Usually I'm pretty staunch on buying clothes that look good but also that I can get a really good deal on. Most of my clothes are from H&M or Gap/Banana Republic when their stuff goes on sale since they have a lot of classic pieces which I like. I openly admit that I like to look good, but it's a bonus when I can look good and save money since I'm on a student budget. There are a few things which I do not skimp on though, and those are my dress shirts, watches, and suits. Pretty much since I discovered 1MX shirts at Express I never had looked back, totally worth spending a little extra on. They're just so....well fitted haha. Another thing which I don't mind spending a little more on are watches since I wear one every day and I like to match them with whatever I'm wearing. The last thing I don't want to skimp on however is for a good quality suit.
Since I'm leaving to Copenhagen in a month, I'm considering retiring my old suit and getting myself a new one. I've never really spent too much on a suit before. My last one I bought a year and a half ago and it wasn't anything special. It got the job done but the fit wasn't spectacular and the material felt kinda cheap. According to my Freshman year international business professor and my study abroad advisor, Europeans aren't nearly as forgiving as Americans when it comes to fit and finish so they recommend getting a good quality suit for business meetings and corporate visits that we would be doing while there.
I've obviously gone suit shopping before but I think I might be ready to take the plunge and drop a few hundred on a nice wool suit. My last few gigs have finally afforded me a decent amount of spending money so now is the best time to take the plunge. I've been browsing the Macy's website and I'm trying to decide between this:
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/kenneth-cole-new-york-suit-black-solid-slim-fit?ID=466041&CategoryID=17788&LinkType=#fn=sp%3D2%26spc%3D182%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D41
or this:
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/bar-iii-suit-separates-black-solid-slim-fit?ID=647667&CategoryID=17788#fn=SUIT_FIT%3DSlimFit%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D70%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D18
or finally, this:
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/calvin-klein-x-suit-grey-pinstripe-peak-lapel-slim-fit?ID=655795&CategoryID=17788&LinkType=#fn=SUIT_FIT%3DSlimFit%26sp%3D2%26spc%3D70%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D57
The first one is pretty simple and versatile. There isn't anything too much to it apart from being a classic black, slim-fit suit. It's almost borderline boring but it's also the most appropriate for most every situation it will go to, whether it be for meetings or dinner.
The second is much more modern and fitted which I personally like. Also, since it is quite fitted, it could mean less tailoring work after I buy it. The only thing I'm not as sure about is that it might not be totally formal enough for all business settings since it is so modern.
The last one is a total steal in terms of price. I'm not quite as positive on how I would feel about a peak lapel, though I should probably try it on before making a final call. Otherwise, it's a really nice, quality suit, and it's grey instead of a full black which I kind of like surprisingly.
Since they are all off the rack, I'm budgeting around an extra $75 or so for tailoring if needed so I can get the fit right in all places. I really want to treat this as an investment more than anything so I want the material to be good, and more importantly, I want the fit to be good.
Wear the suit, don't let the suit wear you is how the saying goes I think. While I'll probably never be able to achieve
Neal Caffrey like levels of polish, I do want to feel awesome when I suit up. I'm about 5'10" and just over 150 lbs with a slim/athletic build so all of these should fit pretty well.
I want to get some outside opinions so if you don't mind helping a guy out, I promise you one sexual favour redeemable at any time if my suit helps get me a nice job....
....maybe.
JP
