Ok after 40 years I've decided I need a suit. Can't put it off any longer

Need something suitable for a job interview or the usual funeral/wedding (same thing right? )

Where should I go? I can't spend BIG BIG bucks on this but I still want good quality.

Thanks guys.

K&G used to have good deals but I think its turned into a local version of Marshalls / TJ Max

Jos A bank usually has silly buy 1 get 2 free sales which don't lend much to there original price

I've got one I bought for weddings/funerals from Mens Wearhouse and its average and was probably $250. Check their sales

I know a place at the apparel mart that will sell you a $1000-$1500 suit for $400 but that's a lot of money for a limited use suit

Something like this would probably be just fine.... Currently $297

http://www.josbank.com/menswear/shop/Product_11001_10050_357198

I get the best deals at black friday/thursday at Macys.  Typically $190 for a $300-350 wool suit.  Stay away from polyester.  It doesn't wear well or last long.

Macys. Go when they are having sales and you will find a $400 or so suit for about half price. Dillard's is also another good option. Belk at Phipps Plaza is also a good place to look.

That you are even suggesting these sources is an indication that aren't speaking with authority on this subject. What you're telling this man is the equivalent of telling someone who want a carry pistol that a Hi Point is good enough for a limited use weapon. You don't need a $3,000 custom 1911, but Lorcin quality won't do for someone serious about this subject.

If you want a quality suit and aren't prepared to shop around at Goodwill or ebay, or you don’t know what you're looking at or for, the best option is to go to Brooks Brothers or Nordstrom and let their staff fit you. Have a budget of around $800, and let them do the work. They are very good at sticking with your budget and making you look good. Nordstrom also has in house tailoring for minor alterations like sleeve lengths, button moves, and darting to bring the waist in. Stick with a traditional suit, not a trendy narrow lapel or short coat. There are VERY few people on whom pleated pants are a good look. If you're heavier, the effect is even worse.

For under $1,000, you're not going to get a fully canvased jacket, but you can get a quality wool suit that will last you a long time. There is quality and fit to be gained by spending more, but the cost to benefit ratio drops as you go up. The suit needs to be grey or navy, and i err on the side of grey. Avoid pinstripes and especially chalk stripes. They aren't as flexible for an only suit.

Start looking on ebay for quality shoes. I have two pair of Allen Edmonds that were each over $300 new. It took a lot of watching, because I wear a EEE width, but I got each for less than $80.

Watch for Belk sales.  My last one came from there, I wear it maybe 3 - 4 times a year.

Also, Nordstrom Rack has great deals on the same suits that would cost twice as much if they were at the regular store.

You don't know what you don't know. Unless you know my wholesale guy at the apparel mart, please don't speak from inexperience

I never claimed to be an expert. I do believe he doesn't need a $1000-$1500 suit for weddings/funerals/job interviews unless he wants to be a male model or a fashion desgner.

It's my belief from experience, not as an expert, that the Nordstrom $1000 suit, the Jos A Bank $300 suit on sale (Allegedly a $1200 suit Ha), and the Brooks Brothers suits are nearly identical in "moderate"quality. I've shopped at all three stores. The Jos A Bank Traveler shirts have time and time again been rated the best "real life" washable shirts on the market.

Now if we get into shirts and socks, there are few reasons to spend a lot of money. Again, you see some benefits, especially if you have an oddbody that doesn't take to off the rack shirts too well. But most real folks can buy real shirts for far less than Brooks Brothers Black Fleece prices. It can be hard to find true dress shirts, though (no front pocket).

I shop almost exclusively at Goodwill, with some ebay for things I KNOW will fit. I pick up a lot of Polo Ralph Lauren, a few RRL, and the occasional odd piece like Hart Schaffner and Marx. I've seen Zegna and other very high end brands. I've got some J Press and J Crew stuff from there. I've got a few no-name or off-brand items that are well made from quality fabrics. But shirts I get all over the place. Goodwill has a lot of Brooks shirts, which are nice, but never in larger sizes. I can't quite fit in a 15.5/34 shirt. Ross has some nicer shirts for cheap, same with some ties. I'm a huge fan of Trump ties, but I'm not spending $50 for one. Ross has them pretty often for cheap. Trump shirts are also fairly nice, but many of them are french cuffs.

Socks: Target. Merona and Mossimo dress socks are good.

Even if you buy a cheap suit, go to Nordstrom and try everything on. Feel how an expensive suit is cut and shaped (suits should be 3-dimensional), and how it feels to sit and move in it. Learn what you're looking for in shoulder shape and width. Learn about low and high cut armholes. Learn about canvassing,  even if your budget won't get you a fully canvassed jacket. Learn about the angle that the arms are sewn to the jacket. If you get wrinkles on the backs or fronts of the sleeves, it's not cheap or easy (or sometimes even possible) to rotate the angle of the dangle.

Go learn.

The most important thing is being properly fitted for suits and shirts. Nothing worse than seeing a man wear a poor fitting suit, makes you look sloppy.

Ive had good luck at the Brooks Brothers Outlet store.  It certainly isn't dirt cheap, but i felt like i received a fair deal and their staff was very helpful in deciding what matches and how to have the suit tailored.  IMHO, making sure the suit fits properly is as, or more, important than the brand you buy.

Shoe's are going to be a nightmare. I wear a size 15.

I suspect this will only get worn one or two times in the next 10 years. But quality is always a good investment.


So lets say sub 800? What are my options there?

I wear a suit every day for work and bought my last one at Kohls for $125 and it looks and has lasted just as long as the $500 suits I own.

I needed to purchase a suit for graduate school interviews, so I did a lot of shopping around for the best value and fit. I ended up purchasing my suit from Jos A Banks for what I felt was a great price for a great fitting suit. I highly recommend their Traveler Collection. The sticker price was $795 and I got it for $275. Never pay attention to their sticker prices since they have sales so frequently. They also have an in house tailor who can handle all your alteration needs.

After a couple decades of living in a suit for a living (well, most days... ) my preference for looks/comfort is Jos A  Bank.
Often they have their fake buy 1 get 2 or 3 free sale. That is when to buy of course.
Go as high end as you can afford.
Low end I think is $300 and high end for them I think is $900 or so which is really is not outrageous if you have to live in it for hours at a time.

They have tailors on site which will fit them for you. Makes a big difference. Your dry cleaner can likely do it as well and for less.

But do you really need to spend that kinda of cash on an interview and occasional wedding/funeral? Maybe not.

You can get dress "looking" shoes at places like sketchers that are comfortable and affordable.

J & R Clothes in Fayetteville has some nice stuff and pretty good prices. They'll fit you and they do alterations on site.

You can still find decent suits at K&G. It just really depends on what they have on the day that you are there. I have bought Kasper, Jones New York , etc. at K&G. Men's Wearhouse owns them, now. Many times you can find the same suits for half of the price.

Jos A Banks is solid, too.

I never understood why anyone would spend a grand on a suit, unless they were filthy rich. I have $150 suits from K&G that have lasted me over 10 years.

For your HUGE shoes, I would check K&G and if they don't have them, try Bennie's Shoes in Buckhead.

Brooks Brothers, can't go wrong with a classic.

 

I'm sure a classy guy.  Go get a suit from Men's Wearhouse or Jos. A Bank.  Only for the classiest, distinguished gentleman.

Brooks Brothers. They are currently having a sale.

Accountant

+1 for Brooks Brothers.

The suits there are high quality, fit better than Jos a banks and elsewhere, and if cared for will last for a very very long time. Plan on spending $600-800. Whatever you get - make sure it's 100% wool - poly blends look cheap and will not last as long.

Jos. A Bank if you don't plan to wear it much. They fall apart.

Brooks Brothers would be my pick.

Brooks Brothers all the way.  Wool only.  Like someone else said, go with the grey.  I wear Allan Edmonds.  Little over $300.00 at Bennie's.  You can check Freidman's on Mitchell street.  They sell to a lot of pro basketball players when they are in town.  Also get cedar shoe trees.  Combats smell and maintains the structure of the shoe.  BTW, Seattle just intercepted SF.  Looks like game over.  Seattle wins.

Go try on Allen Edmonds at Bennies. Then buy your size on ebay. I've gotten two pair this way. I don't feel bad about it because I bought discontinued models. If you buy older models of shoes, do some research so that you can try on a shoe built on the same last as the discontinued model. Allen Edmonds phone support is awesome if you have questions.

 

I have a pair of Allen Edmonds Long Branch boots and they are easily the most comfortable shoes that I have ever put on my feet. They are also the most expensive shoes that I have ever bought. They won't be my last pair of Allen Edmonds, that is for sure.

Find a place with an instore tailor and that sells Hickey Freeman......I have Hickey Freeman suits and Johnston & Murphy shoes that are in perfect condition and older than my stepdaughter ( in her 30's) from when I sold clothes in a high end store in Macon when I was in college.....

Mens wearhouse does a pretty damn good job. I have never had a problem with their suits, and they have lasted quite a few years now.

Rant follows:

Guys flying a yellow flag shopping at stores that import nothing but Chicom and third world goods...that's rich.

At least I'm seeing a little support for the made in America Allen Edmonds.  But trying on the shoes at Bennies and then buying on line?  Nice...

What happens when Bennies goes under?  You gonna be a Zappos metro guy?

Whatever happened to taking care of the people that take care of you?  I'm sure you'd love it if your economic livelihood was treated that way by your customer base.  Or is the whole world just a commodity business?  Customer service doesn't matter?

Hickey Freeman and Hart, Schaffner and Marx are made in the USA.  They're available at Nordstrom's (Rack too), Dillards, Macy's etc.

Or you can go back to flying your chicom made yellow flags...they won't be able to take that away from you until Walmart stops importing them.

[/rant]  I feel better now.

Apologies in advance to the thin skinned that I've offended.  The interwebz is a wonderful place.

Oh, and you can buy the US made suits at 35-40% of "list" price at the store's semi-annual sales.  That makes them more than competitive with the chicom knockoffs.

Everybody here runs a chicom knockoff instead of surefire's, larue's, or magpuls, right?

Did you read where I have only bought discontinued Allen Edmonds shoes online? I tried on a pair of Park Avenues to check size and width, even though I didn't buy a shoe made on the same last as the PA. My favorite two sport coats are a Brooks Brothers navy camel hair and a HSM grey windowpane. Both wer3 purchased at Goodwill.

I don't necessarily support buying US made just for the sake of it. Our level of comfort and living in this country DEPENDS upon other nations selling us the stuff that they make far cheaper than we ever could. I DO support buying quality,  which is often but not always made in the US, or at least not a 3rd world country.

Back on topic: buying shoes. Don't be afraid to spend $300 on a pair of shoes, even if your suit barely cost that much. You will look better for it, and your feet will thank you. For your first pair, they will have to be multipurpose; they'll have to work with as many colors and types of attire as possible. I strongly recommend brown, toward the chocolate spectrum, not the reddish lighter side. They'll go with every color except a black suit. If you get a cap toe, especially one with very minimal broguing, you can use these shoes for everything from formal interviews to business casual with khakis. I would rather have something less formal for khakis, but they'll work.



These are both of my ebay Allen Edmonds: Byron and some unknown model white bucks. They've got a Cody insole, but the Cody model was never a buck or suede shoe. Either way, even if they're complete fakes, they're comfy and put together well. I paid less for them on ebay than offbrand white bucks would've cost.



The Byron is a pretty good semibrogue captoe. It's a great all-purpose shoe for me. Ran me $80 on ebay, and they were recrafted before I got them. While this model is discontinued,  Allen Edmonds makes several shoes that are similar now. Stay away from the AE line of Allen Edmonds. They are imported junk for the most part. They are not built the same, and won't hold up for decades like the Allen Edmonds line will. If you were looking for cheaper shoes, I'd consider a different brand than the cheaper AE line. There are some $150-200 brands out there that are okay.

Aldens last longer than Allen Edmonds - but are heavier and usually more expensive.

Allen Edmonds is *usually* the entry level into real dress shoes. You're right about Alden, and you can also lump Edward Green, Peal & Co., Loake, and many others in that same group of "better and more expensive."  Brooks Brothers brand shoes are in that group, too, because they're usually made by Alden.

http://putthison.com/post/68275226897/does-it-fit-checklist-a-friend-of-mine-recently

Back to fitting a suit, read the above.

Does anyone know where I can get an athletic fit suit? Macy's used to carry Jones New York, which had them, but they are dropping them and getting either regular suits or slim fit, because thats whats in style. Athetic cut suits allow me to avoid the expensive tailoring.

 






 

http://lifehacker.com/this-visual-guide-outlines-how-mens-suits-should-fit-1444682567