Which suit? - sensible or more interesting one

[cheminotte]

Dear Mumsnetters -

please can you help. I've decided to get a new suit in the Sales and have my eye on these two:

www.austinreed.co.uk/fcp/product/AustinReedRust-Tweed-Jacket/13695?colour=size

rusty orange tweed with matching shortish skirt

or

www.austinreed.co.uk/fcp/product/austinreed/Suits-and-Tailoring/Chocolate-Pindot-Jacket/13133

chocolate pindot with matching trousers. There is a skirt available but it is a pencil skirt rather than above the knee.

I'm late 30s and work in an office job with some external meetings (once or twice a week).

Total price for brown (boring / sensible) suit is about £280. But I would probably get more wear from it as its a neutral colour so could wear with different coloured tops / blouses underneath.

Total price for orange (more interesting) suit is under £200 (just). But I'm not sure I would wear every week, and is more of a winter suit. Can only really imagine wearing white or cream with it. I don't own any black tops. But I hope it would last for years as a classic suit.

Both are wool, so dry clean only which is another minus, but I've tried both on before they were in the sales and they fit really well unlike the cheap polyester machine-washable suit I have from Next.

I have autumn colouring so I think I suit both these colours and have been looking for a non-black suit for ages.

Nobody local irl to take to the shops with me and give me an opinion unfortunately and the option of ordering both and getting a second opinion from DH doesn't appeal. He thinks nothing of spending £400 on his suits, but expects mine to be a lot cheaper.

Thoughts / Advice please?

I'd go for the orange. There's plenty you can match to it. Even if you don't wear it quite so much as the other, it's classic enough to last a few seasons.

A non-black/ grey classic jacket which won't date is quite a find, imo.

Definitely the first one! It's gorgeous and you can wear way more than white with it!

The other one is dullsville.

Why does he?

The rust tweed option. It's classic, beautiful, and the quality looks excellent.

The second actually looks cheap and like it will date, it isn't a good cut. I even dislike the button, that's how much I don't like the second

So that's a consensus to be brave and go for the rust one then.

biryani advice on what else goes with orange would be much appreciated!

Zero - I think the logic is I own way more items of clothing than him -i.e. more than 3 each of t-shirts, jumpers and jeans so it is volume over quality. £200 for a suit is still half what he pays, but sometimes it just easier to say look what I found in the sales rather than adding the price into the discussion.

Definitely rust one. If I was autumn colourings I'd be getting one for the office too. You can put lots of other colours with it and split the jacket from the skirt (e.g. brown trousers) and it is far more interesting and less dull.

I love the orange.
at a DH who doesn't buy the cheapest possible M&S suit and moan it's a total waste of geek budget.

If I had the cash I would buy the rust one, but buy 2 skirts.

accidentprone - 2 skirts on the assumption the jacket will outlive the skirt? I would normally get skirt and trousers if available but had not thought of getting 2 skirts. DH of course always gets 2 trousers with his suits as no skirts available.
Have actually ordered it now before I changed my mind or they sold out in my size.

I like the rust jacket better too. And btw I think Austin Reed is absolutely fantastic quality for suits and excellent value for money, particularly if you are a bit of an hourglass. My Austin Reed suits have outlasted suits from both Karen Millen and Hugo Boss and they're really warm!

What about:

Teal blue
Grey
Brown
Russet
Sage green

The rust one is lovely. And you could wear the components as separates as well, to get more wear out of it. The rust jacket with a grey/brown tweed pencil skirt would look great, or a plain kilt might look quite Vivienne!

The rust one is gorgeous. Would be lovely with quite a few different colours like those suggested by biryani. The jacket would be nice with wide leg flannel trousers too.

Rust definitely. Wear with a forest green silk shirt or cream if more conservative in your office.

2 skirts because they wear more quickly than jackets, and need cleaning more frequently.

Thanks everyone. I have now bought the jacket and 2 skirts. The 2nd skirt was half price so less than £40. I ended up going into the actual shop and buying there and canceling my online by order by phone. There was no way to change the order online and customer survived were very unhelpful which was a shame. I have one cream sleevepless blouse from H&M that will go with it and will have to try some of the other suggestions.

customer services not survived!