Slim fit suits for guys? Where?

maninblack

Starting a new job in a couple of weeks and I need to be wearing suits for this one.

I've only ever owned one suit which I've used for graduations/interviews/weddings etc. I usually just swap the shirt/tie combo and nobody really notices.

Those days are over now though, and I need to get my hands on maybe 3 or 4 suits to get me up and running.

The current suit I have is a Ted Baker and I'm not too keen on it tbh. The trousers are really baggy and I'm always kind of conscious of it.

I'm looking for some slim, fitted suits of a decent quality. Willing to pay maybe 3-500 per suit but definately no more than 500 (1300 is my max limit for this shopping trip).

This is the type of fit I'm looking for:
http://cache.pixazza.com/product/full/37e1a9f7c0.jpeg

Anybody know where I can get something like this in Dublin? And please, don't mention Topman. For some reason they just look really cheap and nasty to me.

Teyla Emmagan

Was at a thing on Saturday and one of the guys was getting lots of compliments on his suit. It was from Zara. Looked like that - could be worth a shot.

guerito

Also have a look in the Remus section, downstairs in Arnotts.

lainey316

*watches for appearance of OldGoat bemoaning the slim fit suit*

Might be worth having a look at some of the brands in BT and especially House of Fraser, but my first port of call would be Massimo Dutti, which is essentially Zara upscaled - better fabrics etc. Also, because it's Spanish it's not ridiculously overslim like Topman. Zara is also a good option but with that budget Massimo Dutti is a better option.

maninblack

lainey316 wrote: »

*watches for appearance of OldGoat bemoaning the slim fit suit*

Might be worth having a look at some of the brands in BT and especially House of Fraser, but my first port of call would be Massimo Dutti, which is essentially Zara upscaled - better fabrics etc. Also, because it's Spanish it's not ridiculously overslim like Topman. Zara is also a good option but with that budget Massimo Dutti is a better option.

cheers, roughly how much would I be paying in Massimo Dutti? Always perceived them to be crazy expensive, up there with Boss/Armani/D&G

lainey316

maninblack wrote: »

cheers, roughly how much would I be paying in Massimo Dutti? Always perceived them to be crazy expensive, up there with Boss/Armani/D&G

Oh God no. I don't know, but a ladies suit go up to about €210 so I'd say €300?
It'd be Ted Bakerish prices I'd say. Only far nicer

maninblack

lainey316 wrote: »

Oh God no. I don't know, but a ladies suit go up to about €210 so I'd say €300?
It'd be Ted Bakerish prices I'd say. Only far nicer

cheers, i'll call into them tomorrow so! :cool:

lainey316

maninblack wrote: »

cheers, i'll call into them tomorrow so! :cool:

oooh... there might be a shop called Massimo as well. That's a different thing - I'd say that's expensive. Massimo Dutti is only in Dundrum...

Cerberus

I'll second Massimo Dutti. They are good quality and within your budget. I have some suits from the more expensive brands and when I ask the guys there where would they go for a cheaper option they also recommend Massimo. Maybe they all have shares in it, I' don't know :-). There is one in Dundrum SC.

Also don't rule out Marks & Spencers. They do good quality suits and shirts and have a fairly large range. Their quality would certainly be better than Zara, Next etc. I've always found the Zara stuff to look nice in the shop, fits well when you try it on but after a couple of wears and a wash you might as well be wearing a Penney's suit except without the budget cost. That's my experience though, as a lot of people will swear by their stuff.

I have a lot of casual clothes from Ted Baker but never bought a suit as they always looked a bit too funky for a serious business environment and also I didn't think the quality justified the price. But you definitely would be able to get a slim fitting one there. I'm actually surprised you were able to get a wide fitting pants there :-)

maninblack

Cerberus wrote: »

I'll second Massimo Dutti. They are good quality and within your budget. I have some suits from the more expensive brands and when I ask the guys there where would they go for a cheaper option they also recommend Massimo. Maybe they all have shares in it, I' don't know :-). There is one in Dundrum SC.

Also don't rule out Marks & Spencers. They do good quality suits and shirts and have a fairly large range. Their quality would certainly be better than Zara, Next etc. I've always found the Zara stuff to look nice in the shop, fits well when you try it on but after a couple of wears and a wash you might as well be wearing a Penney's suit except without the budget cost. That's my experience though, as a lot of people will swear by their stuff.

I have a lot of casual clothes from Ted Baker but never bought a suit as they always looked a bit too funky for a serious business environment and also I didn't think the quality justified the price. But you definitely would be able to get a slim fitting one there. I'm actually surprised you were able to get a wide fitting pants there :-)

Nice one, I'll definately be hitting Massimo tomorrow so!

Out of interest, how much would a suit like an Armani/Boss set you back? Can you even get Armani in Ireland?

Have a look in bertoni when you're in dundrum

Might be worth your while taking a trip to Kildare village, they've some lovely suits down there, Hugo boss, Calvin klein etc.

OldGoat

lainey316 wrote: »

*watches for appearance of OldGoat bemoaning the slim fit suit*

/Dusts hands off
And my work here is done.


OP, don't buy your suits according to label. Buy the suit that best fits and is of good quality. Those two criteria CAN rule out some of the most well known labels.
As you are working on a budgit and looking to start your suit wardrobe then I'd say stear clear of Armani/Hugo Boss et al.
Some great recomendations above, check them out first. Save buying your Armani until you are shopping for fun rather then functionality.

Cerberus

OldGoat is right. The fit is most important. A budget suit that has been tailored to the person will look far superior to an expensive suit that is ill-fitting. However I do think you need to get to at least the 250 - 300 bracket to buy something that is hardwearing enough to last you a while. Boss and Armani are brands and while they do make fine suits their main consideration is not towards practicality. When you enquire as to how to take care of their suits properly i.e. dry cleaning, you will be told it would be best to not clean them. So as you can see they do not have the needs of the guy that wears the suit once a week, every week for a year or two in mind :-) Also, a lot of these upmarket brands, Boss and Armani included, do not sell pants seperate to the jacket i.e. they won't mix and match sizes. So if the jacket fits you perfectly but the pants are too small, then you need to go up the next size in pants but also in the jacket, meaning the jacket is not going to look as good on you. So if you're not the perfect manaquin shape it can be hard to get the perfect fitting suit in these places.

@Maninblack
You can get most brands of suits here in Ireland and spend as much as you want, all the way up to obnoxious levels. Boss starts at around 5 or 600. Armani/Canali starting at around 900 - 1000 and then quickly upwards. You can start going crazy then with Zegna/Brioni/Tom Ford and any amount of bespoke custom made stuff. You can spend 30 grand if you want. Brown Thomas and Louis Copeland can sort you our for the high end stuff. I wouldn't stretch yourself budget wise to just have a brand suit. 95% of people will not notice the difference between a €1000 suit and a budget Penney's one. Just make sure what ever you get fits you right.

maninblack

Just back from Dundrum anyway guys. Thanks a mil for the tip on Massimo Dutti. My god, the suits in there fit like a glove! Honestly never tried on a better fitting suit in my life! They seem really good quality too, and at €320, it's still on the lower end of my budget.

Afterwards, I went into Best, House of Frasier and Bertoni. Just couldn't find anything as good as MD though. HOF had a couple of nice Simon Carter suits, but the jacket and pants came as a package and I couldn't mix and match. That meant either the jacket fitted perfectly and the pants were too tight, or vice versa. Plus, at €500 I want a suit that blows me away :eek:

I think I may just go back to MD for another couple of suits/ties etc. Everything in there seemed great, and the staff were really helpful too; they weren't as pushy as the other places! :mad:

Any suggestions for others places that are similar to MD? Just to mix it up a bit? Be nice to have suits from different places etc.

chupi

The boyf got a brilliant couple of suits in H&M for €90 something quid each, now suits obviously aren't my thing but fabric and cut are, I can spot a badly made or badly cut one a mile off and for the price point these were both amazing. Really excellent tailoring, the shoulders and sleeves, both such a tell on a badly cut suit, were just perfect.

I know you're after something higher end but might be good for you OP?

Resi12

Asos, Zara, Topman.

All deliver to Ireland and with Zara you can deliver them to your nearest store for free.

Marcusm

OP: 500 per suit is pretty good budget if you're just starting off. Irish Market for suits has always been over priced. You could marry a weekend away with a suit buying trip. Are you sitting down most of the day? Wear on arse of trousers is always more significant than on jacket and extra trousers are a good buy to stretch out life.

When you get home, always hang the jacket and buy some trouser hangers where you can clip them up from the bottom. This will allow gravity to take the creases out. Try not to wear the same trousers more than 2 days in a row and try not to dry clean more tuan every 3 months. Dry cleaning destroys a suit and especially mass Market suits which are bonded in the jacket.

If you's slim and tall go for classic cuts, 2 button single breasted but also double breasted suits which button up twice - these will suit best. Invest in simple colours - navy, dark grey, mid grey - and never buy anything fashionable buy something g of quality. Invest in good shirts and a small number of quality ties. Shirts can be single or double cuffed but never button down, never with a picket and never two tone. Single cuffed shirts should have two buttons and button holes.

Valentina

My ex is tall and slim and got a gorgeous slim fit Kenneth Cole suit in House of Fraser a couple of years ago. Perfect fit and he looked great in it
They also had beautiful slim fit shirts to go with it.

LightningBolt

maninblack wrote: »

Just back from Dundrum anyway guys. Thanks a mil for the tip on Massimo Dutti. My god, the suits in there fit like a glove! Honestly never tried on a better fitting suit in my life! They seem really good quality too, and at €320, it's still on the lower end of my budget.

Afterwards, I went into Best, House of Frasier and Bertoni. Just couldn't find anything as good as MD though. HOF had a couple of nice Simon Carter suits, but the jacket and pants came as a package and I couldn't mix and match. That meant either the jacket fitted perfectly and the pants were too tight, or vice versa. Plus, at €500 I want a suit that blows me away :eek:

I think I may just go back to MD for another couple of suits/ties etc. Everything in there seemed great, and the staff were really helpful too; they weren't as pushy as the other places! :mad:

Any suggestions for others places that are similar to MD? Just to mix it up a bit? Be nice to have suits from different places etc.

Try Abrahams Menswear on South Anne Street. Get the majority of my work suits there. They mix and match like all good menswear shops should and they'll also tailor your suit/trousers at no cost. Great service.

LightningBolt

For some decent value shirts check out www.ctshirts.co.uk and select their black label range, it's pretty much their ultra slim fit. Slim fit would be a better fit if you're on the stockier side as opposed to skinny...

I've been picking some pretty nice ties on ebay at the moment too. Well worth a look.

kingofburt

If you're still looking for Armani or other high end suits there is a great shop in Coleraine called Ken Young. I know its a long distance from Dublin but his summer and winter sales are unreal. Most stuff will be half price, ie, armani, d&g, boss etc so you can get some fantastic suits for very good value and might be worth looking into if the sales are still on. On a side note, he also has a permanent sale shop, but I've never used it and don't know what the stock or prices are like in it/