Designer Suits

[kanyewest3]

Buddy, ALL high-end shirts feature single-needle stitching.

I agree with that statement, but with one qualifier: all truly high-end shirts will have single-needle tailoring, but not all shirts billed as "high-end" do.

I just double-checked and I have a Harry Rosen Satoria shirt in my closet which has double-needle lock stitched tailoring. I distinctly remember the disappointment with that when it arrived and I examined the finished product for the first time. That's going back awhile, so perhaps they've rectified that situation now.

Holt Renfrew's MTM program through Coppely also uses double-needle lock-stitched tailoring. I've seen the samples myself and the manager of their menswear department confirmed that for me.

So I guess your statement depends on how you define a "high-end" shirt.

 

[kanyewest3]

You're obviously smoking something.

I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Perhaps you think I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to clothes, but the staff at Harry Rosen would differ. A few years ago their regional manager was in Edmonton, and extended an unsolicited job offer to me after we got talking about MTM shirts.

But at the end of the day, none of it really matters, it's all just fun and games. Next time I see a guy in ecco shoes, and a MTM Tilford suit eating a donair, I'll say hi.

 

[Big Dog Striker]

Ted Baker

Been loyal to Ted Baker London for the last two years. The same clothing brand that provides the shirts of Vince Chase and Ari Gold's suits in my favorite Entourage show. However, Brioni, Zegna, and Hugo Boss are also exceptional.

 

[bigbill]

Go for fit, not brand. There are lots of nice fabrics and styles to choose from over a wide variety of stores, and it just take some time and effort to find the right salesperson that knows their lone well enough to pick the right suit for you, every time.

Once you get even into the house brands for Henry Singer (Edmonton) or Holts or Rosens (most cities) the quality is decent and the suit will last long enough to go out of style and hold it's shape until then as well.

If you're an odd fit (I wear a 41 or so jacket and 28 pant) then tailoring becomes very, very important. I start with a close fit, thanks to a good salesperson, and then the tailor makes it perfect. Italian suits tend to have slim fits (not all, but tends to) and large "drops" (the difference between the jacket and pant size) though lately I've noticed a trend towards closer drops even from the Italians. Gaining weight in Italy?

Completely in agreement on the accessories. Spend on a couple fantastic ties and update them during the life of the suit. A crisp well fitted shirt with a superb tie makes an $800-1000 suit look a lot more like a Brioni than Brioni would like to admit. In a moment of flush-ness many years ago I bought a Brioni, and while the fabric was superb and it looks like new all these years later, it was not worth the money over suits priced half, or one third as much, in my opinion. Though, my tailor offered to restyle it for less than 1/3 the price of a new one, so that's tempting.

Shoes are the same. Get into a nice pair, but don't go stupid paying 2x or 3x for a crazy designed brand. $300-600 gets you into a pretty awesome shoe. If I were paying outrageous bucks, I'd skip the labels and go for John Lobbs.

 

[goderos]

nice comments guys. here are my 2cents.

Is you're slim, Tom Ford suits are the best suit I've ever put on.

Best designer suits for men that are modern are by Dolce Gabbana and Prada.

Best suit for regular folks traditional styling are from Zegna(not Z) and Armani Collezioni.

But all the above are in the $2-6k range.

I imagine getting a suit in the states would be cheaper on sale at the large department stores as suggested.

Not sure what the best $1k suits are. But my Hugo "Red Label' that is in that price range cant be compared to my Zegna. In term of cut, fit, stitching, material and finish. If you can afford it spent the extra and spoil yourself.

unless you need to wear lotsa suits. invest in quality not quantity. i have some suits that are still in perfect form and shape. had them since i was a teen. but styles DO change. i cant wear any of them now.

in vancouver i suggest just getting a Zegna suit on sale around $1500. i imagine they do go on sale at some point.

Moore's suit dont last as well. But I am sure Dunn's and Moore's will have some decent suits.


Shoes are super important!! you would have to budget in shoes when getting a suit. make sure you wear your suit when buying the shoes. try them both on together and see if they work together. they go together.

Mr. North, very nice shoe choice. Love that Prada casual. Haven't seen that particular style anywhere. Was in the Prada store's in Italy this summer.

P/S ImHo, who wears suits in Vancouver anyways? i find Vancourite's are not very fashionably up to date. probably cause we have better way to spend our hard earn money than on fashion.... wish men clothing had some re-sale value.

 

[exuberanttoki]

I got Armani suits in Portland, Oregon for $1800 without any tax. Long drive from Vancouver, but worth it because there is no tax in Oregon. Can you say road trip!

 

[kanyewest3]

Go for fit, not brand. ..

Once you get even into the house brands for Henry Singer (Edmonton) or Holts or Rosens (most cities) the quality is decent and the suit will last long enough to go out of style and hold it's shape until then as well.

If I were paying outrageous bucks, I'd skip the labels and go for John Lobbs.

This has to be the best advice in this entire thread (especially the JL's)

Is you're slim, Tom Ford suits are the best suit I've ever put on.

Best suit for regular folks traditional styling are from Zegna(not Z) and Armani Collezioni.

Tom Ford is incredible if you can get past the sticker shock.

I don't know why you'd call Armani Collezioni traditional styling though. Half of what I've seen from the looks traditional, the other seems like some weird "signature style" using lots of synthetics in their fabrics, they have this weird wide-leg cut and alot of their jackets seem to have jetted pockets and no vents. That is anything but traditional. Giorgio Armani black label is a beast of another nature altogether, and qualifies as a truly classic suit.

But you didn't mention any of that. All that you mentioned is that you just got yourself measured and then you walked out.

Well obviously there's more to it than getting measured and walking out of the store. I didn't retype all the details because I doubt anyone would be interested in reading it, but obviously you are, so I'll share.

I went into his store, the lady who works there referred me to him. We talked briefly about how the process worked and pricing, he let me take a closer look at some of his finished goods that he had in the glass case waiting for people to pickup. He tried gently to sell me on some bolts of fabric he has handy, I looked through his fabric books and picked some. We went to the little room at the back for the actual measuring he measured me and filled out the order form, we talked a little bit about style, fit, collars, etc. I seemed to be asking alot of the questions, he didn't seem all that interested which confused me. He did give my some good advice on what collar would work best. I wore my best fitting shirt that day and told him to do something like that, he said that's what he was already planning on doing. I paid in full, left my contact info and was on my way. After I walked out I thought "WTF? What about the cuffs?" walked back in, and asked him, he casually said he just assumed I wanted button cuffs. That should given anyone a bad feeling.

His demeanor is quite non-chalant about the details. It's a stark contrast to the guys at Harry Rosen who discuss pretty much everything with you.

He didn't seem interested in what you were after because he knew you would hog the spotlight during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech and he didn't want people to know you were wearing one of his shirts; in other words, he wanted to distance himself from you.

Who wouldn't want to take credit for this???

 

[Big Dog Striker]

Brown Shoes

I also believe that brown shoes goes well with almost everything. But to be on the safe side, I'd rather prefer to use the much darker brown colored shoes when wearing a navy blue suit. When it's more of a casual meeting then I try to get away with a much lighter one.

Been loyal to Cole Haan for more than a decade now and it even became more comfortable after Nike took control of it years back. Lately though, the Salvatore Ferragamo black and brown loafers really looks cool and wicked.

My motto when it comes to shoes comes from a friend of mine who is an upcoming shoe designer based in the Big Apple.

" You do not buy a shoe because it is nice or because it is on sale. You buy it because it represents you in a way. "

 

[Stella]

a secret

ok babes, heres what you do, considering the fact tha a zegna/canali/emperio suit will run you at least 3 g's and they are all fabulous, you are better off to go to zara men. spend a couple hundred on a quality suit with the exact same euro style, and splurge on luxury designer prada/lv/dolce & gabanna shoes but if u really want to splurge on yourself go for a paul smith suit very hot

 

[TheSilkenBadger]

Cheap suits and crappy clothing is what it is.. Best suit I ever had made was done by a local tailor... his last name was "Morningstar" I do believe. Just off Quebec and West 2nd. He used to do alterations on Military uniforms as well as build suits.. He did a fantastic job on a kilt I have too.. lol

 

[Rolls Royce]

Without getting into too much commentary about all the other options available for a G, I find the best "name brand" suit in the 1K range to be a Boss (although I've bought them for 400-500 Euro). Its well fitted, the material is usually satisfactory and the stitching is usually well above average.

We can get into a discussion until the cows come home whether Italian or Saville row is better fitting or higher quality but at the end of the day its a Jag vs. Benz discussion ie personal preference and for the record I'm a Benz man.

I have to agree, high end Boss suits are made of Pima Cotton, it feels softer than silk when you are wearing it.

 

[Rolls Royce]

Pima cotton? Only if the suit is a summer suit. Virtually all men's suits are made of wool--with the exception of cotton and linen suits for summer, of course. There are, of course, the odd one or two suits made of 100% cashmere but such creatures are rare indeed.

You're probably right Sperminator, upon reflection I've only used that suit for weddings in the summer, what is the light weight equivalent suit material for the winter?
Cheers,
R.R.

 

[nosidam]

Designer suits are overrated, and you're paying way too much for the brand name. You want a suit that fits so get one that is custom tailored to you. Check out Maxwell Clothiers, they have good value.

 

[FloridaGuy]

Good thread. I can't believe no one has yet recommended Chelseas. Or is it Chelsea's?

Anyhow, how about some outerwear recommendations? What kind of coat should one wear, in these harsh prairie conditions?

Due to the climate in this country I limit myself to a nice, simple, provincial German overcoat that is high-tech yet traditional. Procured in Munich, it keeps me warm, covers my bum, and is very unobtrusive and appropriate for all occasions. When buttoned up, it presents a very plain frontage, simply a winter coat that goes with any suit. In more moderate seasons, I go for a horrible but recognizable English tradition that is also long enough to cover a suit jacket. Its ugly but has enough flare that I get noticed.

But, its not what we consider a "dress coat" here in Canada, what I call "Mafia coats". Lol. Any suggestions for a nice, all-purpose coat for those chilly Alberta evenings?

 

[FloridaGuy]

Rats. I hate camel, and frankly could never wear it. Even though it matches my hair. I was hoping for a nice midnight blue option. Or dark grey. Yip, those seem boring and appropriate.

How about winter footwear? What kind of "dress boot" should a guy wear? Is there anything that can be worn outside then inside through the evening, or should a guy swap shoes at the front door. Or, rubber overboots?

 

[Lilithlovesme]

Have I mentioned before that I loooove a man in a suit? So clean and sexy. Wear those suits with pride boys and silk ties whenever possible!

 

[mimi]

I swear I get wet and swoon every time I read spermies advice columns and look at his pics of ever classic clothing...that camel coat is sooooo dreamy (yes dreamy!) I fill it with the man of my dreams...dreamy...

That said, camel is not the ONLY colour for a nice winter coat....charcoal is a great alternative...

I have some boxes of fine wool suiting brought over from Scotland that I bought by the yards and yards full at a great deal...I have 5yds of heavy weight silk suiting in a very light pearl pink with a tan plaid running through it... I am going to save my shekels and head down to Commercial Drive to a wonderful Italian tailor and have him dress me in a vintage 50' figure hugging, pencil skirt suit....nipped waste, moderately flared peplin....rather like the ones worn by Demi Moore in the movie "Flawless"....I am lucky to have an hour glass figure and a killer ass....yes...killer...if I turn too quickly and you are in its wake you are doomed!

BTRW we cannot preview and correct our spellin gmistakes anymore...

 

[mimi]

The Clothes Make the Man

I love English riding boots in brown leather with tan slacks and a riding jacket...brown leather especially as it ages, has more depth of shading than does black...

 

[mimi]

I inherited a pair of very thin lambskin gloves in a pale shade of periwinkle blue...I use this colour blue to accent the mostly brown/black/tan/cream wardrobe I have. They are the loveliest gloves because they seem not to have a lining at all and do not cause a feeling of thickness to the tips of the fingers. I cannot find anything like them and sadly my Aunt has passed away and I cannot quiz her.

I tried to clean them once and left oily looking prints on them...any idea how to fix that?

Gloves will never keep hands warm in Canadian winters. They are good for moderately cold weather and keep the hands from drying out. Mittens are the best defense against the cold as they do not separate the fingers...divided, they freeze!

The very best defense against the cold, and the most practical is a muff....no. no. I do not mean that one should bury their hands in a pussy when they are cold, although, I do put my hands between my legs while warming the car up...warmest spot on the body....no, I mean a muff, the big furry sleeve with a coin purse built in that has a strap to hang around ones neck.

I have one and it is the best thing...you can pull a hand out to tackle a project and put it back when it is too cold...Men used them as well until the early 1900's I think...

 

[FloridaGuy]

Wear ultra-thin silk glove liners under your gloves. They are (almost) razor thin and seemingly see-through on their own, providing no protection or utility and seeming almost delicate. Can't really be worn on their own (unlike, say wool or cotton liners). But when worn under another pair of gloves, they trap enough air next to your skin to add a few degrees of heat. Try the MEC or a ski shop.