jos a bank suit quality

oh for fuck's sake

Go with Brooks Brothers. Problem solved.

Avoid Jos A Bank. They may have superficially good deals, but the quality is not great. They're like $100-200/suit (using discounts & promotions).

Go with Brooks Brothers.

DON'T buy at JAB.

If you're looking to get 1 or 2 decent suits, but not trying to spend much - Brooks Brothers outlet

Lol. Knew a guy who traded them for a few weeks and made a killing. All because he loved on of their off the rack specials. Go figure.

All this go buy brooks brothers shit is stupid. That is like someone asking about a honda civic and being told to buy an E class.

Go take a look at the suit and see hownit feels. If you like it then buy it. Just make sure you get it fitted by a tailor. Banana Republic makes some ok suits.

BB isn't that expensive, especially @ outlet malls.

Macy's has good deals with coupons. Try Hart Schaffner Marx or above.

I went down to the outlet malls two months ago and BB was offering 2 suits for $500.

What Brooks Brothers lines are the best? 1818 collection? I went to the outlets recently and saw the 2 for $500 deal but the suit quality was unimpressive. Maybe I was looking at the wrong line?

Also, since JAB is running this buy 1 get 2 free deal, are there ANY lines there that are good? Maybe the signature gold line? I'm poor so I'm trying to get 3 serviceable suits for a good price.

There are several lines within the BB 1818 collection.

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Me…

Thanks guys. I'll just go check it out for myself.

Brooks Brothers outlets I do think are shit. I think the OP would be better off getting 1 suit from BB. I'd take 1 suit from BB over 3 shitty suits from Jos A Bank. The 1818 collection is on sale online right now and the new Milano line is sharp.

"Buy 1 suit, get 2 free" How does that not sound alarms off in someones head that it's a, ahem, "Shitty deal"

Brooks Brother outlet stores are NOT the same as the regular BB's. Quality is much less from the outlet. You can tell by touching and, and even had a salesman tell me they are.

i got a suit from boss and another from theory, best money i've ever spent, great fit, quality and trendy, yet conservative enough to wear to work. i think brooks brothers suits are too boxy...

To all you guys talking about RL black/purple label - where do you find these suits (besides the actual RL store I guess)? All I see is the "Lauren by RL" line, which doesn't seem to be the same thing.

Thanks

Went shopping today and looks like I'll be getting a Boss suit for ~$450. Great fit and material. I basically fell in love when I put it on. I'm assuming that it's a great deal too to get it around 60% of the retail price.

Local Nordstrom's. They are having their "anniversary sale" right now. Suit was marked down from $795 to $500 and then coupons+card sign-up discounts = $450. I was pretty shocked myself as they are normally way out of my price range. It's a Navy Hugo Boss Pasolini suit.

Anthony if you don't mind me asking how much did your RL BL/PL suits cost? Any way to get them below retail price?

Btw on the Hugo Boss, I have a 2-button charcoal Pasolini that I got for $350 at an outlet. It fits like a potato sack though

I have an older Boss pinstripe suit that I absolutely love. Paid more than $450 though, grrrr.

@Chewinggum

I have a navy BL RL, with the side waste adjusters that I paid 1K for. I have a black BL RL suit that cost me about 2K. I enjoy them both and they are very nice suits, but considering the ~$450 Banana Republic suit I have is my favorite I would probably reconsider those purchases. I have 7 suits and the cheaper ones are actually the ones I like better.

What makes an expensive suit cost so much

The material is usually (not always) better or more fine. The buttons tend to be better. The stitching is better. The back and part of the body is not fused (glued) which makes it fit better. Shit like that. In general, a whole bunch of little things that only someone into suits and clothing would know about.

Same thing with ties. It really is all about their thickness. Cheap ties are real thin. You cannot tie a respectable knot with a thin tie. Pick up a tie and feel it. It should be like 1/4 inch thick. That is all you need.

Hermes ties are printed ties. I personally love the designs (Vineyard Vines also), but it is name brand. I literally have a dozen Nautica ties that I think I paid less than $20 bucks for that are conservative and thick. Real nice knots and hang appropriately.

Shoes are another thing. I bought a pair of Coach loafers around 7-8 years ago. Absolutely love those shoes. I just recently got them resoled, new heals and a crack filled in. Brand new as far as I am concerned. I paid $200 or so 8 years ago and I am sure I will have them for another 8 years. Shoes take a beating and you can really tell quality if you know what to look for.

On the other hand I have some rubber soled Donald Pliners that I got maybe 5 years ago and they are going strong. The soles are glued (cheaper build), but they are still in good shape. You don't fall on your ass in the ice like you do with the leather soles also. I paid about as much as the shoes above. I don't think I will get 8 years more out of them.

Side note, I like the Pliners so much I am trying to get a guy to take off the rubber and sew on leather soles. Don't know if it will happen, but it is in the back of my mind.

Long story short, buy what you like and take care of it and it will last. That thing that makes a suit look nice are its fit and the stuff underneath. Get a decent white wso/">shirt, find a nice and thick tie, know how to tie a knot, shine your shoes, etc. That makes the whole package stand out. Paying a lot doesn't.

As I have gotten older I am more about getting custom stuff with no tags or brands on it. I could careless who makes the suit as long as I know the construction is superior.

Thanks man that was helpful, appreciate it

Anytime dude.

If you are filthy, filthy rich and want to spend too much money on a suit, wait for The Men's Wearhouse to have a sale, and go in and buy two Joseph Abboudds or Pronto Uomos for the price of one. This will cost about $600 for two suits- a good deal for Joseph Abboud.

If you aren't rich, I recommend JC Penney. Get a couple of Stafford or Jeffrey Banks 100% wool suits. If you are buying suit separates, buy an extra pair of pants- those are cheaper and generally wear out first. JCP will cost you $150-$200 each.

Brooks Brothers has great suits, but Joseph Abboud makes high quality suits that generally last for about 250-300 days of use and Joseph Abboud I think is a little cheaper than Brooks Brothers when it's on sale. Not sure how Brooks Brothers durability is, but one of my analyst friends had a suit wear out on him after two years of average use. I'm hard on clothes and I've had very good experience with Joseph Abboud and Uomo- long-term, they might actually be cheaper than a $200 suit from JC Penney.

When you get an extra pair of pants with a suit, should you rotate the two pairs of pants to keep them from wearing out as fast or just wear one pair until it's worn out then switch to the new pair?

I recently had a suit made for me while in Hong Kong and the tailor stressed that I get an extra pair of pants. I'm glad I did because I definitely won't be back there anytime soon.

I haven't noticed it, but then again, I'm only a detail-oriented guy when it comes to numbers, rather than fashion. I have ALL of my pants drycleaned more often than my jackets, and a quick look at the charcoal pants and jacket I'm wearing indicates no noticeable color difference.

Seriously, though, I stick to getting my suit/pants drycleaned every 5-6 months as recommended by the Men's Wearhouse. Your suit will tear long before the number of drycleanings it takes to discolor something.

I didn't know that pronto is considered as a decent line. Joseph Abboud is good.

You can also try Express, Zara, Banana republic or Macy's etc

The same goes for BB non-iron shirts. As an Intern, they're easy because you just throw them in the washer, dryer, and hang w/o dealing with a massive dry cleaning bill. The outlet slim fits are completely different, and junk (346 line).

Many companies have a BB corporate discount program where you get 15% off anyway, so 3 legit BB shirts for $170 at retail isn't bad at all. Much better than anything I've tried in that range.

I do like J.A.B.'s ties - they might be worth checking out. Their suits are decent enough - but fit in a very old school way - like waist at your navel for example. I recently lost a bunch of weight and went to get a new suit from them and the tailor there just didn't seem to know what to do with a skinnier (albeit normal sized man). If you've got a little extra junk in your trunk, or belly - I think their fit gets exponentially better.

They do have good deals on suits, but their shirts and especially their ties are the stuff I like most from them.

They fucking suck. For my first job, my parents wanted to send me out to get bespoke (they are old school), but me, wanting to prove my independence, went out to JAB to buy suits that I can afford with my own meager savings.

The jackets started unraveling after 6 months, pants started to split around 8 months. I got one of those buy one get 5 free sales or whatever. They are basically $300 suits that they intermittently mark up to $1000 on the off chance that some sucker will buy them at super-sticker prices. The main purpose is to mark them down more than 50% of the time so you think you are getting a steal. I got their Sig Gold, BTW, which is supposed to be one of their better lines. I'd hate to imagine how their budget lines hold up.

Stay far away from these pieces of shit unless you are going analyst for two years and bailing into a bus casual environment, in which case they are an amazing deal. Wear them and give them away to the homeless, if they will even take them. If you need suits that will last longer, go with Hart Schaffner Marx, J. Press or Hickey Freeman.

jab is equivalent to shopping at wal-mart.

^^^ Then what's JC Penney? That's where a lot of folks on the markets side shop their first several years. And that's just the start of it. A lot of traders show up in b-cazsh, torn socks, and the like.

Spending more than $250 on a suit as an analyst or an intern is just crazy unless you're in a role where you need to meet clients.

You should look into some of the Asia tailors that come around the US. You can usually get a suit for around $300 and they do a fantastic job. My favorite suit is a $200 suit that feels and looks exquisite. Definitely something to check out.

I own two (from the buy one get one + 2 shirts + 2 ties deal)They are ok. Its really all about fit, and they tend to be on the baggier side, where I like a slimmer fitting suit. They are my everyday suits that I wear when I don't have any big meetings planned or have anyone to impress. Put yourself in a Hugo Boss or similar suit and you will feel the difference.

I DO really like their shirts and ties though, and unfortunately they don't discount them much. I was actually considering going to those buy one get 4 free events and just buying the cheapest suit I could find to get the shirts and ties.

Boss suits are awful. Fused, made in china, etc.