BHere's the pto guide btw https://www.putthison.com/what-should-you-get-for-your-first-suit-there-are/
Put This On
There are a lot of articles about what you should get for your first suit. Maybe more than the number...
WYou said you wanted to wear it for work, what's the dress code there? What do other ppl wear to your workplace? If it's a p casual/creative workplace then I think a more casual suit (colour/fabric/pocket style etc) could be great, but might not be great for funerals. Although depending on your social circles you might not need a proper suit for funerals.
JI'm not sure if it's practical, or worth it, to wear the jacket separately. You can pick up a blazer on eBay for $50 that will probably be easier to style.
JOther than that, I would say make sure the styling is pretty conservative. 2 button, not too skinny, etc.
WI think a navy hopsack or super 100/traveller/fresco type thing would be great then
BI don't think anyone would care what kind of suit I would wear at a funeral
WThat's kinda how I feel about my social circles but for some ppl you might not want to use like. A mustard corduroy suit for funerals for example haha
BBut hopsack could be worn separately?
BNo I would get a navy suit anyway but I don't think anyone would care about the pockets
JNot really, IMO. A navy blazer is just a little different
JAlthough the French disagree with me, apparently
WMaybe with patch pockets and brown buttons but imo it's better to just get a suit and think about sport coats and blazers as a separate purchase. So you can get sth that's really great at filling that niche
BSo better to get it without patch pockets? How about the shoulders
JThen get the suit, and see how you like wearing the jacket separately.
JIt's not like buying a suit means you are forbidden from buying a blazer
BThe thing is I am wondering if it's worth it to put effort into being able to wear it separately
JI just don't think you should over-optimize for versatility
BI would probably wear a navy sports coat more than a suit but I also need to have a suit
WIf you really want it to be able to be worn as a separate I do think hopsack is nice. You can change out buttons but you can't change pockets so have a look at patch pocket suits and decide if you like the vibe (I do but many don't) and whether it would stand out (good or bad) from your peers in the situations you need it for. I live in the US but I'm sure different countries have different attitudes towards formality etc
WWhere are you planning on getting the suit btw?
BI think most wouldn't care about patch pockets, most people in politics and business dress pretty bad and expect journalists to dress worse
BThere's an MTM shop in my town where I'm going for an orientation conversation next week
BDiplomats are the exception btw
BRight, you two seem to agree on that.
WDo they have a website? If you link it here ppl might have more to recommend about their options etc. If you'd like that. Either way it sounds like it's totally up to you whether you should make a "sport coat suit" or something more "pure suit" so you can just compare examples and decide based on your style
WI love dressing up in tailoring so for me I enjoy having some suits and some sport coats and keeping those things separate so I can be more picky about the details on either option. So that's where I'm coming from!
BYes I totally get that
BLike the guide says, if you do this you'll have a suit that's not really the perfect suit and a jacket that's not really the perfect jacket
WMy phone does that haha. If you're dutch is there a reason you aren't looking at suit supply?
BYes they tend to make suits too small and I like to support a local business
BSeems like suitsupply is still on the short trousers and slim jackets and I really don't like that vibe
WRegardless I would recommend you push this company to make your jacket cover your butt haha. Based on their lookbooks.
BYes! I want a more traditional fit, really don't like short jackets
WNice. Love that!
BI also want to get trousers with a break
WFor a break I think a decent width is important. Speak up about that during your fitting if they give you slimmer trousers
BMost shops in town have disappeared sadly. There was a nice shoe shop that went bankrupt last year. And there's one shop that sells traditional English stuff like tweed but the lady there will retire soon and the shop will probably close down. This is the only thing left outside of suit supply
BAlright good to note thanks
BI guess I will have to be quite vocal about not wanting slim fits
WI decided to go with a smaller business for my wedding suit and I'm glad I did. Suit supply is good value in my opinion but if you can afford it and are willing to take on a little more risk with a small company I think it's worth it
BThere's actually another one that does MTM and bespoke but I can't afford it
WDepends on the fitter. In NYC my experience with suit supply has been great. The stylists are good at reading you and what you want. The smaller company was harder to convince to go wider with their fit! You just never know
WIt's a luxury for sure!
BI will see during the first conversation what they think of wider fits, if they seem hard to convince I will look elsewhere
BYour wedding suit looks amazing btw
WYou can bring in a photo of a suit you like (on a person obv) as an example. Like getting a haircut haha. A good fitter will be able to use that as a jumping off point to talk about what they can do and what you want
WThank you! It has some funny quirks with the fit that I might post about later but I'm very happy with it
BI might have to put together an inspo folder then, good idea
BI still haven't made up my mind. I guess I will discuss it with the tailor as well. Thanks for all the advice! Will post here with updates.
WPlease do!
