Baldessarini, Black Fleece, Boss Selection, Dior Homme, Thom Browne Suit

JTA · Aug 3, 2008

Dear board members, Kindly advise as at the moment I am on my quest looking for one additional new suit. I have two decent Navy Blue Stripes Suit (good workhorse suit, half canvassed) and my work requires me to wear suit 4-5 days in a week (Blazer is acceptable on Friday). Constraints: - Size: US36 / EU46. - Color: Gray (solid preferred however does not dismiss stripes). - Construction: Canvassed. - Vents: Center or Side Vents. - Purpose: Business attire / office environment (it is a bonus should I can use it for social too). - Location: Australia (MTM or bespoke is beyond my budget; online is the option). - Build: Slim but not skinny with slight muscle (36" chest with 29-30"waist). - Cut: Slim is preferred but not skinny fit. - Budget: I am a newbie in the corporate environment and my salary is slightly above market average for a Business Analyst hence I am still unsure on whether I should invest $1000 for a suit or not. Considering: - Dior Homme EU46 [is it worthy at $800 for post 2004 edition? Kindly advise in regards to the construction too since I heard after 2004, it skims its quality] - Brooks Brothers Black Fleece [available from the site. Heard many good things about this. Kindly advise on the sizing whether my size is 0 or 1 and whether is it worthy at $1100 or not.] - Thom Browne [as above] - Ralph Lauren Black Label / Purple Label [I understand that Purple Label is better in terms of quality. Please suggest on how can I get any one of these online and when is the best time to get it] I am open to all suggestions and advise from the experts here and does not dismiss other brands too. My decision will be based on the best value for money (price vs quality). Time is not really an issue here. I am comfortable with waiting until the best option arises rather than buying a suit that I ended up not wearing. I understand that there are several catastrophic combination factors that make my quest becoming more difficult: Living in Australia, hardest size to find (size 36), Rarest color to find on sale (Gray), Canvassed construction. However I do believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I believe that this forum could provides me information. Thank you very much in advance and thanks for being a very reliable source of information. I learned so many things from this board. Looking forward to hearing back from all of you. Have a lovely weekend.

Journeyman · Aug 3, 2008

Ralph Lauren Black Label (RLBL) and Adriano & Sons are both made by Raffaele Caruso.
Quality is very good and the cut is reasonably slim, particularly in the trousers.
In my experience, you don't often see Caruso, RLBL or Adriano & Sons on the internet, although Yoox does stock them sometimes.

An Australian alternative that you might like to consider is Herringbone.
Their suits are (as far as I am aware) all made in Japan, and they are well constructed.
Most jackets are fully canvassed and the cuts are very nice.
Prices for suits seem to run from just under $1000 to just under $1600 at full retail.
However, you can purchase at substantial discount in their sales, but do be aware that smaller sizes such as 36/46 may well sell out earlier in the season and thus there won't be any stock left to go on sale.
Well worth a look for comparison purposes.

JTA · Aug 3, 2008

Thanks for the suggestion.

Do you know when is the sale period for Herringbone?
I am living in Sydney at the moment.

Update: Adriano & Sons and Boss Selection are out of the equation now.

JayJay · Aug 4, 2008

I recommend Black Fleece. It's well worth the discounted price.

JTA · Aug 5, 2008

Hi JayJay, Just a quick question, is Black Fleece offers the best value of all above? Thanks for the input, I will have a look upon their site

I've been researching a lot recently and now I'm narrowing it down into: - Brooks Brothers Black Fleece (hopefully they still carry my size, is 36 a BB0 or BB1?). - Thom Browne (is Black Fleece or Thom Browne offers better quality? As above is it size 0 or 1?). - Dior Homme (Post 2004). - Band of Outsiders (I like the style. What would a size 36 be in BoO? Is it size 1 or 2? Of all the above: - Quality wise, which one is the better one? - Which is more appropriate for business environment (if I can wear it for social, that's a bonus)? - Price vs Quality ratio, which one should I pick? Thank you very much!

Journeyman · Aug 5, 2008

Well, according to a sizing chart that shows up on the following page of the Brooks Brothers' website, a 36 chest is a BB0: http://www.brooksbrothers.com/BB_Bla...25417&CurSeq=1 Here's the Black Fleece sale page on the BB website: http://www.brooksbrothers.com/blackf...en_viewall.tem If I remember correctly, BB charges quite a bit for overseas shipping, but if you really want a Black Fleece suit then you may well be happy to pay their shipping charges. I suggest that you go through each combo on those pages and see if they have a BB0 in stock for any of the items. Unfortunately, it seems that US36 suits often sell out quite quickly as I suspect that retailers don't stock that many of them as it is not in great demand. A friend of mine who is a size 36 has experienced this issue with Herringbone suits - the ones he likes often sell out quickly in size 36.

JTA · Aug 5, 2008

Hmmm... You made a good point. I was the one who said I am unsure whether I should bank out $1000 for suit or not

Yet some of the brands I mention are exceeding $1000, I guess this forum is "contageous" and made me caught up when I did my research... I will bring it back to my original factor, which is price vs quality. Nevertheless if the suit is really worth to be a good investment.... I might consider. Just out of curiousity regarding Herringbone, last time I saw one on sale at David Jones (size 36) for A$600 (40% off from A$1000), does it worth the price? If I want to put Herringbone with above brand, where would it be? (I understand some of the people might "bash" me on it).

Toorman · Aug 5, 2008

You might wish to consider which one actually fits you best. For instance, when I tried on the Black Fleece (older and newer models) I came away disappointed. Even more so now that they are 50% off. Much preferred my Black Label and various others in my closet. Your mileage will vary. Get the one that fits best or at least provides the best overall combo of fit/value.

JayJay · Aug 5, 2008

Originally Posted by Toorman

You might wish to consider which one actually fits you best. For instance, when I tried on the Black Fleece (older and newer models) I came away disappointed. Even more so now that they are 50% off. Much preferred my Black Label and various others in my closet. Your mileage will vary. Get the one that fits best or at least provides the best overall combo of fit/value.
+1. Get the one that fits you best.

For me, Black Fleece fits me exceptionally well with a few alterations. On the other hand, I have never been able to wear any RL jackets without major alterations, this includes Purple label.

JTA · Aug 6, 2008

Thanks for the insight.

You are right, fit is the most important part.

At the moment I have two suits (1 Marco Valentino and 1 Mark Stephen Marengo).
The Mark Stephen Marengo really has awesome fit on me compare to MV that is a bit more conventional.

Let's say if we forget the fit and focus on the fabric, construction, details, cut and price (price Vs quality ratio) of Black Fleece, Thom Browne, Dior Homme, Black Label and Band of Outsiders.

Kindly advise:
Fabric: (1-10), Construction: (1-10), Details: (1-10), Cut: (1-10) and Price (1-10).

Thanks!

Journeyman · Aug 6, 2008

It's going to be very difficult for anyone to rate the "cut" of a suit for you, as it's such a subjective thing. Some people love slim-cut suits, or suits that have a lot of waist suppression in the jacket, or suits that have very lightly padded shoulders, or suits with narrow lapels - whilst others love the exact opposite.

Really, if you're going to be spending $1000 on a suit, the best thing is to try it on.
Unfortunately, as you are in Australia, there's no way to do that with BB Black Fleece or with Thom Browne unless you travel overseas.
You can, however, try on both Caruso and RL Black Label (which are rebadged Caruso) in Australia as I believe that the RL Polo stores in Sydney and Melbourne carry RL Black Label (and should carry some items of Purple Label, too, I believe) and Harrolds in Sydney carries Caruso.

Unfortunately, I have no idea if anyone stocks BoO suits in Australia.

At the risk of confusing the issue, as you seem to be looking for a slender-cut suit in a small size, you might want to think about Thick as Thieves (TaT) suits, which are produced by a forum member here, GetSmart. I have no personal experience with them, but they do look pretty good and they seem to be well made and good value. TaT has its own website - just do a search for Thick as Thieves.

Toorman · Aug 6, 2008

Originally Posted by JTA

Thanks for the insight.

You are right, fit is the most important part.

At the moment I have two suits (1 Marco Valentino and 1 Mark Stephen Marengo).
The Mark Stephen Marengo really has awesome fit on me compare to MV that is a bit more conventional.

Let's say if we forget the fit and focus on the fabric, construction, details, cut and price (price Vs quality ratio) of Black Fleece, Thom Browne, Dior Homme, Black Label and Band of Outsiders.

Kindly advise:
Fabric: (1-10), Construction: (1-10), Details: (1-10), Cut: (1-10) and Price (1-10).

Thanks!

There is no substantial difference between these makers in terms of fabric, construction, details, etc. Some are produced in the same factory and will be exactly the same in terms of the above. The only difference will be in cut which varies. Price is also difficult to judge because suits - even the quality suits you are looking at - are routinely found on sale at 50% off and more. All that remains is to go out and shop. Try things on and see what you like. I would check out the Caruso another poster mentioned. I found one in a shirt store in Manhattan that I love. Even prefer over my Black Label. (Same factory just a different cut. In fact, the Caruso is a 40 where the Black Label is a 42.)

snow_leopard · Aug 6, 2008

Hi there. I can offer my advice based on buying and wearing Band of Outsiders, Thom Browne and Black Fleece.

BoO - Fit 9. Details 9. Cut 9 (These clothes are cut very slim. Very. No room for extra pounds here!). Price 8 (I sometimes wish for a little more detail because of the price).

Thom Browne - Fit 10. Details 10 (Always lots of super chic details on the suits). Cut 10 (Again, cut slim and the clothes can be altered to give you a little extra room). Price 7 (Yes, the clothes are expensive. Get ready for sticker shock if you are paying full price. You might be able to get a bespoke suit (or two!) for the same price).

Black Fleece - Fit 8. Details 8. Cut 8. Price 7. (I have a few BF items but no suits. Since Thom Browne does design the line, there are some nice details. The close are cut slim but not as much as his work line or BoO. I think there is enough material there for you to have it cut the way you like.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions about TB or BoO, let me know. I own a lot of their clothes.

JTA · Aug 7, 2008

Hi there, Thank you very much for everyone responses. Been very helpful

Snow leopard, please kindly advise in regards to the size correlation to 36 in TB, BB BF and BoO and whether the suit is suitable for office environment or not. Thanks in advance

I am interested with their timeless and classic design and concept. For reference. My chest circumference is 36 inches measured, when I wore thin t-shirt only, using tape and I didn't give space, while for my waist I normally wear size 30 pants but 29 fits me better (only because I am taking precaution that I might gain weight). Thanks!

Baldessarini, Black Fleece, Boss Selection, Dior Homme, Thom Browne Suit

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