Where to buy a decent not-so-easy on the wallet suit?

Newaglish

So, i've saved up my hard earned cash and I need another suit for work.

I want a really nice one, but don't know where in Dublin to go (not really from Dublin!)

I already have an off-black/dark charcoal or whatever you call it colour suit, so what i'm probably looking for is a light navy, grey or black & faint narrow pinstripe suit.

I just want one that fits really well (I'm a 38 in jacket size apparently) and basically looks pretty sharp.

Any suggestions?

copacetic

go to louis copeland, sale on at the moment, they have some nice ones on sale in arnotts and house of fraser at the moment too.

antoinolachtnai

And if i'm really serious about buying a decent suit (not a glued-together job) where do I go?

Deflector

Just to point out, and I'm not saying it's the case with contributors here, but generally people do tend to get hung up on buying expensive suits in order get 'quality'. More than any other item of clothing, for some reason most men think the more you spend with a suit, the better the product.

There's some truth to this in terms of going above and below the €300ish barrier, but that aside, how much you spend on a suit means absolutely nothing if it doesn't look good. It is ALL about the cut: if it doesn't fit, forget it. The amount of idiots you see going around at weddings in €800 Hugo Boss suits that hang off them like sacks is simply embarrassing. All the Armanis and Bosses and Guccis in the world cannot get you a good suit unless the thing fits. And you're also not always 100% gauranteed a decent cloth either - some designer brands' fabrics can look tacky.

Once you hit above the €400ish mark, there's generally little difference between that and a suit that costs €800-€1000. Sometimes you might get a high quality fabric as a bonus, but by and large there's little difference.
Be motivated only by cut and to a lesser degree fabric - don't even allow the assistant to tell you the maker of the suit. Just follow your instincts on the appearance.

Deflector

And obviously we're talking off-the-rack here; tailoring is a different kettle of fish entirely.

antoinolachtnai

But almost all suits seem to be just glued or 'fused' together, and don't have a floating canvas. The end result seems to be that you run the thing through the dry cleaners a few times, the glue begins to fail and the whole thing looks tatty. It has to be possible (and should be worth the money) to do better than that, no?

stovelid

A decent suit only needs to be steam cleaned if don't wear it frequently.

Some of the more trendy designer suits can actually look much cheaper than you pay especially when they have that 'flash' cut, skimpy fabric and are worn in an incorrect size.

Have to say though: a correct fit; decent fabric and good, matching shoes/shirt should be of higher concern than the label.


If you really like suits , you should treat yourself to a made to measure or even bespoke once in your life though. It will be your good tin for years and will always look the business.

magpie

Find an old boy tailor (one on Capel Street for instance) and get one made. For about €350 you can pick a nice heavy fabric, choose all the detailing you want (personally I like to have a 'ticket pocket') and have it fitted to you exactly. This will look considerably better than any flash 'off the peg' designer name suit. I'd recommend a very dark wool suit with a super-fine light blue pinstripe, 3 button. To be worn with a Crombie in winter.

shapez

I've bought from these guys and they are excellent!!

http://www.decalofashion.com/

Reyman

Newaglish wrote:

So, i've saved up my hard earned cash and I need another suit for work.

I want a really nice one, but don't know where in Dublin to go (not really from Dublin!)

I already have an off-black/dark charcoal or whatever you call it colour suit, so what i'm probably looking for is a light navy, grey or black & faint narrow pinstripe suit.

I just want one that fits really well (I'm a 38 in jacket size apparently) and basically looks pretty sharp.

Any suggestions?

Get a 'Canali' from Louis or BT or wherever and you'll look the business! Don't bother with the cheap stuff.

Newaglish

Thanks for the replies. The biggest problem i'm having at the moment is the sales; there's very few good quality suits available in my size (38R!), and those that are can tend to be a poor fit.

I'm thinking about getting one tailored for myself. Any suggestions? And how much roughly would this cost me?

stovelid

As for shops, I know Abrahams of South Anne Street do it here. I went to them recently and was happy with the result. Some of the suit fans here have also recommended L Copeland in the past.

The cost varies depends on much work is done, the fabric and the amount of details (number of pieces, shape, pocket shapes, lapel, buttons etc) you request.

I heard rumor - used to have a link but lost it - of an old fella that provided tailoring for mods near Mountjoy square or Gardiner street too. Maybe worth investigating.

There is also England - or Thailand - obviously.

Deflector

The sales tend not to be that good for buying suits. You can be lucky and hit on a great deal, especially if you're an average build, but almost be definition of shopping for reduced/special offer items, your choice is going to be limited, especially with size. And that's the very last thing you want when buying a suit. Especially given it's a long term investment - what's a €100 saving for an unsuitable or compromised product in the context of the years wear you will get from it.

By all means do have a look in the sales, but don't hold high hopes. Anyway, there's nothing like saving up a decent budget and confidently sauntering in to a shop in the knowledge that you're not going to be (too) limited by price. It's all part of that rare and cherished suit-purchasing experience