Help with new suit
I have lost some weight (40-50 pounds) recently and realized the suits I have no longer fit well. I am considering either having the suits I already have taken in, or just buying a new one. I only really need one suit and would much prefer one of good quality over several cheap ones.
I’ve bought stuff from Suit Supply and Proper Cloth before and had good results, so I’m thinking of using one of them again, but I’ve never actually bought a suit from either place.
I can spend $1,000 but would prefer not to spend more if I can help it. I only wear suits 4-5 times a year at most. I’m tall and thin, 6’3” and 160 pounds.
My questions:
1. How important is full canvassing vs. half? I want something that’s a really good fit, but again, I don’t wear them that often so does canvassing really do anything if I’m not wearing it every week?
2. How much am I going to notice the difference between something like this Loro Piana suit (https://propercloth.com/tailored-clothing/loro-piana-fabric-grey-s150s-mercer-suit-27346.html) and this one (https://propercloth.com/tailored-clothing/loro-piana-fabric-grey-s150s-mercer-suit-27346.html), or between this one (https://suitsupply.com/en-us/men/suits/navy-lazio-suit/P6159.html) and this one (https://suitsupply.com/en-us/men/suits/navy-lazio-suit/C4778-S.html)?
3. How important is it to go to a physical store for a fitting vs. measuring myself at home? I measured myself at 36L but have only ever worn 38L at the weight I’m at now. Suit Supply has a store close to me, but Proper Cloth does not.
4. Going back to the option of tailoring, if the jackets still fit decently well at the shoulders, is this a good option? The suits I have are not high quality (think Men’s Wearhouse), but they’re not in bad shape, either. And if I go this route, what would the costs be, and how do I find out if a tailor is worth using or not?
Loro Piana Fabric Grey S150s Mercer Suit
An exquisitely crafted fully-canvassed suit. This stunning twill suit is made from Loro Piana’s unbelievably fine S150s Australian “Australis” merino wool. Its beauty and per
Loro Piana Fabric Grey S150s Mercer Suit
An exquisitely crafted fully-canvassed suit. This stunning twill suit is made from Loro Piana’s unbelievably fine S150s Australian “Australis” merino wool. Its beauty and per
Navy Lazio Suit in Pure S150's Wool | SUITSUPPLY US
Shop the Navy Lazio Suit in Pure S150's Wool at Suitsupply. Enjoy FREE delivery and returns on all orders.
8 Replies
Full vs half canvassing isn’t really a big deal unless you’re wearing suiting all of the time and really care about that. The price increase just generally isn’t worth it for most people imo.
If possible it’s way better to go in-person and try on the suits and take good pictures of the front, sides, and back while standing naturally (someone else taking pics).
4. Take pics like I mentioned and folks here can help determine if something is or isn’t salvageable. Costs will vary quite a bit depending on what needs to be done and how much your local tailors charge for the work
You say your budget is $1000 but the suits you linked are a bit more expensive. How decided are you on Super 150 wool? Especially since you don’t wear suits very often. Also, I second going to your local Suitsupply and trying them on. They tend to run slim.
Where are you located?
Could be worth figuring out the range of in person options near you
1. Not as important as enthusiasts make it out to be, functionally.
2. Don't get a super 150s suit as a do-everything suit. I have a loro piana 150s tasmanian suit, it's lovely, great cloth, not an everyday cloth at all. I haven't clicked the links yet. I'll do that when I have time, to answer the question explicitly.
3. Extremely important. The most important.
4. Congratulations on the weight loss! I am skeptical the jacket can be tailored given how much weight you lost. Post photos of you in the jacket, front, back, either side, good lighting, taken by someone else or just not as a selfie.
I haven’t decided on S150s at all. I just want to know how much I’m giving up if I go lower. I’d really rather spend less than $1,000 but am willing to go above that if I have to in order to get something that looks good and fits well. I’m also more than willing to spend less, of course, if there’s something of good quality at that price point.
Illinois, near Peoria. Willing to drive to Chicago if needed
How high the number is and how good a fabric it will be for the suit doesn't correlate actually. Higher numbers just mean a finer fabric afaik though others here will be able to provide better info
Oh great Chicago is a big city so more options
So, sheep have wool, that wool is sheared, cleaned, and graded. Each individual animal fiber has a certain thickness. The thinner the fibers are, the softer they feel, and thus the more luxurious. Some companies and in general some countries like to use a grading system of microns, eg, this wool is no more than 21 micron thick. In the US (IIRC) a simpler system was developed which grades wool as an easy number, which you now see as super 100s, super 110s, etc, all the way up to comically high numbers like super 200s. By this metric and this metric alone a higher number is better.
The benefits of a thinner fiber is its softness; when spun into yarn the yarn is softer, and when woven into cloth the cloth is softer.
Cloth with a higher super number does not drape necessarily better. It is significantly less durable, and easier to damage, versus a similar cloth with a lower super number. It tends to look sheenier, feel finer, there's a lot of je ne sais quois that makes it look fancier. That is actually a downside in various situations. You don't want to stand out for wearing fancy-pants fabric in some situations. At an interview it may seem like you're misunderstanding intent (serious and ready to work vs here to party and show off.) On the job, it may be too flashy. At a cultural or social event it is probably a solid choice in most cases (though maybe not at, like, a fundraiser for hungry kids, unless accompanied with a fat donation.) At a somber event it can be particularly wrong to other people. It will wear quicker, have more issues if ever snagged or rubbed, etc. Basically, the same things that make it great visually also make it poor visually depending on the circumstances. If you are choosing a suit for your wedding, go for it, if you are choosing a suit to do everything, it's probably not it. (Depending on the cloth, your financial situation, etc, it can be fine. But it's wrong a bit too often so I wouldn't recommend it as a daily driver.)
It's kind of like... driving a ferrari. Fantastic at the track. Great in the hills. Terrible over potholes. You would look like a dick roaring up to a funeral in a red ferrari, but awesome if you give sick kids rides in one. At work, it can be good (big boss who pays well, successful and senior and knows it, etc), or it can make people think you're a rich kid or a prick or any number of uncharitable things. For the same reasons that it's great, it can also be kind of bad, it all depends on the situation.
I tend to recommend a super 100, 110, or 120s fabric in plain weave, probably from VBC, for a daily driver suit. In navy. Or charcoal.
The S110 version of the suitsupply suit you linked is $700. Wool from VBC.