Where does a bloke get a suit?

[Sancia]

Wedding coming up. Bloke: 38, stylish and good at casualwear and smart-casual going out dressing, but not bought or worn in a suit in a long time though and not very well up on what's in/out/otherwise in the suit world. Not skinny trousers, I hope.

Anyway. Wants to look, well, stylish obviously. He owns a suit but - and I know nothing about suits - I can tell this is a very dated model - it doesn't fit well, too loose, no fit or cut to it at all.

So I know what a bad suit looks like. What does one look for when they want a good suit? Where to go - brands, stores? Personal shopper? Are any colours a no no (black, I expect?) Wants to avoid looking too old (so no tweed? :) ) or too young (so no skinny trousers and bold red shades?) but we're both a bit clueless on this topic.

Pinterest has pictures but they don't really help with where to buy such items.

Suit advice please :)

Slaters Menswear

Jaeger.

Next are ok.

Next. Recently bought DS suit for leavers' ball.

Moss bros. DH recently bought two suits for work/evening events.

Both seem good prices - and decent quality

Moss bros are good value. My DP recently got a suit with an extra pair of trousers plus 2 shirts for £129.

TM Lewin have a sale on at the moment ... Lovely smart suits

John Lewis
House of Fraser
Next
Jaeger
Jaeger Outlet

Depends on budget and body type and how formal the wedding is.

Massimo Dutti do very good tailoring in a variety of materials but cut for a slimmer fit (think those slick Italians), very flattering though even if you're not that tall. Have a look despite the slim reservations, it's not about actually being slim but more to do with the sharpness of the tailoring. Cos is also worth a look for a less stringent fit but still very sharp in good materials. If you're near an outlet or have the cash Paul Smith do great suits for a lot of different body types, v. flattering. Primark always comes up as a budget grab in the media.

It's worth looking at the suit as separate pieces, there's no rule that it has to match exactly, just so long as it goes well together, makes them more versatile in the wardrobe as well.

DH goes to TM Lewin - you can basically say what you've put in your OP and they will sort you out with the right suit!

Just got DH a lovely one from Debenhams, trousers, waistcoat, trousers & jacket for £150

The problem with a cheap suit is that it will be fused, made out of polyester, and look cheap. TM Lewin are generally a reasonable choice for a wool suit.

If it's for a single wedding, and it's not likely to be worn often, then you could instead hire a suit that fits, or alter his existing suit. Suits are generally made to allow alteration, and it should be relatively cheap to pinch it in at the appropriate points to fit.

What's the budget?

Low: Next
Mid: Ted Baker
High: Hugo Boss

You/he (who's it for?) could also go somewhere like Debenhams or John Lewis to try a few different brands and narrow it down.

Colour-wise I always think grey suits are versatile, suitable for a wedding and could be worn for other occasions. Looks good with a white shirt and a colour pop tie (I'd go for turquoise).

Whatever colour he goes for, I suggest plain and not check or pinstripe.

DH rarely wears a suit and one from Next has served him well for the once or twice a year he does. The fabric definitely wouldn't wear well for every day but it hangs well and has a nice surface finish. It's pointless paying a lot of money for something one off unless you have the money to spend £3-400 on something that will sit in your wardrobe for most of the year and either be too big, too small or out of fashion the next time you have occasion to wear it (DH has lost almost a stone in the 3 months since he last wore his!)

TK Maxx often have a very good selection of men's suits. I found all our wedding ones there. You have to be prepared to check back often though - don't be too disheartened if you find nothing suitable on one trip. Remember they are very good at returns if you want to bring something you are not sure about home for the man to try on.

TM Lewin, Reiss or Austin Reed. M&S also good.

Moss Bros. House of Fraiser.

DH wears a suit every day for work and must have tried suits from everywhere on the highstreet, from £150 to a few hundred.

He now just tends to go for a £200-250 suit from M&S for his day to ay suits, and has several on the go at a time, wearing them on rota. He is a standard size which makes it easier.

I was't overly impressed by the Hugo Boss one he got - seemed to wear very quickly. Next didn't seem to last too well either. TM Lewin seemed ok quality though.

He has just ordered one from Reiss for a wedding we are going too - should arrive this week.

J Crew

TM Lewin last well, and the aftercare service is really good. Dh has about 6 suits on rotation from there.

Next!

Used to buy M&S, but the quality doesn't seem to be as good. The Next ones that DH has (three of them) are doing really well, even after multiple dry cleans.

Next are great for cheap suits. My ds bought one, quite a trendy one, for a wedding. He probably only will wear it the once, but it was very inexpensive. He had 2 or 3 of their suits for each year of 6th form. They looked like they had seen a lot of life by the end of the year, but for 17 or 18 year olds - I think they're perfectly fine.

For work suits, dh tends to buy Ted Baker as they last forever.

Pretty much every one of my dh's suits are from Next. He actually went to Hugo Boss for a wedding suit but didn't like their cut, which I think most people would class as blasphemy.
In terms of fit, etc it depends on your DH. Mine is tall and thin and, imo, looks absolutely gorgeous in a blue slim fit suit. The other suggestions on here are pretty great too, including Moss Bros and TM Lewin. If you can, go when it's quiet and ask for help from the assistants.

DH likes Marc Darcy. But then he's a rather tweed type of chap.
marcdarcy.co.uk

I think it also depends on the person's build and the cut of the suit. One of my favorites on DP is a slimmer cut from Burton's, it just fits him well