The London Lounge

Hello, my name is Chris. Many thanks for letting me in the door; I hope to take up residence here for a while. I'm a university grad managing a photographic retail store, with an interest in cameras, shaving with straight razors, rock climbing and other varied hobbies. I'm at the point in my life where I've taken a look at my wardrobe and found it sorely lacking in quality garments. I'm tired of buying half-decent clothes that wear out after a year or two. I'd like to start investing in better quality items whose life may be properly measured in decades instead of years.

I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where good men's stores are few. We have a small Harry Rosen store, and a couple of Italian-themed stores whose slimmer-cut suits do little to flatter my 6'2, 230 lbs figure or to conceal a slowly-shrinking belly. I've just ordered my first pair of Allen Edmonds from Harry Rosen, a pair of Greenwich bluchers in cognac calf with which I fell in love. G&G makes some of the most beautiful shoes I've ever seen! I'm definitely picking up a pair of their Carnegie style when I can, but for now I'm going to buy local whenever possible and build a good working relationship with my Harry Rosen salesman.

Now to the point. I'm visiting the store later this week to be fitted for my first decent suit and I'm looking for some advice. The suit isn't for daily wear, but rather for occasional use for weddings, dinners, and the myriad other occasions that demand a little formality. I'll be adding to my wardrobe later, but for now I need one suit that can be versatile enough to cover those needs. The salesman seems keen on what he calls "shadow black," a black suit with some sort of faintly-discernable stripes or pattern that supposedly livens it up. I've always heard that one should avoid black in a general suit if possible; what are your thoughts? My alternatives, as I see them, would be a very dark navy or a charcoal. Which of those three colours tends to work best for an all-around suit paired with black shoes?

Ideally I'd like to keep the cost around $1000. Harry Rosen has a J.P. Tilford MTM sale going on this week, and prices should start around $1200. I understand that Samuelsohn makes the Tilford-branded suits and that they're virtually identical in quality of construction to Samuelsohn's own. Does anyone know for sure if the Tilford suits are fully canvassed? My salesman seems to think so, but he's looking into it. Assuming that they are, would a Tilford be a good buy at $1200 for MTM, or should I be looking at something else? Realistically I won't be travelling out of the city for a fitting, so I'm limited to the brands that Harry's in Winnipeg typically stocks: Canali, Coppley, Zegna Sport, Burberry, Boss Black/Green/Orange, etc. Would any of these brands be superior enough over the Tilford MTM to merit saving my pennies a while longer?

Thanks for your patience and for any suggestions or advice. This is all new to me, and I'm working with a limited budget, so any feedback will be appreciated.


Cheers,

Chris

Very dark solids, including black, charcoal grey and midnight blue, are not suitable for all-round suits, especially if you intend to have only one suit. Go for medium gray or navy blue instead.

Your figure doesn’t sound easy to fit. Try to think of it this way: would you rather spend $1000 on a suit you won’t be happy with, or spend some more and order a bespoke suit that will fit you? Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.

I agree with Costi that you should stretch for the best fit you can afford. If that's MTM, it will be better than RTW. If you can get access to decent bespoke, even better. If you expect the suit will need to do duty both for evenings out and some daytime events, I believe a charcoal gray solid (in Winnipeg a fine worsted flannel might be an excellent choice if the suit is not getting heavy use, otherwise a sharkskin, plain worsted, or fine herringbone) would be most versatile, though navy would come a close second, depending on your coloring. I'm not a fan of black lounge suits, and most black-on-black cloths I've seen convey a distinctly inelegant effect--I hesitate to use the word sleazy, but not far short of that.

In any case, it sounds as though you are learning fast. Welcome to the Lounge and good luck in your journey. Keep us posted as you proceed.

No disagreement here: I favour navy blue but, it has been rightly said that it doesn't suit everyone and, for general use, dark grey is much better than black - sheer black, from top to bottom is a flat, funereal and uninviting colour -even for evening wear - midnight blue is better.
NJS

Many thanks for your opinions and suggestions. I went with a classic charcoal for my first suit, though I fell in love with a navy suit sporting the faintest of stripes that I may pick up later. For the charcoal, I chose a Samuelsohn Super 130's that felt incredibly supple.

I decided to go MTM to address the tall/large belly situation. I was fitted by someone who clearly knew what he was doing, and I had the added benefit of hearing him explain the process to a young salesman. They looked at my size, my posture, my preference for wearing my pants below the stomach as opposed to over the belly, and every other detail one could imagine. I'm sure I'll be happy with the fit, and I'm ecstatic about the fabric.

Now I just have to endure the agony of waiting.


Chris

ask the stores tailor if its canvased. he has been inside the coat.