Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

[hoth]

That is dissapointing to hear. A smaller size (36S instead of 38R) wouldn't make the difference? I will likely need to be a difference cut?

Well, I don't have time to make a trip to Santa Barbera any time soon. Can you give me any suggestions of what I sould do next in my search? (budget 500 - 750)

I don't need a suit right away, but I would like to get one. With my only option being bridal shops and MW nearby, I don't really want to keep buying online then returning them. How do I find the right suit for me?

 

[patrickBOOTH]



That is dissapointing to hear. A smaller size (36S instead of 38R) wouldn't make the difference? I will likely need to be a difference cut?
Well, I don't have time to make a trip to Santa Barbera any time soon. Can you give me any suggestions of what I sould do next in my search? (budget 500 - 750)
I don't need a suit right away, but I would like to get one. With my only option being bridal shops and MW nearby, I don't really want to keep buying online then returning them. How do I find the right suit for me?

It might make a difference a little bit, but looking at that giant collar gap and just how the chest is shaped I am leaning towards you needing a different cut. Remember what I said about straight across measurements? This is exactly what I am saying. A tailor cannot alter these issues you are having here.

 

[hoth]

Alright, so, can you think of any suits that may better fit me? Or, am I going to have to just wait, and take a trip to try suits on?

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Alright, so, can you think of any suits that may better fit me? Or, am I going to have to just wait, and take a trip to try suits on?

You're going to have to bite the bullet, I am afraid.

 

[hoth]

Alright, thanks again for the help. Looks like I'm going to have to learn what is the correct fit so I will know what to look for when the time comes.

 

[vonklark]

Is 35 % wool, 65 % viscosa, 120's suit good quality?

 

[cptjeff]



Some people discuss how a collar should balance with ones face, but honestly I think a collar just needs balance in itself. Some degree of a spread collar will always look better than a point collar.
You are going to have a tough time finding a read to wear linen suit for $3-400 let alone MTM. Linen is a very expensive fabric even if the labor is cheap. I would look for used stuff.

Huh? H&M has linen suits right now for less than $100. The fit is pretty crappy, but they're pure linen. Old navy is selling linen and linen-cotton blend khakis again this year, I have a couple pairs of last years model and they're actually nice casual pants.

The fabric is not that expensive. Nice linens perhaps, but the basic grades seem to be only a bit more expensive than cotton.

 

[cptjeff]



Is 35 % wool, 65 % viscosa, 120's suit good quality?

Absolutely not. At the very least, you want pure wool, not a wool blend.

 

[vonklark]

Absolutely not. At the very least, you want pure wool, not a wool blend.

Figured that, thanks. Then 55 % cashmerewool, 45 % polyester must be **** aswell?

 

[cptjeff]



Figured that, thanks. Then 55 % cashmerewool, 45 % polyester must be **** aswell?

If it contains polyester, yes. Though the cashmere throws me- are you saying you've seen something that's a cashmere-poly blend? Because apart from some socks, I've never seen that. Cashmere is a much more expensive fiber, and since the primary objective of using polyester in suits is to make the fabric much cheaper, blending the poly with cashmere defeats the point.

 

[vonklark]

If it contains polyester, yes. Though the cashmere throws me- are you saying you've seen something that's a cashmere-poly blend? Because apart from some socks, I've never seen that. Cashmere is a much more expensive fiber, and since the primary objective of using polyester in suits is to make the fabric much cheaper, blending the poly with cashmere defeats the point.

Thanks alot, no it's a MTM suit and I can choose by fabrics. But I will skip the website and go with a Corneliani or something that is 100 % wool it's worth the money I think.

 

[12345Michael54321]



A smaller size (36S instead of 38R) wouldn't make the difference?

Going by the jacket lengths of the two 38R suits you were wearing in those pictures, and by the fact that you're 5'11" tall and seem to be of fairly normal upper/lower body proportions, I have difficulty understanding just why the idea of shopping for a Short would even cross your mind.

I will likely need to be a difference cut?

That'd be a possibility worth exploring, yes. A good alterations tailor can also be invaluable. (Not that starting out with the right cut, and having a good alterations tailor, are mutually exclusive things, of course.)

How do I find the right suit for me?

You read lots about how a suit should be constructed, should look, and should fit. Then you go suit shopping, try on various suits, and judge how closely each one comes to measuring up (no pun intended). Also, based on what you've read, and thought about, and have come to understand, you'll know whether an area in which a given suit falls short of meeting your standards is something easily and inexpensively amenable to correction, or whether it's a shortcoming you'll just have to live with absent major suit surgery.

Since you say you don't have an urgent need for a new suit and it'll be a while before you can get to a city with a selection of menswear stores in any case, why not take your time and study some more about just what characterizes the sort of look, fit, and construction, you desire? Then when you do have an opportunity to do some suit shopping, you can go into it confidentially as an informed shopper.
--
Michael

 

[comeonyouspurs]

Ok, I'm looking to get some leather shoes that I can wear with jeans, chinos, and maybe even trousers. I'm thinking wingtips? My budget is $200 pretty firm. Was looking at these: http://needsupply.com/mens/shoes/veblen-in-brandy.html

Is there a better option for my price range? Non-wingtip suggestions are welcomed. Was trying Loake but that was getting pricey. Def not trying to get used shoes this time around.

Thanks.

 

[12345Michael54321]



Ok, I'm looking to get some leather shoes that I can wear with jeans, chinos, and maybe even trousers. I'm thinking wingtips? My budget is $200 pretty firm.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of the "item that goes with everything" mindset, since it usually leaves you with an item that's only a fair match with most choices and a truly excellent match with virtually none. That having been said, I'll allow as how some shoes are more versatile than others, and while jeans-to-trousers is a pretty broad spectrum, at least you aren't asking a single pair of shoes to work brilliantly with everything from shorts-and-a-t-shirt to the-Brooks-Brothers-suit-you're-wearing-to-a-job-interview-at-a-Wall-Street-BigLaw-firm . So I'll take a swing at this one. I'm not all that impressed with the shoes referenced in your post. I mean, they don't look unbearably awful or anything, but I just think you could do better. I admit, I'm biased against current (and recent) production Florsheim. Sure, 40 years ago Florsheim made a heck of a shoe, but modern day Florsheims strike me as being mediocre, at best. Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe in the past year or two, Florsheim quality has dramatically improved. Maybe the fact that the shoes in question are Florsheim Limiteds, and not just plain old Florsheims, means that they aren't the confluence of low end 3rd world craftsmanship and pitifully low grade leather. Maybe. Anything's possible. But at least I'm being up front with you, with regard to my perception of modern day Florsheim shoes. Still, I'd very strongly recommend a pair of Allen Edmonds Strands, over those Florsheims. The Strand is a genuinely nice shoe - versatile, attractive, good quality, etc. They'll stretch from chinos to suits, for all that they may be a little less than ideal at either extreme within that range. Properly cared for, they'll last for several decades, and look good all the while. (Fail to care for your shoes properly, and even the finest shoes will age badly and die young.) And while I'm dispensing advice with such wanton abandon, I'll add that brown would be my choice of color for maximum versatility. Tan shoes certainly have their place. And despite the lack of love black shoes often get on SF, black shoes fill a role, as well. And I think burgundy colored shoes are just great. But since you're looking for a single pair of shoes that'll cover the most possible sartorial ground, I'd tell you to pick brown. Now, the only problem is that a pair of AE Strands normally retail for a little over $300. And you indicate that you've got a firm $200 price ceiling, and I'm going to take you seriously about that. But if you have the luxury of not needing these shoes ASAP, I'm pretty sure you could score a pair for right at $200. Maybe from the AE shoebank, or from Nordstrom's during this month's half-yearly sale for men, or from someplace running a 35% off sale, either with or without coupon. Like I say, you might have to wait around for a while and keep your eyes open, but $200 for a pair of new Strands is by no means a "once in a lifetime" kind of freak find. So there you have it. Get yourself a pair of AE Strands, in brown burnished calf. Care for them properly. Get 30 year of excellent use out of them. Then, sometime in the year 2042, think to yourself, "Wow, that Michael guy on the old SF forums sure was wordy and opinionated, but he really did steer me right when you told me to buy these brown AE Strands." 'Course, if the world ends this December, never mind. (Damn Mayan prophecy.) -- Michael

 

[styless]

Help! I'm trying to decide which one to get. I plan to wear them with dark jeans and tailored chinos. Thanks.