Members in Ireland thread

[eviltimeban]

Calling all members who are based in Ireland! Don't think there's a thread for Ireland-based members (at least, I couldn't find one, feel free to correct me) so I thought I'd create these as a resource for sharing information and any bargains.

Personally, I think there's a paucity of well-dressed Irish men, who usually tend to be concentrated in very small sectors. Unfortunately, most average lads will see a suit as something they have to wear, or will go and buy one in Topman or River Island, due to the lack of decent mid-priced suits in this country (and probably won't even consider going to M&S, who do pretty good suits).

Then you've got the likes of Louis Copeland, which is probably overpriced for the average guy who doesn't care about what he's wearing (read: most Irish men). And if the likes of Darren Kennedy is the standard bearer, then we've no hope. He's not going to appeal to the average man in the street, in fact, that sort of look / approach will only enforce the idea that being well dressed equals being a "dandy". And don't get me started on McGregor!

I'd love there to be a Suitsupply store in Dublin / Ireland, as it would offer a good, stylish, inexpensive option for men looking to get a decent suit. Plus ties / shirts etc are also reasonably well priced. The only place to get decent ties is Brown Thomas, but again most lads won't pay 90 quid for one, and will end up getting some awful skinny tie from H&M or somewhere.

Any thoughts? And any members in Ireland, please post a hello!

 

[Springwell]

hello! Great to see an Irish thread (geddit... thread). New to this lark but learned a lot lately. Agreed there is a paucity of good affordable items available particularly outside Dublin. And as for decent shoes - its brutal. Thankfully there's a Loakes in Dublin and they had a sale last week too! I'd suggest online for ties. If ebay doesn't work, greyfoxblog has numerous articles referencing interesting ties from the UK. Try https://geoffstocker.com/ or https://www.hnwhite.co.uk/ for example (caveat, I've no experience of the brands but they look good to me)

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

Hello @eviltimeban

Any experiences with Louis Copeland MTM? Off the rack Suit Supply won't work for my larger 46L frame and I really don't fancy a trip abroad to one of their MTM stores.

 

[Springwell]

Just to add, Louis Copeland has a sale on with many items half price. Look at his website and go to the outlet.

 

[eviltimeban]

Hello @eviltimeban

Any experiences with Louis Copeland MTM? Off the rack Suit Supply won't work for my larger 46L frame and I really don't fancy a trip abroad to one of their MTM stores.

No, no experience with MTM but I'm very suspicious of Copeland after they sold me what was essentially a second hand suit. I've never gone back there since and I won't go again.

Suitsupply do a 46L, would it be worth getting to try, as it's free delivery and returns?

Dublin isn't brilliant for accessories. For ties, Brown Thomas sale usually throws up a few options but you're still looking about 90 quid for a Tom Ford tie, for example. But the likes of Paul Smith or Richard James can often go down to €30. Their own brand ties aren't bad, haven't bought one in years but I still have one or two.

I got most of my ties from Luxeswap on eBay.

Also try a few charity shops - would you believe that I got a Hermes tie and a Zegna tie, on the same day, in the SVP shop on George's Street! Total cost? €4.50. And they were in perfect condition (after a dry cleaning of course).

I got nice black Roberto Ley monk strap shoes in Thomas Patrick. The leather is great, very little creasing. And very comfortable! Can walk for hours in them. Another good spot for shoes is in the Westbury Mall - I got a pair of Magnanni's in the shop there, and while they are a bit narrow for my feet, I wear them the odd time when I don't have to walk too far!

 

[Springwell]

Also try a few charity shops - would you believe that I got a Hermes tie and a Zegna tie, on the same day, in the SVP shop on George's Street! Total cost? €4.50. And they were in perfect condition (after a dry cleaning of course).

I second the charity shops although getting hermes or zegna is unlikely most of the time. I did pick up a spotless pancaldi tie in a charity shop recently for 1 euro however!

 

[Psmith]

Another Dubliner here. A Dublin Suitsupply would be great - if problematic for the wallet. Online is the only way for a lot of things. The new Loake shop is a welcome addition, and Boylans do provide excellent service (though at a fairly hefty cost, even by the standards of Church, Cheney, et al.). I suspect the paucity of places to buy nice clothes speaks to a shortage of educated customers - which is an impression that the streets of Dublin do little to contradict.

 

[Springwell]

I think its fair to say if you plan to spend a few quid its cheaper and more productive to get ryanair to take you elsewhere and enjoy a weekend shopping and sightseeing

 

[eviltimeban]

I second the charity shops although getting hermes or zegna is unlikely most of the time. I did pick up a spotless pancaldi tie in a charity shop recently for 1 euro however!

True, though I often see Paul Smith and Canali ties too. And, nice find!

 

[eviltimeban]

I spotted three decent looking Armani ties in that SVP shop yesterday - €3 each. Would need a dry clean, and would be of the wider variety, but still a good find!

 

[Springwell]

just wondering what folks think of the quality of magee and louis copeland sports coats ?

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

just wondering what folks think of the quality of magee and louis copeland sports coats ?

No experiences with sports jackets from either but for what it's worth I have two overcoats from Magee and they do a very, very nice garment. The downside is that the sports jackets and suits are very much an English cut - strong, padded shoulders, heavy chest canvas and side vents. I hate that look on myself so I've never bought anything from them. They do an 'unstructured' jacket but trust me, you can't take that stiff English look out of a jacket just by removing the shoulder pads.

 

[JagGun]

I used to live and work in Dublin. Was much younger then, ended up buying from more funky shops in Georges St Arcade. Used BTs for more formal clothes. There used to be more tailors around who'd give you a decent deal on a suit.
Spend my time between North Mayo and London now. Funny thing is that I can get items like Magee at a decent price in Ballina. If you buy more than one item, you can often do a deal. Lots of the London Jerymn Street shops used to do decent deals on delivery. Also use the Thomas Pink shop in Dublin.

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

Here's an interesting one for anyone in the market for tweed this autumn - Studio Donegal up in Kilcar. They're certainly not cheap but the unstructured jacket, coat and shirt jacket look interesting.


https://www.studiodonegal.ie/