Where to buy suits from?

[kalniel]

Any recommendations for online/high street shops to get mens suits from?

I'm after something a bit more casual than the usual dark grey jobby, but my usual two stores (burton, moss bros) are basically sold out of just about anything in my size (a distinctly average 38 jacket/32S trousers) which mildly disgusts me. Then again I'm not looking to spend too much either.

Cheers,

[0iD]

Do you have a 'Suits You' store or Debenhams?

[shaithis]

but my usual two stores are basically sold out of just about anything in my size which mildly disgusts me.

I guess the Autumn collections will be arriving soon, no point re-stocking stuff that will hit the sales soon.

[GheeTsar]

How much is your budget? Just that there are a number of firms that now do bespoke suits in whatever material you want for not a lot more than an off-the-peg suit.

Eg: King and Allen: http://www.kingandallen.co.uk

If you want to go to the high street, then both Suits You and M&S do good priced suits.

[Phage]

+1 Suits you
Also TM Lewin have a Sale right now.

[0iD]

I personally love Ted Baker suits good for chaps with a slimmer frame.

[kalniel]

Do you have a 'Suits You' store or Debenhams?

Sadly not near no Though I'd not really heard of Suits You before so thanks for the recommendation.

I guess the Autumn collections will be arriving soon, no point re-stocking stuff that will hit the sales soon.

Guess so. But some of us have Races to unexpectedly go to! Next question: Trilbys...

How much is your budget? Just that there are a number of firms that now do bespoke suits in whatever material you want for not a lot more than an off-the-peg suit.

Eg: King and Allen: http://www.kingandallen.co.uk

Lovely.. but unfortunately out of budget - it's not something I'll use that often so I'm aiming for <£150. Which I guess probably means a cheap linen jobby.

[Lee H]

I personally love Ted Baker suits good for chaps with a slimmer frame.

I'll remember that once I decide to replace my aging YSL suit.

It took me ages to find one that fitted correctly on my small frame - all 5 feet 6 inch of it

[IBM]

Bicester Village

[Stringent]

Burtons are pretty good and cheap. Got jacket for £65 and trousers for £30.

[kalniel]

Burtons are pretty good and cheap. Got jacket for £65 and trousers for £30.

Yup they're ace.. apart from the fact they don't have any stock at the moment.

[0iD]

If you're really stuck, there's always ASDA & Tesco.

[peterb]

M&S have a pretty good range.

[0iD]

M&S have a pretty good range.

QFT, forgot about good old M&S. Still do quality clothing

[kalniel]

If you're really stuck, there's always ASDA & Tesco.

They do suits?!

Cheers guys, some places to look at, specially if I can get a trip into somewhere that has some shops too.. new thread for hats methinks

[Saracen]

....

Lovely.. but unfortunately out of budget - it's not something I'll use that often so I'm aiming for <£150. Which I guess probably means a cheap linen jobby.

If you'll up your budget a bit, you can do a LOT better than a cheap linen job, if you hunt around and are prepared to bide your time a bit.

You might start at Charles Tyrwhitt

I've had suits form them, and am very impressed with value for money. The materials are good quality, the tailoring very good for the price, and the prices ... well, I'll come back to that in a sec.

What impresses me is their guarantee

We want you to love our products as much as we do but if you don't then you can send them back to us within three months of purchase. Our three month guarantee is unconditional, so you can send the item back whether you have worn it, washed it or the dog has chewed it. We will be happy to offer a full refund or exchange it for another product. We don't refund the original post and packaging charge but if you just want us to exchange the item then you don't pay any postage for the replacement.

If you do need to return something then this is at your own cost and we strongly recommend you obtain a proof of postage which is free of charge at any post office. Once you have your proof of postage you don't need to call us to tell us, just sit back and wait for your replacement product or your refund to arrive.

Our returns policy is different during our sale.

It's a bit restricted during sales, but only in that you only get 14 days.

There is only one exception to our three month guarantee and that is for items purchased as part of our sale. Our sale is very popular and we would like to be able to offer unworn but unwanted items to other customers, so you have only fourteen days from receipt to return an item if you find that it wasn't what you wanted.

Now, prices.

Tyrwhitt seem to me to have a more or less perpetual sale on. What's in it varies, as does how much discount you get. It seems to work kind-of like a Dutch auction .... the longer you wait, the lower the prices get, but the greater the chances of what you want not being available in your size. So you risk losing out.

Anyway, that means I don't pay any attention the the headline prices. A £500 suit on 50% is, as far as I'm concerned, a £250 suit that's being offered for sale. I'm bit bit sceptical about whether it actually was really sold at £500, though for legal reasons, it may be that it genuinely was offered at that price, even if only to later qualify for sale price.

However, personally, I don't give a fig whether the sale price is notional or not, I just ignore it. What bothers me is, for what I'm paying, am I getting a product I want and of a quality that I expect and that justifies the price.

And I have to say I feel I do with them. My mother-in-law worked in the rag trade for years, and she's very fussy about quality, about the material, about stitching, seams and cut. And she gave their suits a critical examination and passed them as acceptable to her. Believe me, that's an accolade.

So .... £150? I doubt it. But under £200? Certainly possible, if you pick the right item and time it right. Currently, their sale items start at £185 ... and what you get, IMHO, isn't a cheap job.

Sometimes, it's worth paying a bit more because you can step up a lot in quality for a modest extra amount.

I don't wear a suit often, either (thank goodness). But when I do, I want it to look good, not to look like a cheap suit. Tyrwhitt achieves that, at least, for me. Maybe I'm a shape and size where they hang right and look good, but they DO look good. Feel good, too.

Their ethos is quality and value. And, IMHO, they back it up. That guarantee hints at that too, because if they weren't confident, they couldn't offer that. I haven't many suits from them, but I get most of my shirts from them, and they do live up to their customer support claims, too.

Oh, and they have a few high street stores too .... from their Jermyn Street showpiece, to a handful round the country, to a few international sites.

They're not cheap, but IMHO, they do give you a significant gain over what you might expect for the money, and if you can up the budget a bit, they're worth at least checking out, if no more than seeing what's currently in their sale.