Post: #76

@suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

Post: #77

I got a Blue and Grey suits made (both with vest) and two suit shirts made for $2500RMB ($350USD) It seems to be hard to find shoes here in my size though... had the same problem in South America.

They fit good and look really sharp. I told them to leave some room for my gainz.... but I fear once I get out of Asia and back to somewhere that I can eat enough food to get my size back the blazers and shirts are gonna be to tight. It's all good though... is not like I am out of a ton of money once I out grow them.

Post: #78

Suits,

Are black shoes more geared for colder weather months or is conventional thought they're okay to wear in warmer months too? Black seems like a colder weather shoe to me.

Instead of buying suits in certain colors and occasionally mixing them (wearing different colored jackets and pants), what's your opinion in not buying suits but buying quality pants and blazers separately and just mixing those?

Post: #79

(03-31-2016 04:13 AM)Surreyman Wrote:  @suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

For shorter flights and road trips, I use a folding garment bag. One thing that helps keep out wrinkles is to leave the shirts and suit in the plastic from the dry cleaners.

If I wanted to bring one carry on for an overhead compartment (or larger suitcase to be checked) you can put in a large ziploc bag and leave some air inside so it has minimal pressure during travel.

Like this:





Either way, having the plastic cover over shirts and suits seem to help the most. I'd be open to hearing better ideas though!

Post: #80

(03-31-2016 04:13 AM)Surreyman Wrote:  @suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

I stuff one arm down the other arm and then roll them. When I arrive, I immediately remove them from my bag, stick them in my tiny hotel room washroom and run the hot shower for an hour.

Usually does the trick.

I don't spend much time on the road. I do occasional short business trips or visa runs to other cities, but I'm based in Beijing 99% of the time.

(04-07-2016 10:21 PM)robreke Wrote:  Suits,

Are black shoes more geared for colder weather months or is conventional thought they're okay to wear in warmer months too? Black seems like a colder weather shoe to me.

While I will wear black boots, I avoid wearing black shoes at all costs. The last thing I want to look like is another office suit. My goal is to express casualness and individuality while wearing a suit.

In the winter, I'll stick to dark and medium brown shoes and wear tan or blue shoes in the summer, with the occasional off-white pair of shoes thrown in when it fits the outfit.

(04-07-2016 10:21 PM)robreke Wrote:  Instead of buying suits in certain colors and occasionally mixing them (wearing different colored jackets and pants), what's your opinion in not buying suits but buying quality pants and blazers separately and just mixing those?

I prefer to get the whole suit, even if I intend to only rarely wear the suit with the pants. First of all, I get a better deal with my tailor for the full suit than I'd pay for separate pants and jacket.

Secondly, the colours I get are useful both for jacket and pants wear.

Third, I always have the option to wear the full suit when I want to for slightly more formal circumstances.

Post: #81

OP, since I see you are expert...in suits (lol!), I have a question.

In one of the suits I am considering to buy, I found a spot (probably from grease of some kind) on the lining. Is there any way to remove it?

Post: #82

I bought a pair of these to rock with my suit... the fit was a little loose so I bought some Timberland pro anti-fatigue insoles and put them in the shoes... and damn they are comfortable! My friend keeps telling me I need to shine the toe on these shoes and make it darker... I like the way they look now... Any pro advice?


I like my blue suit much better then my charcoal grey suit.. I'm pondering getting a lighter grey suit made before I leave China (I have to figure that out today or tomorrow cause I'm going on a trip to remote China Thursday and when I come back I wont have time to get a new one made before leaving the country.

Also I wish I had seen your post in the HK meet ups Suits... would have been great to meet up with you. Perhaps another time.

Post: #83

(04-19-2016 12:41 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  I bought a pair of these to rock with my suit... the fit was a little loose so I bought some Timberland pro anti-fatigue insoles and put them in the shoes... and damn they are comfortable! My friend keeps telling me I need to shine the toe on these shoes and make it darker... I like the way they look now... Any pro advice?

Keep it in mind, but go with what you like. You're not wearing it for anyone but you. If you leave the house feeling like a million bucks, mission accomplished.

(04-19-2016 12:41 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  Also I wish I had seen your post in the HK meet ups Suits... would have been great to meet up with you. Perhaps another time.

There's always a couch with your name on it in Beijing.

Post: #84

Good point, thanks Suits.

I'm about to head to the shop and get a lighter grey suit made. So that will be 3 suits total.. a decent start. The thing is once I get back to South America... I can't see myself wearing them much as its hot and usually dirt and I would prally get mugged a lot... However I'm gonna roll through Europe suited up this summer

Post: #85

(04-19-2016 12:41 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  I bought a pair of these to rock with my suit... the fit was a little loose so I bought some Timberland pro anti-fatigue insoles and put them in the shoes... and damn they are comfortable! My friend keeps telling me I need to shine the toe on these shoes and make it darker... I like the way they look now... Any pro advice?

I like my shoes shiny as million suns, but some boots look better if they look worn.
I put some proper horse grease on them and let it dry for two days. Then I put some shoe polish (matching color or colorless) and just shine them.

It is very simple process, but requires some arm labour. There are plenty of youtube videos on how to shine your shoes.
I do almost exactly like this:

Post: #86

Great thread, subscribed for later use when I'm in good enough shape to make the investments in suits worth while.

I currently live with my brother, who has a German Shepherd that molts like a mother fucker. I bought myself a nice wool coat for the winter, and ended up donating it to a charity shop because it was an absolute bitch to stop it looking like it was made from dog fur. Is there any way to protect a suit from suffering the same fate, other than moving out?

Post: #87

(04-19-2016 12:41 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  I bought a pair of these to rock with my suit... the fit was a little loose so I bought some Timberland pro anti-fatigue insoles and put them in the shoes... and damn they are comfortable! My friend keeps telling me I need to shine the toe on these shoes and make it darker... I like the way they look now... Any pro advice?


I like my blue suit much better then my charcoal grey suit.. I'm pondering getting a lighter grey suit made before I leave China (I have to figure that out today or tomorrow cause I'm going on a trip to remote China Thursday and when I come back I wont have time to get a new one made before leaving the country.

Also I wish I had seen your post in the HK meet ups Suits... would have been great to meet up with you. Perhaps another time.

If you like the way they look, keep it. My opinion is to keep an open mind about it. A fresh shine on a pair of shoes can make all the difference in the world between someone who's dressed well and looking extremely sharp.

Post: #88

(04-20-2016 01:39 PM)Marmite Wrote:  Great thread, subscribed for later use when I'm in good enough shape to make the investments in suits worth while.

I currently live with my brother, who has a German Shepherd that molts like a mother fucker. I bought myself a nice wool coat for the winter, and ended up donating it to a charity shop because it was an absolute bitch to stop it looking like it was made from dog fur. Is there any way to protect a suit from suffering the same fate, other than moving out?

1: Keep the dog out of your bedroom. Shepards are smart enough that you can easily train them not to go in rooms they're not supposed to.

2: Get a zip up suit hanger.

In either case you shouldn't be wearing the suits around the house. You wear your nice suits only as necessary, and your not quite as nice suits only when appropriate. I have a cheap black suit that I wear when I want to look fashionable and don't an event going on that's worth wear and tear.

Post: #89

(04-20-2016 07:11 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  In either case you shouldn't be wearing the suits around the house.

I wear suits around the house.

Post: #90

Just read this thread again today, as being ANZAC day here and seeing some of my mates looking really sharp in suits or blazers, I've once again been reminded that it's time I upped my suit game a bit.

Trouble is, as another Aussie alluded to earlier in the thread, I'm quite well known around here as always wearing working, or at least rugged-casual clothes. If I were to start wearing suits, everybody would assume I've either become a born again Christian or come out of the closet.

I've played about with wearing suits before, but mostly "Saturday Night Fever" style for novelty value (did work too). What I think I could sensibly pull off is a dark blazer with jeans and boots, but what I'd really love to try is this tweed from page 1

   

This was the standard "Going to town" or "market day" jacket of older farmers when I was a kid, some of the really old (80+) men still wear them.
I can picture this with dark denim jeans, and dark brown riding or "cowboy" boots, but what sort of shirt for an outfit like this? Or would that be too much for a beginner?

Post: #91

http://dappered.com/2016/04/the-best-loo...ring-2016/

This blog post has so many good looking blazers made for summer: linen/cotton blends, barely lined, some pure linen. Worth checking out for some ideas of how to wear a good sport coat even when its warm outside.

I have a white and light blue seersucker sport coat I wear in the summer with grey cotton pants and a white polo. Classic look.

Post: #92

Do any of you guys have any recommendations from personal experience with high end bespoke suit makers. My business is expanding and I will find myself in Los Angeles far more often so I need to step my suit game up big. I have looked around on line and the Saville row types are getting insanely expensive, but if thats the way to go so be it. I was looking at Richard James but I am reading great things about Ascot Chang, Gordon Yao who as I understand it used to do all the suits for ascot chang and ww chan out of Hong Kong. Price wise the savings over James is significant, to the point I can almost buy 2 for the price of 1 but wondering if the quality is that much of a drop off. I haven't looked any further than those 2 regions, if you have experience with somebody outside London and Hong Kong that are exceptional suit makers im all ears. I assume there have to be some high end suit makers in Italy but no idea. I know it's pretty niche but since we got some stylish cats on here I thought it worth the ask.

Post: #93

(04-29-2016 01:51 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  Do any of you guys have any recommendations from personal experience with high end bespoke suit makers. My business is expanding and I will find myself in Los Angeles far more often so I need to step my suit game up big. I have looked around on line and the Saville row types are getting insanely expensive, but if thats the way to go so be it. I was looking at Richard James but I am reading great things about Ascot Chang, Gordon Yao who as I understand it used to do all the suits for ascot chang and ww chan out of Hong Kong. Price wise the savings over James is significant, to the point I can almost buy 2 for the price of 1 but wondering if the quality is that much of a drop off. I haven't looked any further than those 2 regions, if you have experience with somebody outside London and Hong Kong that are exceptional suit makers im all ears. I assume there have to be some high end suit makers in Italy but no idea. I know it's pretty niche but since we got some stylish cats on here I thought it worth the ask.

This guy used to have a very interesting men's wear blog and then became a bespoke tailor. You can check out some of the stuff he makes, it looks great.

http://articlesofstyle.com/

Post: #94

Great info. I recently became interested in wearing nice clothing after reading an article on the plane about how a man over 40 should wear nice clothes and not dress like a teenager. That means instead of wearing jeans all the time and Tennis Shoes wear something classy like your articles suggest. So I started to venture out into this world of Suits & menswear. There's a lot to learn. And there are so many companies that will gladly take your money and give you a shitty product. I made a classic newbie mistake by going to Men's Wearhouse as my first place. I let the salesman talk me into spending $4,000 on 7 suits , shoes, shirts, basically 7 complete outfits. Previously I thought Calvin Klein you're doing well but now I know better I bought some at Macy's for around $350 they didn't have a very good fit. I also went to a few other locations and they didn't know what they were doing as well.
Finally I learned that there are a few places that you need to go to get something good the first place I found was called

Suitsupply
Black lapel
Modern Tailor

Basically you can get a custom-made suit made to measure and it will cost you roughly $600 and the measurements are just for you. It's not a traditional bespoke suit but it is pretty damn close and for a reasonable price. I walked into suitsupply and they really know what they're talking about. I bought two suits that look fantastic. Now that I'm living here the closest suitsupply I believe it's in Lithuania. However black lapel will ship directly to Ukraine.

Post: #95

(04-29-2016 01:51 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  Do any of you guys have any recommendations from personal experience with high end bespoke suit makers. My business is expanding and I will find myself in Los Angeles far more often so I need to step my suit game up big. I have looked around on line and the Saville row types are getting insanely expensive, but if thats the way to go so be it. I was looking at Richard James but I am reading great things about Ascot Chang, Gordon Yao who as I understand it used to do all the suits for ascot chang and ww chan out of Hong Kong. Price wise the savings over James is significant, to the point I can almost buy 2 for the price of 1 but wondering if the quality is that much of a drop off. I haven't looked any further than those 2 regions, if you have experience with somebody outside London and Hong Kong that are exceptional suit makers im all ears. I assume there have to be some high end suit makers in Italy but no idea. I know it's pretty niche but since we got some stylish cats on here I thought it worth the ask.

Is bespoke really necessary when the new internet based M2M joints are so good now? I mean if you got a big bankroll, go for it...

There's this guy based in LA that makes a lot of suits that fit right in my wheelhouse: http://www.thickasthievesla.com/

Post: #96

(04-30-2016 09:50 PM)booshala Wrote:  

(04-29-2016 01:51 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  Do any of you guys have any recommendations from personal experience with high end bespoke suit makers. My business is expanding and I will find myself in Los Angeles far more often so I need to step my suit game up big. I have looked around on line and the Saville row types are getting insanely expensive, but if thats the way to go so be it. I was looking at Richard James but I am reading great things about Ascot Chang, Gordon Yao who as I understand it used to do all the suits for ascot chang and ww chan out of Hong Kong. Price wise the savings over James is significant, to the point I can almost buy 2 for the price of 1 but wondering if the quality is that much of a drop off. I haven't looked any further than those 2 regions, if you have experience with somebody outside London and Hong Kong that are exceptional suit makers im all ears. I assume there have to be some high end suit makers in Italy but no idea. I know it's pretty niche but since we got some stylish cats on here I thought it worth the ask.

Is bespoke really necessary when the new internet based M2M joints are so good now? I mean if you got a big bankroll, go for it...

There's this guy based in LA that makes a lot of suits that fit right in my wheelhouse: http://www.thickasthievesla.com/

A great m2m will never beat a great bespoke. That said, if it were for my own personal use day to day I wouldn't care, i'd take a great fitting m2m but I deal with clients in an industry that is entirely image driven and you gotta look the part. I'll spend the money to make money. I'll check out the site mentioned.

If anybody else has any further input, do share.

Post: #97

Great thread Suits +1. You need to add it to your signature.

Post: #98

(03-31-2016 04:13 AM)Surreyman Wrote:  @suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

I've seen a video of this

@Suits - Could you point to a video or pics of how you do that folding/ packing thing?

Also, given that you are paying 800 RMB for a Suit 100% Worsted wool fabric included.

What kind of prices would your shop/ tailor charge for a linen or linen blend suit?
Also, what would they charge if I/ someone brought in specific fabrics from outside?

Do share please. If not here, do PM me.

Post: #99

(05-08-2016 11:59 AM)xmlenigma Wrote:  

(03-31-2016 04:13 AM)Surreyman Wrote:  @suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

I've seen a video of this

@Suits - Could you point to a video or pics of how you do that folding/ packing thing?

Also, given that you are paying 800 RMB for a Suit 100% Worsted wool fabric included.

What kind of prices would your shop/ tailor charge for a linen or linen blend suit?
Also, what would they charge if I/ someone brought in specific fabrics from outside?

Do share please. If not here, do PM me.

My tailor generally offers all fabrics to me at the same price range. Given the audience (low end cost) that they target, I don't even think they have anything expensive in stock.

They've done cotton and linen for me at the same price and the quality was similar to what I was getting in wool. Quality, long lasting, looks good, but not premium.

Post: #100

(05-10-2016 11:40 PM)Suits Wrote:  

(05-08-2016 11:59 AM)xmlenigma Wrote:  

(03-31-2016 04:13 AM)Surreyman Wrote:  @suits I'm interested to hear about your packing methods for your jackets. Are you putting one shoulder inside the other? Also, what do you do regards cleaning and ironing on your travels?

I've seen a video of this

@Suits - Could you point to a video or pics of how you do that folding/ packing thing?

Also, given that you are paying 800 RMB for a Suit 100% Worsted wool fabric included.

What kind of prices would your shop/ tailor charge for a linen or linen blend suit?
Also, what would they charge if I/ someone brought in specific fabrics from outside?

Do share please. If not here, do PM me.

My tailor generally offers all fabrics to me at the same price range. Given the audience (low end cost) that they target, I don't even think they have anything expensive in stock.

They've done cotton and linen for me at the same price and the quality was similar to what I was getting in wool. Quality, long lasting, looks good, but not premium.

Sounds like the perfect fit (pun intended) to me. Are their worsted wool fabrics VBC - which from my research is a great / good starting point i.e. Value for money wool?