Thrillist Thrillist
  • Watch
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Entertainment
  • Cities
Thrillist
  • Watch
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Entertainment
  • Cities
  • view search area view search area

    Popular Searches

    • Brunch
    • Coffee
    • Pizza
    • Beer

    Top Results

Thrillist
  • view navigation area
  • view search area view search area view search area
Sponsored

10 Things You Need to Know Before You Buy a Suit

By David Blend Published On 01/11/2015
@daveblend
By David Blend @daveblend Published On 01/11/2015
  • Share on Facebook
  • Tweet this article
  • Pin it
  • Email
Courthouse steps
Photos by Anthony Humphreys. Styling by Nicki Raffa.

Guys are trained to think of suits as big-ticket purchases they can only afford one of, like a car, or a pet albino python. But the suiting game has changed; quality and affordability are no longer mortal enemies. Armed with the right info, there’s no reason you can’t own a different suit for every day of the week. We talked to Eric Cano, Senior Stylist at our brother site JackThreads, about exactly why you can snag something sharp for far less than you’d think -- and why you should.

related

10 ways JackThreads buyers go to extremes to help you look good

More Like This

related

Lifestyle
20 Craft Brews that Prove There's a Beer for Everyone

related

Lifestyle
11 Gear Essentials To Cover All Your Spring Needs

related

Lifestyle
13 American Food Markets You Must Visit Before You Die

related

Lifestyle
22 Chefs Tell Us What They'd Eat Every Day if They Could
Hangin' by benches
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

More money doesn’t mean better fit

Obviously if you go fully bespoke and have dozens of measurements taken over the course of 2-3 trips (and several thousand dollars), you’re going to get a suit more tailored to your unique physique. But if you’re buying off the rack -- and make no mistake, you can get a damn fine product off the rack -- you’re not going to notice an appreciably better fit between a $150 suit and a $600 suit. It’s that single after-purchase trip to the tailor that’s going to make all the difference. Cano’s advice? “Save $450, and make your tailor your best friend.”

  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

It doesn’t guarantee better construction either

There are two basic types of suit construction: canvassing, and fusing. Canvassing is the top-tier method -- canvassed suits can last for decades vs. years -- but to get it you have to pay significantly more. Why? Because many designer labels offer suits that cost $200-$400 more than what you might feel like spending, yet are still made with the fusion method. You could pay all that extra money, and your suit’s manufacture still wouldn’t be drastically different.

In fusion’s favor: one of the method’s biggest issues used to be bubbling in the interlining, but technology’s largely erased that problem, so your suit’ll still be smooth and slick.

Date
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

You might not want your suit to last forever

Style doesn’t stand still. You might not want to invest a ton of money in a suit that, a decade from now, will retain all of its shape and none of its cool. This isn’t a knock against fine suits -- fine suits are just fine -- it’s just a matter of where your priorities lie.

Rooftop
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

Synthetics are no longer sub-par

Fabricologists (or whatever fabric scientists are called) have made tremendous advances with synthetics like polyester and nylon, making them less shiny and more stylish. These fabrics have always been less expensive than cotton, whose market can fluctuate wildly. Now they’re just as good-looking, and just as capable of making women’s (and office enemies’) hearts fluctuate wildly.

related

5 Standby Dishes Every Restaurant Should Make Better

related

10 Bourbons You Can Afford to Drink Every. Single. Day.
Skateboarding
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

You won’t feel the difference

Nobody except the douchiest of bags is going to know what material your suit’s made of on sight. More importantly to a man who doesn’t care what other people think, you’re not going to be any less comfortable either, because synthetics are also more breathable than they used to be. Oh and by the way, 100% wool GETS INSANELY HOT.

Sitting on stairs with a girl
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

Even the little details can be yours for less

At one point, working buttonholes were the sign of an expensive suit. Now that telling detail can be found on well-made suits at far lower price points. It might seem like a small thing, but some people charge a lot for small things. The important thing to know is that not everyone does.

Walking in shades
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

Spending less means expressing yourself more...

“If all you have is a black suit, you’re good for weddings, funerals, and nightclubs,” cautions Cano. And suits aren’t just for work anymore either (these days most people don’t wear them to work, period), they can be more an expression of style. Point being, if you spend smartly, you can use a variety of suits to express your many… moods. Here’s Cano’s ascending levels of unconventionality:

Basic Colors: workplace grays/blues/tans, for looking sharp without making too many waves

Pinstripes: well, you’re making a few waves now, aren’t you?

Checks & Plaids: you’re pushing boundaries, but you’re not blowing boundaries up

Tartan: you’re wearing a kilt as a suit, and it’s awesome

Colorblocking: you’re a male runway model; also, you’re wearing sneakers

Not all of these will work for everybody, but if you’re not senselessly blowing tons of money on one suit, you can buy many suits -- and if it turns out you can’t pull one of them off as well as you thought you might, you’ll still be able to put your future children through four years of college and one year of screwing around in Colorado.

Hanging with this dog
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

... and more

Affordable suits also come with all the lapel options of their more expensive brethren. If you want a classic notch lapel, you’re golden, or you could subtly distinguish yourself with a thinner notch style. If you’re after a more rakish, peak lapel, you’re good there too. If you’re extremely style-forward you can even find no-lapel suits at solid prices. “You’ll look like a priest, or like you’re from the future,” says Cano. “It’s not something every guy aspires to, but it’s good to know that if you want to give it a shot, you don’t have to risk your entire bank account.”

related

22 Chefs Tell Us What They'd Eat Every Day if They Could
Jaywalking?
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

You won’t miss brick and mortar

Buying online is less expensive, but what about that great service experience? If you hit a super-high-end store, odds are your salesman will know everything -- and he damn well should, because his commission’ll be higher than you actually need to spend on a suit. But at a mid-level store where suits still cost more than they should, you might get great service, or you might get some kid working a summer job who knows less about suits than you do. These days you can learn all you need to know from trusted blogs, and you won’t pay extra for it.

Coffee
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it

Presentation’s more important than price

“If you carry yourself well and have a nice haircut and nice shoes, people are going to think your suit is expensive,” says Cano, who does have a pretty sweet haircut, but is currently wearing a sweater. Still, this seems like excellent advice. Take it to heart, and go suit up.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Tweet this article
  • Pin it
  • Email
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Entertainment
  • Cities
    • Atlanta
    • Atlantic City
    • Austin
    • Boston
    • Charleston
    • Charlotte
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • Dallas
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Hamptons
    • Honolulu
    • Houston
    • Indianapolis
    • Las Vegas
    • Los Angeles
    • Louisville
    • Memphis
    • Miami
    • Milwaukee
    • Minneapolis
    • Nashville
    • New Orleans
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Phoenix
    • Pittsburgh
    • Portland
    • San Antonio
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
    • Seattle
    • Washington DC
    • Amsterdam
    • Berlin
    • London
    • Montreal
    • Paris
    • Toronto
Thrillist

LIVE LIFE TO THE THRILLIST

  • Advertise With Us
  • Careers
  • Press
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms + Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • SnapChat
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

subscribe with your email

Group Nine Media

© 2019 Group Nine Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

  • Want More?
    Like Us
  • Share on Facebook
  • Pin it
  • Tweet this article
  • Share on Google+
  • Email