Need a suit but clueless about them

moon man · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:13

I know nothing about suits but i need one for my daughters summer weddings both this year.
material ,is it best to avoid synthetics and get woollen ones ? (do cheap ones look cheap)
any good retail outlets ? been to tk max next and m&s so far
or online maybe ?
also is it better to have jacket a different colour to trousers ?
confused in Cornwall

BUDFORCE · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:22

Just got get one in Asda.

Suits are one of these things you can get REAL pretentious about.

Puzzled · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:34

Ask your daughter

If you're in the brides party then you normally end up hiring so they match.

glenimp617 · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:37

You usually hire one, but if you need an half decent one TM lewin are pretty good

moon man · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:46

yeah my youngest is down here and she has guided me at next trying them on to get the right size but thinking maybe somewhere better ,i will look in to all suggestions
her intended is London minted type working in the shard and New York this week so no hiring going on

dlockers · 4 Mar 2022 at 20:47

TM Lewin, Merino wool. Get it snug and well fitted, not 'old man comfy'.

200sols · 4 Mar 2022 at 21:02

BUDFORCE said:
Just got get one in Asda.

Suits are one of these things you can get REAL pretentious about.

Asda

planty · 4 Mar 2022 at 21:32

dLockers said:
TM Lewin, Merino wool. Get it snug and well fitted, not 'old man comfy'.

This.

Semple · 4 Mar 2022 at 23:58

200sols said:
Asda

I suppose if money is tight. But as others have said if you're part of the bridal party wouldn't you just rent the same style.

Ahleckz · 4 Mar 2022 at 23:59

Thought you were vegan? You’d want to Avoid wool surely?

Synthetic is fine. No one will be able to tell the difference and no one will be looking at you. I find Matalan is good for price/quality.

Jean-F · 5 Mar 2022 at 00:12

I’ve no idea what kind of men’s tailoring outfits there are within reach of Cornwall, but I had a month’s notice to get a suit for my cousin’s wife’s funeral and I got a good one, (IMO), at Selfridges, Oxford Street.
It’s a two piece, single breasted light woollen one that fits me well, feels comfortable, looks okay and at £595 I think it was worth it.
The trousers were app 4cm too long, and I took them to a good tailor in Whitechapel who fixed that for £20.

moon man · 5 Mar 2022 at 09:14

yes i defiantly feel an outlet would be better ,my guess on sizes was miles out ,34l in trousers fitted like lycra ,42l jacket made me look like Norman wisdom found i needed a 44l jacket ,i think my daughters are after blues ,so not a full on Michael Portillo look but a little less formal and more colourful

moon man · 5 Mar 2022 at 09:24

Ahleckz said:
Thought you were vegan? You’d want to Avoid wool surely?

Synthetic is fine. No one will be able to tell the difference and no one will be looking at you. I find Matalan is good for price/quality.

tricky one, usually if its made of dead animal bits like suede i avoid but i still wear wool ,i suppose i make up my own rules and just minimise my impact

Relentless81 · 5 Mar 2022 at 09:57

I got my last one from Next about ten years ago, I'm sure it was around £100ish Inc shirt and tie. I'm a bit larger now and need a new one this year so will be going to Next again because I remember it being no different to buying any other clothes in terms of trying it on

Shirt still fits so just need the suit and new tie

ivrytwr3 · 5 Mar 2022 at 10:52

BUDFORCE said:
Just got get one in Asda.

Suits are one of these things you can get REAL pretentious about.

Please don't do this.

It's your daughters wedding FFS and it is obviously noticeable if it is a cheap suit. Will you not get provided with the suit anyway? Best Man, Father, F-i-L, Groom etc.

I used to wear a suit to the office for 10 years and you could see the Asda shimmering cheap suits. Not casting aspersions, but again, it's your daughters wedding - get a decent one or hire one.

TM Lewin, Next, Moss Bros, House of Fraser, John Lewis - doesn't have to cost the earth.

moon man · 5 Mar 2022 at 11:19

yeah i don't want to look skanky ,my youngest's wedding must be pushing 30k now ,seems a lot of money that could be spent on other things but they are London based with London salary's and obviously i have contributed

Puzzled · 5 Mar 2022 at 11:22

moon man said:
yes i defiantly feel an outlet would be better ,my guess on sizes was miles out ,34l in trousers fitted like lycra ,42l jacket made me look like Norman wisdom found i needed a 44l jacket ,i think my daughters are after blues ,so not a full on Michael Portillo look but a little less formal and more colourful

Have a look for a local menswear place. I must be an odd shape as I've always needed suits to be adjusted else they just look baggy on me but I was surprised that having a suit (that was far better quality than the Next type stuff) adjusted to my shape wasn't actually that much more expensive. I'm not a suit person either, special occasions only.

Take someone with you for some honest opinions.

dlockers · 5 Mar 2022 at 11:27

moon man said:
yes i defiantly feel an outlet would be better ,my guess on sizes was miles out ,34l in trousers fitted like lycra ,42l jacket made me look like Norman wisdom found i needed a 44l jacket ,i think my daughters are after blues ,so not a full on Michael Portillo look but a little less formal and more colourful

I'd be very surprised if you are 44L. Go to a proper tailor. Nothing worse than a dad-comfy suit.

Uther · 5 Mar 2022 at 11:28

Hire one if you're probably not going to wear it again? There's a Moss Brothers in Truro apparently:
https://www.mossbroshire.co.uk/collection/tweed

Sankari · 5 Mar 2022 at 12:06

Look for the canvas. Even a half canvas can make a cheaper suit look good. Full canvas is best of course, but you will pay extra for that.