Did I spend too much at Suit Supply?

[prady]

I did some impulsive shopping yesterday. Considering that my knowledge in suits is rather limited I walked into Suit Supply here in NYC and picked up a suit.

I find the fit of their suits as a little more modern I would say as the cuts are mostly slim.

The one I liked was $999. It was a full canvas, a premium suit (based on the agent helping me) in their inventory. I needed some minor alterations in pants and jacket which cost me another $97.

So I walked out with a bill of $1184 including taxes and alterations. Now i'm having second thoughts if SS is worth that kinda money

 

[reidrothchild]

If you like it and can afford it, $1100 is not too much. There are plenty of people who will tell you that you can get [insert higher quality brand that occasionally goes on deep discount via final sale on the internet in broken sizes] for that kind of money. In my experience, however, for a suit you can try on and is available in a wide range of fabrics, styles, and sizes, you can't do much better than Suit Supply in terms of value.

 

[prady]

That's what I felt. I was walking around on 5th Ave and walked into Massimo Dutti (Inditex Brand) and they have super fancy showroom but terrible fit. Same with Hugo Boss. All these fashion brands look good for fresh graduates but i'm 33 yrs old and want to wear better quality suits. I can afford $1200 suit just don't wanna end spending out of my ignorance for something which is worth 600

BTW I also walked into Zegna showroom but those prices really scared the crap outta me. I can not pay $4K for a suit yet

 

[TheBlackBruceWayne]

I'm surprised they didn't offer you made to measure, which would've been around that price or less with more options. Consider looking into it for your next purchase

 

[godofcoffee]

Not sure whether this is helpful, but for those who plan to travel to Europe in the near future, Suit Supply is much cheaper there thanks to the favorable Euro-USD exchange rate. For example, the Blue Line costs 259 euros in France, which converts to $290 at current rates. Even cheaper if you can get VAT deducted when you leave the EU.

 

[TOstyle]

I wouldn't say you terribly overpaid, because $1K is I think that magic number where you get a "good" suit. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Suit Supply is the best cheap suit out there, and their stuff at the $500 price point is the best around. Trouble is, I think that breaks down a bit when you start moving up the price point and the value isn't quite there. You still got a good suit - don't get me wrong - and the $1K for that certainly isn't bad. Not at all.

BUT, I'm with @TheBlackBruceWayne and am surprised they didn't suggest MTM at that price point. That's where I think the value is at the $1,000 price point. Suit Supply's made in China product isn't amazing, but at least for that price you essentially get all the necessary alterations included - and typically better fabric.

So to answer the question as a whole, no you didn't pay too much. For future consideration, you just might consider deploying your funds in a slightly different manner. Always helps to shop around, but I won't tell you weren't doing anything wrong at all.

 

[prady]

Great advice. Thanks guys for the input.

If I can afford a little more and wish to move up the ladder then what should be the next best stop after Suit Supply?

 

[TOstyle]

In NYC that's a tough question. Still trying to figure it out, and haven't found a place I really like.

• Alton Lane. Made in Thailand I think, quality is meh but not bad. And they have frequent sales (which clog my inbox).
• Proper Suit. Haven't bough from them, but decent prices.
• Carson Street Clothiers has a MTM program, though it isn't really their focus. It's not bad and outrageously priced last I checked.
• Michael Andrews is a good shop (and MTM even though they label themselves bespoke) but gets pricey.
• Martin Green out in BK also gets respect, but the price point is climbing now...

That's off the top of my head. So if you're into shopping, give a bunch of places a shot. You never know what you might like versus what I have liked, but I think these are good options around the $1K price range (and a bit above). The trouble always is that prices can go nuts real quick, but I can say in my experience you are definitely not selling yourself short even with a good quality Vitale Barberis from a decent MTM shop around the $1,000 range. So give it a try.

 

[TomOwen]

If you're still in NYC you could probably check out Eidos in Bloomingdales or online at NMWA, who is an affiliate here and an absolute pleasure to work with and buy from. For the price, the quality is unbeatable really. And there are still sales going on, so you'd probably be able to get it for cheaper than the price of your SS

 

[TOstyle]

Carson Street stocks a lot Eidos as well. And I think they run their made to measure through them too.

Probably not as good a sales price as Bloomies, but worth checking out. I agree it is good price/quality ratio.

 

[shodge1006]

Say "no" to Martin greenfield. Prices are decent but fit is horrible. Bought one here based on all the hype I read online. Fabric options great but fit like a suit made for my over weight dad. Also run from asuitthatfits. Terrible service. Person measuring you is more a salesperson not a tailor. He was prepared to let me walk out with pant cuffs that were not even and jacket vents that would not stay closed when jacket was buttoned. Haven't found a great place yet,

 

[Frankie22]

I wouldn't say you terribly overpaid, because $1K is I think that magic number where you get a "good" suit. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Suit Supply is the best cheap suit out there, and their stuff at the $500 price point is the best around. Trouble is, I think that breaks down a bit when you start moving up the price point and the value isn't quite there. You still got a good suit - don't get me wrong - and the $1K for that certainly isn't bad. Not at all.

BUT, I'm with @TheBlackBruceWayne and am surprised they didn't suggest MTM at that price point. That's where I think the value is at the $1,000 price point. Suit Supply's made in China product isn't amazing, but at least for that price you essentially get all the necessary alterations included - and typically better fabric.

So to answer the question as a whole, no you didn't pay too much. For future consideration, you just might consider deploying your funds in a slightly different manner. Always helps to shop around, but I won't tell you weren't doing anything wrong at all.

Curious and want to better understand your rationale here. Why do you say the value breaks down?

For the sake of the OP I'll compare three of my suits from three forum favorites. A navy Jort from Suit supply (OTR), a Navy Samuelsohn (MTM) and a charcoal suit by Panta (MTM). All are wool and full canvas.

> Fabric: SS has the nicest of the three. A super 140's wool by Vitale Barberis. Very soft hand and great color. The sammy is made from a super 130's and the Panta is a super 120, both branded and not as luxurious as the Vitale.
> Features: SS has the most. Full canvas construction, nice horn buttons on both the jacket and trousers. Also, the side adjusters are of good quality and sturdy.
> Finishing: The Sammy wins here, but the Jort is pretty close followed by the Panta. I'd say the finishing on the Jort is about 90% as good as the Sammy which is pretty excellent.
> Price: Sammy: $2000 Panta: $1800 Jort: $1000

I've found the Jort's fit to be very forgiving and only needed to slim the trousers and take in the waist a bit. Again the Jort looks just about as good as my two MTM pieces that both had three fittings prior to final assembly. It took a couple months. The Jort, purchased it and was wearing it within a week after some minor alterations.

What suit is a better value at $1000 or are you just stating an opinion since you do not know much about the Jort and feel that it being made in China takes away from the quality? In my opinion it does not and it competes with garments at higher price point, as showcased above. I cant think of anyone who makes a better suit at 500-1000, otr. Yea, you can find very fine suiting on the forum but its a roll of the dice each time.

Op, you did not spend too much, imo.

-F

 

[theplayerking]



What suit is a better value at $1000 or are you just stating an opinion since you do not know much about the Jort and feel that it being made in China takes away from the quality? In my opinion it does not and it competes with garments at higher price point, as showcased above. I cant think of anyone who makes a better suit at 500-1000, otr. Yea, you can find very fine suiting on the forum but its a roll of the dice each time.

Thanks for posting. Good to hear from someone who has the closet to make a proper comparison.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[TOstyle]

Curious and want to better understand your rationale here. Why do you say the value breaks down?

For the sake of the OP I'll compare three of my suits from three forum favorites. A navy Jort from Suit supply (OTR), a Navy Samuelsohn (MTM) and a charcoal suit by Panta (MTM). All are wool and full canvas.

> Fabric: SS has the nicest of the three. A super 140's wool by Vitale Barberis. Very soft hand and great color. The sammy is made from a super 130's and the Panta is a super 120, both branded and not as luxurious as the Vitale.
> Features: SS has the most. Full canvas construction, nice horn buttons on both the jacket and trousers. Also, the side adjusters are of good quality and sturdy.
> Finishing: The Sammy wins here, but the Jort is pretty close followed by the Panta. I'd say the finishing on the Jort is about 90% as good as the Sammy which is pretty excellent.
> Price: Sammy: $2000 Panta: $1800 Jort: $1000

I've found the Jort's fit to be very forgiving and only needed to slim the trousers and take in the waist a bit. Again the Jort looks just about as good as my two MTM pieces that both had three fittings prior to final assembly. It took a couple months. The Jort, purchased it and was wearing it within a week after some minor alterations.

What suit is a better value at $1000 or are you just stating an opinion since you do not know much about the Jort and feel that it being made in China takes away from the quality? In my opinion it does not and it competes with garments at higher price point, as showcased above. I cant think of anyone who makes a better suit at 500-1000, otr. Yea, you can find very fine suiting on the forum but its a roll of the dice each time.

Op, you did not spend too much, imo.

-F

I don't disagree with anything you said, and my point wasn't to trash the SS so I think maybe I just wasn't clear with my "magic number".

My point was that $1K being the magic number is that I have found you have to spend at least that to get a really good suit. So I'm not saying the SS jort is not as good because it's "only" $1,000. I think it's good because it's that price, and if it was any less you wouldn't have a really good quality fabric -- which it is. Getting a VBC for that price is fantastic, and it kind of supports my point that that's around you really start to get something good.

So I meant to be supportive, and say you didn't spend too much because the $1K is kind of what you have to spend to start getting into good quality.

 

[GBR]

Only you can decide if you have spent too much