As women we have no idea how to shop for suits, and to be fair neither do the men in our lives. It’s a tricky business that you’d rather not learn through expensive trial and error. Well, dear friends, you don’t have to make those costly mistakes again, because we’ve had a chat to our dear friends at
Beg Your Pardon who’ve given us their top tips for buying a suit off-the-rack.
The suit-buying process starts before you go to the store
It’s important that you have at least some idea of what type of suit you want to buy. Hop onto Instagram or Pinterest, or even a simple Google search will return a plethora of suit styles for you to peruse. Important questions to consider are what colour you’re looking for and the suit texture. Do you want a simple solid colour, a Prince of Wales check, or window pane? A peaked lapel or a notched? Double breasted or single? These are decisions that are best made before you walk into a shop, because the job of any good salesperson is to influence you to buy what they sell, even if it’s not perfectly suitable (haha, get it).
A tailor is not a wizard
Many people are under the illusion that a tailor is able to correct any imperfection on a suit. This simply isn’t the case. Some things cannot or should not be altered. If your suit lapel is sitting proud of the chest and is buckling, a tailor will not be able to fix it. If the suit has a dimple under the shoulder a tailor won’t be able to correct this either. Some tailors will try, but it’s never quite the same finish, and what’s the point in spending big bucks on a suit if it isn’t perfect?
Check the super numbers
Super numbers are just as important as they sound: super important. It’s a bit complicated, so we’ve done another article that’s more in depth, why not
check it out?
Make sure your cloth has ‘guts’
The way you test this is by grabbing a handful of suit cloth and crushing it in your hand. When you let it go, does the cloth bounce back to life without too much creasing? If so, the cloth has some guts and is worth considering. If not, it’s probably cheaply made and won’t last long. We’re all about quality without skimping on price!
Knowing your body shape isn’t just for the ladies
A short, chubby body needs a very different suit structure to a tall, slender shape. Jacket length is critical when choosing an off-the-rack suit. If you’re short, buy a short suit; if you’re tall, buy a tall suit. A fitting specialist should recommend the right fit, but as always, it’s buyer beware. Some salespeople are after a quick sale and will take the “near enough is good enough” approach. Read the Beg Your Pardon Suit Fitting Guide to ensure you’re not duped at your next suit fitting.
If even after all these tips the prospect of buying a suit is still daunting, Michael Bois at Beg Your Pardon can help you feel comfortable, looked after and you can rest assured they won’t dupe you. With state of the art equipment and superior knowledge of all the suit trends, why would you go anywhere else?
Is your Dad starting to become a bit of a Daggy Dad? Make him look super suave and book in for a made to measure suit fitting especially for Father’s Day. Michael will not only pour your dad a glass (or two) of whisky, but if you purchase a made to measure suit for Dad, he’ll chuck in 2 complimentary 700ml bottles of Chivas Regal Extra.
The best bit? Once he’s fitted by Michael once, he’ll never have to be measured again as Michael puts all the measurements in a database, which makes shopping for Dad super easy. Make Father’s Day a day to remember, make an appointment now to get him a suit he’ll never forget.
Beg Your Pardon
18 Union St, Adelaide
[email protected]
(08) 7225 8313
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