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I buy most of my suits from The Limited once I discovered that they tend to fit me well. Go to a store, figure out your size/cut, and then monitor the site for a sale. They have "40% off everything" sales pretty often, and several times a year have bigger discounts.
The outlets are also worth checking out. I haven't gotten suits there yet, but occasionally Nordstroms has crazy sales on clothing that make it worthwhile. And, of course, Nordstrom Rack. We went there after going to several department stores on Sunday and found the exact same dresses for half the price.
Lol exactly, quite possibly the worst made suits ever and its a shame to see how popular they are in DC and metro area vicinity. Both among govt sector/private sector workers, young and old alike.
$200 can get you a pretty decent, well fitting suit from Macys - Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole etc.
If you can splurge a bit, Banana Republic has really nice suits.
Splurge a bit more - SuitSupply in Georgetown is the place to go
I can't wait for this "tight suit" trend to go out of style. I guess I am the dude Jos A Banks is made for, as when I go into SuitSupply I can bare find off the rack stuff in my size (a reasonably fit 46). The wool blend suits at Banks are pretty good and a decent tailor should be able to cut the boxiness out of them.
Online. Get your size at a tailor, and order something close to it, then tailor it. Same with dress shirts.
There is really no reason to buy name brand suits anymore. You can get a good suit for half the cost, that fits better with better materials, and better construction online these days.
I'm not saying it's cheap, but a good fitting shirt and suit is good suit and shirt.
I agree with the comments about the quality of Jos A Bank, but I also stay away from them because the FTC has fined them for improper advertising claims.
Costco has a selection of about 20 different dress shirts for $19.99. I've been wearing them for about two years and they wear as well as higher priced ones. They also have a small selection of wool dress slacks at $49. They're good but not "great". Their Tee's and boxers are good value too.
Go to those big suburban thrift stores like Unique Thrift and Value Village that are the size of a Walmart, they have great suits for around $20. You may have to get them tailored but I've gotten many fine suits there.
I agree with the comments about the quality of Jos A Bank, but I also stay away from them because the FTC has fined them for improper advertising claims.
Yeah, the ads are annoying, but everyone who lives here longer than a week now knows they do a sale about once a month. If you do buy one/get three, I don't think that's a bad deal--provided you actually need four suits.
As to quality, it varies: Their Signature Gold is half-canvassed and reportedly pretty good. Their lower-level stuff is good enough for most. Will it last you 20 years? No, but then few men nowadays wear suits for that long.
If you want a really high-quality suit without spending a ton, look for Hickey-Freeman on sale. You can get one around $500 if you look, and that suit WILL last you 20 years. One of the last companies to still manufacture suits in the USA. (Hart Schaffner Marx did until recently.)
Last edited by Carlingtonian; 07-17-2015 at 06:37 AM..
I agree with going for a Hickey Freeman suit if you can afford it. Generally they are cut conservatively - not a slim fit - and I've seen them tagged for $599 at Neiman Marcus Last Call (in Arundel Mills or Potomac Mills) but they routinely have discounts from 20%-40%; get on the their email list to get announcements for discounts.
Otherwise I like Marshalls if you have the patience to go through the racks. Some Marshalls stores are better than others; I've found those in nicer areas are more likely to have better stuff. Sometimes they get closeouts from higher-end stores; in the past I've seen Brooks Brothers suits there for $300.
I would avoid needless markup, I mean Neiman Marcus. I always find luck at Marshall's, Express, Buffalo Ex, Nordstroms Rack or H&M for cheaper suits that look good.
As a female, I think we should be able to get away with not having to wear a suit yet still look professional...
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