Anyone else try shopping for a suit recently...? Disaster!

censuspro · 30-11-2011 12:46am #1

I've been meaning to get two new suits so today I decided to go shopping and and went to a few shops in Dundrum. Every pair that I tried on, the trousers were literally bet into my crotch and thighs. It's as if the suits are made for those androgynous, over eager 12 year old boy types. The other thing I noticed was the lining of the jackets in bright luminous colours. These were well known brands like strellson, Baumler, Tommy Hilfiger, Remus Uomo.

I'm considering going to M&S where I can mix and match the trouser and shirts. Did anyone else have the same experience or have any recommendations?

That_Guy · 30-11-2011 12:55am

Have you tried getting fitted mate?

Snowie · 30-11-2011 1:11am

M&S make savage suits :cool: all the girls say i look damm good in a suit

VinLieger · 30-11-2011 1:13am

Arnotts is where to go imo, they will fit it and alter it for you, got 2 nice suits there last year

sh1tstirrer · 30-11-2011 1:17am

Are you saying that there was no ball room in the suits you tried on?

Victor Meldrew · 30-11-2011 9:08am

Dundrum is not a good place for suits.

Try a proper men's shop. Generally German Brands are better suited to the Irish Male than Italian brands..

Pawwed Rig · 30-11-2011 10:25am

I had the same problem when recently getting a suit. The choice seemed to be, take a jacket that fitted or a trousers that fitted but not both. Didn't really understand why as I was spending 400-500 euro and ended up leaving the shop with nothing. I reckon to get a decent suit (ie a suit that fits and with zero polyester) you would need to spend a fair bit of cash say €400 each. The other posters suggestion of getting one fitted is a good one if you can stretch to it.
There was a tailor I used in Bangkok a few years ago and I got in contact with him. Sent him updated measurements and within 2 weeks 2 suits arrived at my house. Fitted perfectly and made from a cashmere-wool mix. €200 each

reprazant · 30-11-2011 11:59am

Are you going into brand shops or to suit shops?

I find suit shops to be by far the best places to get suits.

You will have a large range of all types of suits and lots of brands.

LeeHoffmann · 30-11-2011 12:18pm

My OH also finds it near impossible to find a properly fitting suit. I'll have to refer him to this thread. His problem is that if a jacket fits in the length and shoulders, it tends to be swimming around the tummy. It's as if men can't be both tall and of a normal weight

RDM_83 again · 30-11-2011 12:57pm

I actually don't understand the sizing/fit of work/suit trousers, like I can find pairs of jeans that fit right really easily (i'm about W32/34 L34) but trousers nearly always seem to be either swimming at the thighs/upper leg or extremely tight at the waist.

To anybody on a severe budget and the time (the dole

) I'd highly recommend trawling around charity shops for a good suit jacket then finding well fitting matching trousers from a retailer (awkward but can be done if you put in the time and have a photo of the jacket). Got 100% wool suit and ten shirts that retail for e100+ this way (shirts had dry cleaning receipts still attached so had really been taken care of).

OldGoat · 01-12-2011 11:33am

You won't get a suit that fits you off the rail. What you have to do is get the best (silghtly larger) fit you can find and then spend €50 getting it altered to your measurments. This is the way it has always been, it's the law of mens suits.

Also don't assume that the trousers and jacket on the hanger are only sold as a single unit. Take a jacket from one hanger and the trousers from a different hanger if thats going to give you a better fit.

Ask in the shop if they do alterations or if they have someone they recommend to do alterations. M&S did have a made to measure service available during the summer but I'm not sure if it's still available.

Otis Driftwood · 01-12-2011 2:09pm

Any suit Ive ever bought the shop always did any alterations required foc,in my case it was shortening the trousers.Stupid midget legs.:mad:

ICANN · 03-12-2011 3:28pm

I used to work in the menswear dept of Marks and Sparks and they're suits are grand. They look really nice- there used to be loads of business men and people getting them for weddings. Old school shops would do a good suit, I just don't know of any in Dublin.

brownacid · 03-12-2011 8:27pm

ICANN wrote: »

I used to work in the menswear dept of Marks and Sparks and they're suits are grand. They look really nice- there used to be loads of business men and people getting them for weddings. Old school shops would do a good suit, I just don't know of any in Dublin.

I would count Copeland's as an old school suit shop, they measure you up and find the best suit to fit you, then do any alterations that need to be done. I bought a suit a while back in a Dwyer's in Drogheda, the same treatment as above. I got an amazing three piece suit altered to fit, looks pretty darn good with the fitted jacket. A good fitted suit is a must have for any mans wardrobe.

Dont forget to get a good pair of shoes to match!

Cicero · 04-12-2011 8:39pm

Baulmer shop in Dawson st often have a sale...always found them good

3qsmavrod5twfe · 08-12-2011 10:41am

+1 on the M&S suits. Not being a regular suit wearer, I find them value for money and the quality is reasonably good.

d1975 · 08-12-2011 6:33pm

Pennys is always good for me, never had a problem buying suits that fit

ladhrann · 10-12-2011 11:29pm

M&S are generally regarded as the best ready-to-wear outfit at that price point.

If you are a difficult fit, instead of spending E50/E100 on altering a mass-market suit, go a step up to a made-to-measure/bespoke suit. Mass-produced suits do not have the material in the seams (called inlays) to be altered much at all.

The lifespan of a bespoke suit is much longer and of course the fit and style will be exactly what you want. You can get a fully canvassed suit made by an Irish tailor for c. E850.

It may appear to be a significant outlay but you do get what you pay for.

gaillimh · 08-02-2012 9:12pm

I have been looking for a suit for ages without success.
Recently I saw a really nice charcoal coloured Strellson Rick James suit jacket that fit me perfectly (a slim fit as I am a fairly small build).
The trousers though were slim fit as well and were very tight and slim leg and wouldn't have extended over the tongue of my shoes which I absolutely hate(I only ever wear boot cut jeans for this reason).

I ended up not buying the suit because of this. If I were to just purchase the jacket - do you think it would be possible to find suitable trousers somewhere that would match the jacket? Has anyone ever done this? I have only had about 2 suits before & have not had this problem before.

ladhrann · 09-02-2012 12:05am

Its almost impossible to match cloth like that. Even if you got a very close match it would never match exactly, and would give a two-tone effect.

nc6000 · 09-02-2012 9:23pm

Where's a good place in Dublin to get a suit properly altered?

have_a_go_hero · 09-02-2012 11:17pm

im starting my first full time job soon and need to get some suits...they need to be hard wearing and durable as ill be working in a hotel but also fit in with the environment and not be too flashy could anyone direct me to a website OR shop in the cork area...budget would be about €350 to start then after a few months i plan to buy more long-term suits....prob around the €600 mark...any help would be appreciated!

awec · 10-02-2012 12:16am

This post has been deleted.

have_a_go_hero · 10-02-2012 12:47am

I'd avoid a full wool suit,

what would you recommend ?

awec · 10-02-2012 1:42am

This post has been deleted.

ladhrann · 10-02-2012 2:12am

have_a_go_hero wrote: »

im starting my first full time job soon and need to get some suits...they need to be hard wearing and durable as ill be working in a hotel but also fit in with the environment and not be too flashy could anyone direct me to a website OR shop in the cork area...budget would be about €350 to start then after a few months i plan to buy more long-term suits....prob around the €600 mark...any help would be appreciated!

I would advise www.tom-murphy.ie in Cork they stock Magee which are the best of the Ready-to-Wear market in Ireland. See if you can get an extra pair of trousers, this will dramatically increase the life of the suit.

I would not agree with the poster who told you to go for a wool mix. The small increase in durability is not worth the loss of comfort, shape and breathability.

Polyester will wear hot, and would be unbearable all day everyday in a hotel. The only way to get good wear out of suits is to have a few, wear them in rotation and to not dry-clean them too often. Polyester mixes will also retain a lot of odour compared to wool including bar smells, smoke, body odour etc.

In the long-term if you're prepared to go for a very good suit, you can get a two-piece bespoke suit from Moynihans made in Cork city, from about E850.

2ndcoming · 10-02-2012 11:12am

I'm an average build, bout 5'10/11", bit of a gut, 34"/36" in jeans and I found Burton's great for suits, both of mine came in around the €120 mark and fit well, look smart and I've had no issue with quality.

DaDartle · 10-02-2012 11:31am

ladhrann wrote: »

I would advise www.tom-murphy.ie in Cork they stock Magee which are the best of the Ready-to-Wear market in Ireland. See if you can get an extra pair of trousers, this will dramatically increase the life of the suit.

I would not agree with the poster who told you to go for a wool mix. The small increase in durability is not worth the loss of comfort, shape and breathability.

Polyester will wear hot, and would be unbearable all day everyday in a hotel. The only way to get good wear out of suits is to have a few, wear them in rotation and to not dry-clean them too often. Polyester mixes will also retain a lot of odour compared to wool including bar smells, smoke, body odour etc.

In the long-term if you're prepared to go for a very good suit, you can get a two-piece bespoke suit from Moynihans made in Cork city, from about E850.

Hey ladhrann-

Good info regarding bespoke suits. Do you know anything about David Young in Galway? I'm living in Drogheda and he's the only bespoke tailor I've been able to find anything about on the internet. There doesn't seem to be many tailors making suits in Ireland and heading to Savile Row is out of the question price wise. It seems I'll have to travel to Galway or Cork, I'll have to look up Moynihans. Anything else you can share?

ladhrann · 13-02-2012 2:57pm

DaDartle wrote: »

Hey ladhrann-

Good info regarding bespoke suits. Do you know anything about David Young in Galway? I'm living in Drogheda and he's the only bespoke tailor I've been able to find anything about on the internet. There doesn't seem to be many tailors making suits in Ireland and heading to Savile Row is out of the question price wise. It seems I'll have to travel to Galway or Cork, I'll have to look up Moynihans. Anything else you can share?

No problem, I've been trying my best to encourage board-members to consider an Irish-made suit and to illustrate how comparatively affordable it is compared to U.K. prices. And also compared to the made-to-measure programmes offered by many people in connection with companies in the Far East.

For instance Harvey Nichols (Dundrum) offer a made-to-measure suit service for E800+, made in Egypt. For that money you can have an Irish made suit. They also offer shirts made-to-measure for E175, for that kind of money you can get hand-cut bespoke in London, or made-to-measure in Belfast (made in Derry) for £120 from Smyth and Gibson.

A few pieces of advice, to know what you are paying for you need to know what to look for in a suit and how the construction differs from the mass-market model. A lot of the difference in price and quality is down to the cloth and then the internal construction of the suit.

This link goes through what to look for in a suit i.e. pattern-matching, where stripes match up over pockets and where sleeves meet the body etc. http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=756

Have a read of various forums just to familiarise yourself with some of the terms and schools of styling. Have an idea about cloth, generally the heavier the better as it will wear better and look better. Think about getting an extra pair of trousers, to extend the life of the suit.

Read about and understand the difference between made-to-measure and bespoke, sadly both terms are often used interchangeably.

However having done all this research don't go into a tailor and start to barrage him with internet terminology or request an awful lot of handwork straight off the bat. Like any craftsman/woman they don't like to be told how to do their job by an amateur, would you tell a plumber how to lay pipes for instance.

Any other questions or if you want a list of tailors, feel free to pm me. There are many tailors still in Dublin, which would be closer than Cork/Galway

johner101 · 05-03-2012 4:33pm

if your looking for a master tailor in dublin try rjohnstonmastertailors.com

helimachoptor · 05-03-2012 9:17pm

I wear suits for work so generally buy 2 new ones every 6-9 months or so.

Mostly I get them from Best and in general i dont find them all that good. I bought 3 CK suits in NY a few years back and I still have them and they look great. Just a shame i didnt buy another pair of trousers.

Anyone else try shopping for a suit recently...? Disaster!

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