Suiting Up FI

tigerlily6

Hi all,

FI suggested to me this morning that he'd be up to go try on suits later this weekend. We are looking at buying, and trying to keep things on the less expensive end, so will probably check out Kohls and JCPs. 

Neither he nor I are very savvy on men's tailoring. Any tips or info I should keep in mind as we try to find a good suit for him? I think we will probably opt for suit rather than tux, since the investment in a suit can be worn more often for professional meetings/ conferences. Aside from that, though, the only thing I know is that he is has a wool sensitivity, so we will have to stay clear of that. 

charlotte989875

My H and his GMs went to Macy's and worked with a men's sales associate. They knew more about tailoring and fit (although I will say H and his guys wear suits semi-regularly). I would suggest starting out working with someone, even if that means going to men's warehouse or another specialty store so your FI can get a sense of what he likes. Also, just trying on different suits will help him figure out what kind of tailoring fits him best. 

Also, H had told the guys charcoal gray suits and whites shirts, whoever you want to get them from. They all decided they wanted to invest in quality suits so they found when Macy's was having a sale and all went and purchased the same one on the same day. They saved a ton of money and said the wedding was a good excuse to buy a new suit. I've seen three of the GMs wear them since the wedding. So it's great that you're keeping it inexpensive but the guys might want the option of buying a quality suit that will last. 

CMGragain

http://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/advice/a4705/suit-fit-0708/

ernursej

I would suggest going to a Men's suit store to browse and get some ideas on the style of suit/cut/colour that you and your Fiancé like. Usually, the representatives are great with suggestions. You can buy from there or decide to take your dream suit ideas to JCP or like and find something similar but at a better price. I like the idea of a suit as every time you see him in it, it will hopefully remind you of a wonderful day.

MesmrEwe

If your local JCP has a tailor on-staff that's by far the way to go if you know he's going to need alterations.  Many Macy's stores have them available and have suits available at different price points.  Men's suit stores also have suits at various price-points as well so I wouldn't limit yourself out of that option either.  If he absolutely cannot wear wool, I'd do some research ahead of time for fabric contents online with the different suit options at Kohl's/JCP.. 

tigerlily6

Thanks to all! We actually ended up settling with Macy's, since we saw that they were having a pretty decent sale on men's suits. I was following this thread on my phone getting all your advice. We have a bit of a clunker car, so we weren't up to leaving town (the nearest Men's Warehouse is about an hour drive away), but I did make sure we talked with the Macy's employees and figured out the right cut and size for FI. We still need to get his sleeves tailored, since in his size they only came in "regular" length and were just a bit too long. But the Macy's rep referred us to their preferred tailor in town, who apparently charges only $10 a sleeve. 

@CMGragain, thank you so much for that link! I used it yesterday, and plan on using it when we talk to the tailor, also! 

We are letting the groomsmen buy their attire at whatever store they want (Penny's or Kohls' or Macy's or wherever) so long as they stick to a similar color (medium gray). It may not look completely uniform, but we are letting them do a bit of a mismatched look if it works better with their budgets and comfort (this topic was discussed previously in an earlier thread of mine). 

I'm just really excited to get FI a nice fitting three-piece suit! As @ernursej noted, I know he will be able to wear it again and that it should remind bring fond memories of our wedding day to both of us.