Visibly expensive, impressive suit

[Glenshee]

I need a visibly expensive, impressive suit for working with clients in corporate environment. Advice anyone?

On tailor-made - I also have some tailor made suits and I have noticed that people do tend to notice that they fit me.

Black is fine if the quality is good. As a barrister 10 years ago I wouldn't have got away with anything but black and I'm quite sure I never looked cheap.

Now I work in a corporate rather than court environment I favour Hobbs and Reiss. Personally I think accessories make the outfit.

I agree Sara, I think black can look great as long as it is worn well. (i.e. so long as it isn't shiny ill-fitting polyester from Next :) )

However, I think good shoes/bag etc are really important and I have rarely seen a good black trousers suit - skirts or dresses seem to work better for some reason.

I have a charcoal Joseph suit which still looks good 7 years on. Their trousers are amazing! I got mine in the sale, so welll below £500, not sure what non-sale prices are like tough

statistically I have to say I'm not a fan of trouser suits. Possibly because I'm short they don't tend to flatter. I rarely see one I admire and when I do it is being worn by a 5'10" size 8 stunner - so not a look I can replicate.

I prefer shift dress jacket and statement necklace

I would definitely suggest getting one tailor made. My DH only wears tailor made now, and they look a million times better than his previous high quality expensive suits.

Nobody has mentioned really good shoes or boots. Must always be very clean and never look like they are "down at heel". Ditto handbag or briefcase. Also agree with poster about hair and nails. Best effect for any jewel leery is for it to be "discreet" but real.

I'd tend to go with slightly cheaper suits (Hobbs/Jigsaw/Ted Baker) and concentrate on impeccable grooming, eg replacing work shoes and bags the instant they look a bit tired, and very regular good haircuts.

But the top tip is either get suits tailor made or make very good friends with a local tailor. The big difference between the way celebs and civilians wear their clothes is that the A list never wear anything off the peg, they always buy it to fit their largest point and get it taken in from there. Understanding this has revolutionised my shopping, and it is actually a lot easier and cheaper, because you can wait until the sales, buy something that's a bargain and more-or-less fits, and get it transformed into something that really really fits. OTOH if your problem is a long body then that may not be fixable with alterations to off the peg so tailor made may be your only option.

E320 - shoes come under accessories for me and I agree clean and well presented but never ever ever boots with a suit IMO.

Just to reiterate on the grooming and without sounding big headed I often get complimented on the way I dress for work (corporate/legal/financial environment)

As per my earlier post I don't wear really expensive clothes (Reiss, Hobbs a bit of Zara but I always

carry a nice expensive handbag (black snakeskin Alexa or cream Chloe paraty - not bling but noticeable)
Have a neat laptop bag no back packs or ugly holdalls
Wear black pearl or diamond studs
Wear full face of makeup - post 30 barefaced looks unprofessional
Make sure I can walk properly in my heals - nothing worse than tottering
Have short painted nails (jellish to avoid chips)
Blow dry my hair

I'm not a stunner but I know as a "package" I pull it together which gives me more confidence.

Really interesting thread. I need to update my work wardrobe especially as I am job hunting. Hope this isn't a hijack, but any recommendations for the larger laydee? I'm a size 20 trying to lose it but am struggling to look smart at the mo!

Newnames I don't know about suits but certainly all the advice re accessories stands and if you do go on to lose weight then you'll still get plenty of use out of an investment in shoes/handbag/briefcase.

Good luck with the job search

NewNames, have you looked in/tried anything in Hobbs? They stop at an 18 but some of their sizing is quite large IME.

For example - I am normally a 14, and I bought the black version of this. Based on the comments I ordered a 12, and it was still too big. Not everything is like this - their pencil skirts are fairly standard I would say - but some of their items do come up big.

It may be worth going in and trying a few things?

Thanks both. I will look at Hobbs and lust after a Mulberry!

Checked TKMaxx today (wouldn't dare go anywhere else without checking it first :) ) - nothing. Bought nice shirts though...

Then went to Hugo Boss.

Wasn't offered much choice really, settled at charcoal grey.

Trousers didn't fit me well, looked silly and felt uncomfortable - too wide at waistline yet somehow too tight at the crotch. Very odd. Tried different sizes but that didn't help. And I'm really not difficult in this area, honest!

The shift dress looked miles better on me - gave me hope! - but would still require significant adjusting (way too wide) - which they would do.

The fabrics looked posh and expensive, but didn't feel expensive (comfortable/soft) enough. It's also very light so probably completely unsuitable for winter.

£350 jacket, £350 shift dress. Left the store with the view to come back for this option if I find nothing better. Expensive for what it is, I thought, because for this sort of price (or not very far from it) I could indeed get a bespoke - perfectly fitting - suit.

Going to Austin Reed tomorrow.

Marking place.
My budget is a lot less but I am looking for a nice suit too. I have booked a john lewis personal shopper as they have quite a few concessions and can do a 60 minute consultation. I need quick help as i only have 2 weeks to get something . I would like trousers but want a classic cut to avoid it dating as i will not wear it day to day. I am also 6ft too so that leaves mininal choice anyway....

another thought for you op might be the designer warehouse sale if in london? On next weekend. I havent been for years but the last time they had some amazing designer suits at about 200-300 which is a lot less than rrp but leaves quite a budget for alterations. They were mostly black from memory but i will be looking there next week in case i get a bargain. I made an impulse buy once there of a beautiful sheepskin coat. Lovely and visibly expensive indeed!! Hope you get something nice.

Would a shift dress really work for your requirements OP? Surely if you're travelling then you'd need to be able to wear your outfit for several days on the trot, which is fine with a skirt suit + 3 shirts but I personally wouldn't want to do with a dress. Dress suits to my mind are best at a cheaper price point so you can have several of them (and ideally fling them in the wash). And skirt suits are slightly more fashion proof, which is also important in an investment buy.

Thanks so much everyone for thoughts and advice, all very useful.

I've been to Austin Reed, but no luck at all, the fabrics and the cut looked visibly cheaper than Hugo Boss, but the main problem was the poor fit. They only do regular and short length trousers, so that's also an issue.

I eventually bought a Department shift dress and a matching jacket by French Connection. The dress had a belt with a buckle which was a terrible give-away that the dress is cheap, so I'm not using the belt! (It really is unnecessary). The fit for both was superbly perfect and I have nice jewelry to go with it. Also bought new shoes (Gabor) which look simple and smart. I have nice jewelry with diamonds and black sapphires which complement the black suit beautifully. I bought a new black leather bag too.

The meeting I was buying this for went well and my boss was wearing a black suit too (coincidence) which made me feel so much more comfortable!

Will keep hunting in US in November. Really gutted that there is no Calvin Klein here in the UK (apart from an odd item in TK Maxx).

BoringSchoolChoiceNickname - excellent point about the shift dress, will keep in mind! (My quest is not over yet!)

Gosh bit really what anybody's thought you'd end up with then. Hope the search goes well

Insert not instead of bit, bloody phone

Try J Crew or Joseph for well made conservative-but-not-boring suits.

No, not at all Mosman - this isn't what I expected either! But ok as a transitional/extra option until I find something that looks and fits great!

If US will have nothing for me, I'll resort to getting a made-to-measure suit.

Thanks Mominatrix - will have a look!

I really disagree about black. If you think black looks cheap, you're buying the wrong suits.

The fabric is very important if you want the suit to last and clean well. I go for pure wool or mixed fabrics with a very high percentage of wool.

D&G do very very good trouser suits which are lovely. Gerad Darel is worth a look.

Paddy Campbell is fabulous-black and navy wool crepe, with dresses, jackets, skirts and trousers in the same fabric so you can mix and match and use items from different seasons. Highly recommended. I've got a dress and coat suit from there which is years old but doesn't look it and always gets compliments.

Vivienne Westwood suits are very nice, especially if you are an hourglass shape.

In the US Jones New York is good and Neiman Marcus has a good selection usually.

Try Yoox.com too, especially for separates. There are some good but not well known Italian brands on there like Incotex who do really nice tailored trousers and skirts.

I love suit shopping, it's casual I have trouble with.