Hey r/London, where's a good place to buy a fairly cheap, off-season suit?
I'm fairly new to the city; been studying and living here since September. I'm looking for a fairly decent £100 to £200 suit for a few formal summer events as well as a friend's wedding in July.
I'm not sure I want a suit from a department store, but I'm fairly new to shopping for this kind of thing, so was wondering if a taylor is a reasonable expectation within my budget - but more importantly where exactly do I go?
Any help from you guys is very much appreciated!
Posted May 14, 2012, 9:49 AM UTC
914
I was just in the exact same situation last month!
If you're expecting to get a bespoke suit made for that price, you're having a laugh - they start at around £900. You can always get suits tailored to fit you, though - tailors are everywhere in London and cost about £10 per alteration. The key is buying a good-quality suit in the first place.
Go to Marks and Spencers. You'll get a fantastic suit for £129 (stop turning your nose up at 'department stores' - M&S make great suits and frankly, you don't have the budget to look elsewhere), and you won't have to compromise with "off season", as well as getting quality well in excess of the price. I visited a couple of tailors and did my research before buying two suits I needed, and everyone recommended M&S as the best quality suits for the money. Any alterations can be done cheaply afterwards.
The branch next to Marble Arch is incredible - it's their flagship store and they have an absolutely huge array of suits in loads of different styles, priced from £80-£400.
Ask if Janice is around and tell her she was recommended by a friend - she's amazing and will help you pick exactly what you need, help with the fitting, accessorise it appropriately, etc. Very honest as well, which is helpful if a suit doesn't fit quite right or might not be appropriate for an occasion. I had a great experience shopping with her and walked away with two suits, two shirts, three ties and a pair of shoes feeling brilliant.
Oh I wasn't turning my nose up at department stores, I should have elaborated; what I meant was that my proportions are a little out, particularly my arms are usually around two inches or so longer than most standard fit garments which is a royal pain in the arse particularly when shopping for things like suits.
Thanks for the advice kind sir, I'll be sure to follow it.
No worries!
If you have weird proportions (so do I - short legs!), just ask your shopper's advice on how you can accomodate this with a suit. It'll most likely be an easy fix!
M&S do a good range of sizes. I am tall and used to be slim; I got most of my suits there. They'll order your size in if they can. Good deals can also be found on Cheapside (surprisingly) near Bank. There are a few shops round there. Mostly expensive but the odd bargain to be had.
Apsley on Pall Mall do a decent tailored suit. Got four pieces (two trousers - always but spare trousers) from them about five years ago for £500.
Five years is a very long time :p
True, true. I see they start from £650 now... still not exactly cheap, though.