Suits

[2easy]

Any other recommendations besides tip top or the bay? Any brand reccomendations?

[itsme]

9 hours ago, 2easy said:

Any other recommendations besides tip top or the bay? Any brand reccomendations?

SuitSupply or Spier & MacKay are both common suggestions. Suitsupply's "Perennial" line will run you between $600 and $700 dollars, other lines with higher quality fabric or different cuts will go up in price. Suitsupply has modified a few of their styles recently and started cutting their pants and jacket a bit fuller. I think this is a welcome change. 

Spier has a lower entry point, price-wise, and IMO can often offer better value. If you're in the GTA, they also have (had?) a store by Pearson. Their "Red Line" suits start at below $400, but I'd suggest going with - at least - their "Core" offering (~$500). If you can, it is worth it to spend a little bit more and get something from their "Neo" or "Full Canvas" lines (~$700 - $900). One thing I like about Spier is that they do a good job of grabbing random bolts of cloth from higher-end / brand name mills like VBC, Drago, etc. and doing a few size runs of suits. The upside is that you get better cloth for a good price, the downside is they run out of stock in popular sizes quite quickly and there's no guarantee of a re-stock. 

There's really no need to pay a tonne of money for a suit from Rosen, Holt, etc. Most of the suits from the brand names you've heard of (Boss, Zegna, Canali, etc.) are not going to be all that better constructed that what you'd get from Spier or SuitSupply (especially if you're willing to pay ~>$750 at either of those). 

Wherever you end up purchasing from, stick to charcoal or navy for your first suit or two. Find a good tailor, and avoid (1) drycleaning your suit too much (i.e. maybe twice a year, unless you get a nasty stain on it), and (2) ironing or steaming it, as both have a tendency to destroy the fabric underneath the wool. 

[RuleAgainstPerpetuities]

Surprised this hasn't come up yet, but Tom's Place in Kensington Market is my (and all my law school friends') default choice for suits in Toronto. They have excellent suits starting at around $500 plus $50-100 for high quality in-house tailoring. It's a Toronto establishment and their service is excellent. 

[ZineZ]

Suit Supply was where I got my suit for OCIs and I loved it - it's a bit pricier depending on what you get, but IMHO it's worth the money.  I bought a couple more from there last year - and they're similarly great.

That being said, you risk the chance of another student showing up with the exact same suit and tie combo for OCIs. Speaking from experience.

[Vizslaw]

Seconding Tom's Place in Kensington. I got my first few suits there. They were especially helpful creating some outfits for me with different shirts/ties. They usually have sales too!

[BlockedQuebecois]

The issue with Tom's Place is that you're usually not getting a very good suit for the price you are paying. Instead, you're getting a designer suit with fused construction, lower-quality fabric, and a lack of attention to detail with things like sous bras and Milanese buttonholes. 

In contrast, for the same price you get a half-canvas, reasonably good quality suit from S&M. Or if you're willing to spend a bit more, you can get a full-canvas suit made from fabric from a premium mill. 

Similarly, SuitSupply only sells half canvas jackets, and their fabrics generally come from reputable mills. 

[Ramesses]

On 2/18/2024 at 10:02 PM, enpassant said:

Thank you @Ramesses, thats really helpful. When can I expect those sales? In the summer?

Sales come and go so it's hard to say. But I think usually winter stuff is on clearance now to make room for spring and summer stuff. You might have to go a few times and see what sales they have. You can always ask the store too, just tell them you are a student looking for a suit on a limited budget. 

[stampedelaw]

RW&Co shirt and suit are what I had for interviews last week, which were on sale (no more than $300 in total), and I got a 1L summer job offer. So I guess RW&Co is fine (for females at least).

Edited February 25 by stampedelaw

[ZineZ]

Where's everyone shopping for reasonably priced business casual clothing these days? Nice pant/shirt combos (regular fit preferred over slim).

I've historically gone for a lot of Uniqlo/Brooks Brothers (outlet)/Banana Republic. 

[Big Pecker]

49 minutes ago, ZineZ said:

Where's everyone shopping for reasonably priced business casual clothing these days? Nice pant/shirt combos (regular fit preferred over slim).

I've historically gone for a lot of Uniqlo/Brooks Brothers (outlet)/Banana Republic. 

I love Uniqlo's dress shirts. They're not overly fancy, but I have about 6 from there (3 white 3 light blue). They come out of the wash wrinkle-free and are super comfy. 

[ZineZ]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:52 AM, Big Pecker said:

I love Uniqlo's dress shirts. They're not overly fancy, but I have about 6 from there (3 white 3 light blue). They come out of the wash wrinkle-free and are super comfy. 

At this point, pretty much everything i have is Uniqlo. I'm just thinking of finally expanding but I have a hard time convincing myself to do so

[chaboywb]

Uniqlo diehard here. I haven't shopped anywhere else in a good year or so (work wear or otherwise). Hard for me to justify spending any more on dress clothes when their shirts/slacks blend in with anyone else on Bay Street at a fraction of the price. Hoping they expand to a few different patterns, though. 

[Naj]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:02 AM, ZineZ said:

business casual clothing

You can check Massimo Dutti. I typically avoid Banana Republic/Uniqlo. Their clothing just doesn't last, I'm usually doing away with pieces from them after a year from purchase. Also, the fit is always compromising in some way. 

What I've resorted to doing is every now and then I'll buy an expensive/designer piece of clothing (e.g. casual business pants from suit supply). Over time (and I mean a few years), you end up having a wardrobe of well-fitting, quality clothing that looks good and will last granted you don't throw it all indiscriminately in the washer and dryer. - But this is more of a long-term mission where you need to be on the lookout always for discount periods etc... 

 

[BlockedQuebecois]

For what it’s worth, I have recently started having all my shirts made by a tailor, and they’re infinitely more comfortable than anything I’ve bought off the rack. 

But if you’re going off the rack, I don’t think there’s a real difference between Uniqlo/S&M/etc. and the Etons of the world. If you’re buying off the rack, the top consideration should be fit. 

Edited April 9 by BlockedQuebecois