurements, then use those to shop for suits second hand
My wife has had some custom dress shirts made at a local tailor, and it's really interesting how a tailor can adapt traditional "male" forms for someone who is not a cis man.
Used suits are typically pretty affordable since so many people buy for a wedding or special occasion then never wear them again
ooh that's a good idea
If you want to shop second-hand, take a look at some listings on eBay first, and make sure you get the most important measurements from whomever measures you.
In particular, eBay listings usually have: shoulder, pit-to-pit, length, and sleeve.
sleeve is least important because it's easy to shorten. But you need to nail the other 3.
https://putthison.com/where-to-look-first-for-a-suit-part-one-far-and/ https://putthison.com/what-should-you-get-for-your-first-suit-there-are/
Put This On
Where To Look First for a Suit (Part One)
Far and away, the most common question I get in my inbox is: “Where should I go to buy a...
Put This On
What Should You Get for Your First Suit?
There are a lot of articles about what you should get for your first suit. Maybe more than the number...
If you're new to men's fashion, I think PTO is an invaluable resource
Also follow @dieworkwear on Twitter
Wait shit I didn't realize he was in here whoops
haha, accidental mentions
Honestly though, he's one of the few reasons I'm still using Twitter
What’s your geographic area? Are you thinking Bindle and Keep? If you’re looking there, I would also look at J. Mueser.
I'm in Southern New England
Gotcha, so you could go to NYC for bespoke if you’d like—it’s expensive, but can work great, and both B&K and J Mueser have experience working with trans clients.
Also, what vibe are you shooting for?
that is a question I haven't thought about!
How do you want to look at your wedding? What pops into your head? If you can put together some images of what you want, that’ll help you figure out a budget and what to shoot for.
not my wedding, thank god!
just friends'. a bit of a look book is a good idea though
I think the most important thing is to nail down your budget
Yeah, especially if you’re new to thinking about yourself in a suit. The good news is that there are options at multiple price points for folx who wear suits.
yeah, now that i've gotten some ideas of what I can expect, I'll look around and nail that down!
Speaking very generally, I'd recommend secondhand if your budget is sub 300. Tons of great Brooks Brothers suits you can find for like $100-150 on ebay etc
Sizing is tricky when you can't try things on first, ofc
No shame in trying things on at a department store, you can even sneak in a tape measure and write down the measurements of a suit that fits you well
Another, low end option, if you want to go new, is something like Wildfang, though their looks might skew too femme for your liking, and, tbh, their quality is just OK.
thank you so much for all the help, men's formalwear is still very intimidating to me, so any help with knowing what to expect is great
Decent MTM will probably run you $1k or more, and I'd definitely recommend doing an in person one rather than online if sizing is tricky for you
That being said, fuller cuts like Brooks Brothers Madison are quite forgiving, so you might do just fine in OTR. Assuming you have a BB nearby I'd start by just trying some suits on
there is a BB in walking distance!
Sounds like a great place to start!
thank you!!
if you post fit pics for feedback, follow rej's example (https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1131638836485697617/1149765653113360505) and have your arms resting naturally at your sides, facing the camera in a neutral pose, with the jacket buttoned. Side and back views help too.
I would love to hear more about what you find - I'm an afab butch and I want to get more into masc tailoring but it feels difficult to find good resources for this stuff that... suits my taste, I guess?
I doing mtm with suitsupply nyc atm (700usd-ish), and just ordered a shirt from proper cloth (100usd-ish) (in person fitting, also nyc) - apparently they'll be ready for me to try on for alteration assesments etc this week or next. I also splurged on a mto sport coat from the armoury (ring jacket, 1600usd-ish) that should be ready in november. I'm planning on reporting back here on mfad for all the above!
I'll report back!
there's also this place in Boston that's supposed to be trans-friendly, but I'm kinda leaning toward the "brooks brothers then buy secondhand" if I can https://www.9tailors.com/
9Tailors
9Tailors
At a higher price point, Bindle & Keep and J. Mueser in NYC know how to dress AFAB butch bodies. Carl at CEGO also works with queer clients for shirtmaking.
so many "trans-friendly" and "queer-friendly" places have very like, skinny and short house styles, from what I've seen. Totally awesome if that's your thing of course. But also often more expensive than entry level options "for cis guys" and I'm trying to figure out if I can make something like that work for someone like me.
I also wanna say that in NYC I've received really friendly and open minded service from basically every single menswear shop I've walked into, even the ones with really "conservative" branding. No one has ever even tried to 'gender' me before I gendered myself if that makes sense. I say this just in case you're worried about the reception you'd get walking into like, a Men's Store.
That's good to know that you've been treated well!
there's definitely a level of intimidation around "men's spaces" going into my difficulty with this
I've heard of B&K. J Meuser looks nice! but definitely a higher budget option for me personally - how would you compare their tailoring to The Armoury's RJ stuff?
yeah I think I have a layer of emotional armour since I don't mind what gender ppl think I am but I worry that people will assume that I need to be treated with kid gloves, that my body will be treated like A Problem, that I'll be seen as hopelessly naive (and maybe it is and maybe I am! lol) And if I were transmasc with strong feelings about passing a particular way I can only imagine it would be that much harder. But ime young ppl who are really into tailoring in nyc tend to lean pretty left/liberal and kind to boot
the city i'm in is pretty queer-friendly, so I should try to worry less. I think i just have trouble feeling out of my element? Like I'd feel a lot less intimidated if this were something I'd done before or I were going with someone who has done this before, I guess
I also just have anxiety sooooo there's that part of it
just gotta remind myself that it'll be fine, worst that can happen is a bad experience
mood fr
Comparable quality but different cut. The Armoury is “England by way of Hong Kong” and J Mueser is more “Naples by way of West Village”
Thanks! I'll have to check them out. I'm starting with suitsupply bc I don't want to drop a ton of money at once on mtm while I'm figuring stuff out but I'm definitely making long term plans for nicer stuff from smaller brands (the armoury purchase was a big risk i know lol... we'll see how it pans out)
Smart thinking.
fwiw also tons of BB suits and the likes on ebay, hardly used. if you are looking to save some cash its a good option.
pricing is often 10-20% of the original cost
thanks!