Cheap suits - how to look good for £100?

[The Gauge]

x5tuu said:

The Gauge said:

I need a black suit for a fancy dress party I'm attending as Blues Brothers. Don't reckon I'd wear it ever again so thought I'd try Vinted. Being a 52" chest makes off the peg difficult.

I've bought a few different suit jackets from Vinted but non of then were right, they either weren't actually black, had pinstripes (not visible on photos) etc or weren't the size specified. One size 52 jacket was actually I Childs size! I've had to give them all to charity shops.

I've since ordered some jackets & trousers from Next and M&S which I'm collecting today, if they fit then I'm having to pay about £120 which for a one ff event is a but pricy.

You probably would have been better off renting something - or as its a one off just heading to Asda/Sainsburys for one of theirs - asda go to a 50R but tend to be giving, saisburys upto a 52R (via Jacamo) ... or even just head to Jacamo direct

I'd already look at Jacamo. Problem is lots of the usual shops have reduced their range of suits since Covid, and tend to have more tuxedos than normal suits.

Stella Tortoise said:

No doubt which of the brothers you are representing.

Mmmm. I might be Jake

Stella Tortoise said:

Why just a one-off? A black suit is always worth keeping for funerals.

I haven't worn a suit for a funeral in ages, tend to just wear some black chinos and a shirt. Thats about as informal as I'll go for a funeral though, whereas at some I've attended folk have worn jeans and trainers as is they've just got up off their sofa to attend!!!



Just picked up a matching suit jacket £55 and trousers £35 from Next, the jacket fits perfect but as for the trouser waist - lets just say I'm grateful for the invention of the trouser hook extender!

[g3org3y]

craigjm said:

Agree with that LB. If you’re buying low cost off the peg suits Slaters can’t really be beaten.

Tyrwhitt for me.

Good selection of size/fit and their returns are v decent so easy to buy online and send back.

[popegregory]

White-Noise said:

This might be a silly question but what is the dress code? Albeit some decades back when I was in school I can definitely remember some teachers not wearing suits, maybe a jumper with some trousers. I am really not a fan of wearing suits so that's where my head went straight away.

Business wear I guess but it’s not hugely enforced. Design subjects of course wear more workshop suited attire. I like suits though and like my geography department being a bastion of sartorial elegance! Currently looking good in a slaters three piece and two M&S outfits picked up in their august suits sale.

[paddy1970]

If you are looking for good quality suits on a budget, I would recommend considering second-hand options. Second-hand suits from high-quality brands tend to last much longer than new suits at a similar price point from lower-tier retailers. Some excellent brands to look out for include The Kooples, Reiss, or Hugo Boss – they often have great second-hand deals online through platforms like eBay, Vinted, or even in charity shops.

[Louis Balfour]

I sold a barathea 2-piece MTM suit on EBay for £6 with two pairs of trousers. It was essentially unworn. Someone got a bargain.

But there is also some proper tat for sale secondhand.

[CHLEMCBC]

Slaters

[Dbag101]

There are often some eyebrow raising examples, in charity shops. The closer you get to Looondon, the better the finds can be. I’ve seen some examples, which were tailored for someone, at an expensive tailor, which have fitted pretty well, for another person, and they’ve saved thousands of pounds, just by shopping smart. If you go for new, at 100 quid, you’ll be lucky to get away with looking like a dumpster fire, that someone has urinated on to extinguish. Just my opinion.

[Louis Balfour]

Dbag101 said:

There are often some eyebrow raising examples, in charity shops. The closer you get to Looondon, the better the finds can be. I’ve seen some examples, which were tailored for someone, at an expensive tailor, which have fitted pretty well, for another person, and they’ve saved thousands of pounds, just by shopping smart. If you go for new, at 100 quid, you’ll be lucky to get away with looking like a dumpster fire, that someone has urinated on to extinguish. Just my opinion.

Charity shops can have some nice stuff, but more usually not. My son was thrifting for a blazer a few weeks ago; after charity shop three I took him to Slaters and bought him a new one, to put an end to the misery.

Also, quality second-hand clothes aren't necessarily cheap anymore.

With regard to a £100 suit looking awful - it's likely to, if you just buy something off the peg and don't adjust it, Which is why I am a fan of Slaters, because they do alterations within the price. No, a £100 suit is never going to look like a £1000 one. But it'll be good enough if it fits properly.

[craigjm]

The charity shop Avenue is not what it once was. Particularly the large charities have now clued up and know what they are looking for when it comes to identifying more expensive clothes so the bargains are not there. This I know from a few people I know that work in charity retail. Not from personal experience. I come out in hives at even the thought of setting foot in such a place. I am starting to itch right now just typing this.

[Louis Balfour]

craigjm said:

The charity shop Avenue is not what it once was. Particularly the large charities have now clued up and know what they are looking for when it comes to identifying more expensive clothes so the bargains are not there. This I know from a few people I know that work in charity retail. Not from personal experience. I come out in hives at even the thought of setting foot in such a place. I am starting to itch right now just typing this.

After the charity shop "tour" my son insisted his clothes were sprayed with vodka to sanitise them.

I would not buy vintage clothes that touch my skin. I did buy a vintage sheepskin coat recently however, that was new old stock. It was still vodkad to within an inch of its life however. I also buy vintage leather goods that are treated similarly.

[Octoposse]

beniv said:

Vinted, second hand shops, ebay

Absolutely. I decided to “smarten up” at work as part of my mid-life crisis. Wear a jacket (70s tweed jackets are particularly smart now) every day, suits for occasional presentations.

For £200 or so, via EBay, I have got some brilliant stuff. Only one complete failure, which I just took straight to charity shop.

[Louis Balfour]

Octoposse said:

beniv said:

Vinted, second hand shops, ebay

Absolutely. I decided to “smarten up” at work as part of my mid-life crisis. Wear a jacket (70s tweed jackets are particularly smart now) every day, suits for occasional presentations.

For £200 or so, via EBay, I have got some brilliant stuff. Only one complete failure, which I just took straight to charity shop.

Vintage clothing is great and I am sure your taste is exquisite. But for the OP there is a significant risk of looking like an extra from the Sweeney, particularly if he wants a suit.

[popegregory]

Does anyone know if M&S have a suit sale at Easter? I’ve been looking through the app and seen £120 worth of light grey loveliness that I’d look fabulous in (and also looks well worth what they want for it as standard) but it seems the sort of time of year where there might be a few quid off in a couple of weeks?

[Timothy Bucktu]

Three pages in and nobody has given the correct answer yet, which is Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's or even Primark. Nobody will know, much less care. They're fine for general day to day use.

[daveenty]

popegregory said:

Does anyone know if M&S have a suit sale at Easter? I’ve been looking through the app and seen £120 worth of light grey loveliness that I’d look fabulous in (and also looks well worth what they want for it as standard) but it seems the sort of time of year where there might be a few quid off in a couple of weeks?

Not sure about M&S though if, as your original post, you're still after a cheap suit for work etc., you could do worse than DOBELL

I've bought a good few bits from them over the years and have never been let down. OK, the quality may not be the best though for the price you can't go wrong.

The only suit I wear now is a black one for funerals (it's an age thing I suppose) and that came from Dobell.

[craigjm]

Timothy Bucktu said:

Three pages in and nobody has given the correct answer yet, which is Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's or even Primark. Nobody will know, much less care. They're fine for general day to day use.

There is no such thing as “correct answer” that’s just PH bullst and believe me if anyone is wearing a suit from a supermarket or primark everyone will know. Whether they care is a different matter but at those outlets you are getting adult school uniform not a suit.

[Timothy Bucktu]

craigjm said:

Timothy Bucktu said:

Three pages in and nobody has given the correct answer yet, which is Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's or even Primark. Nobody will know, much less care. They're fine for general day to day use.

There is no such thing as “correct answer” that’s just PH bullst and believe me if anyone is wearing a suit from a supermarket or primark everyone will know. Whether they care is a different matter but at those outlets you are getting adult school uniform not a suit.

Alright Gok Wan...calm down.
He literally said he needs something cheap for working in a School. It's not a job interview or high Tea with the King. He's going to need several pairs of trousers to go with the jacket, five shirts etc etc. You're not going to get this on Vinted, a musty old overpriced charity shop or the jumble sale that is TK Maxx.
It's working in a school which I had the 'joy' of doing for 8 years. You'd be surprised how mucky you get! Again...nobody will care that your suit isn't Savile Row. It's not PH you know.

[ambuletz]

Burton.
they always have a sale on suits.

[craigjm]

Timothy Bucktu said:

craigjm said:

Timothy Bucktu said:

Three pages in and nobody has given the correct answer yet, which is Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's or even Primark. Nobody will know, much less care. They're fine for general day to day use.

There is no such thing as “correct answer” that’s just PH bullst and believe me if anyone is wearing a suit from a supermarket or primark everyone will know. Whether they care is a different matter but at those outlets you are getting adult school uniform not a suit.

Alright Gok Wan...calm down.
He literally said he needs something cheap for working in a School. It's not a job interview or high Tea with the King. He's going to need several pairs of trousers to go with the jacket, five shirts etc etc. You're not going to get this on Vinted, a musty old overpriced charity shop or the jumble sale that is TK Maxx.
It's working in a school which I had the 'joy' of doing for 8 years. You'd be surprised how mucky you get! Again...nobody will care that your suit isn't Savile Row. It's not PH you know.

This has all been covered way up the thread you are late to the party and repeating old ground from months ago. He is now asking about sales at M&S etc.

To answer the OP they probably will have a sale at Easter whether the suits are included is anyone’s guess.

[popegregory]

Timothy Bucktu said:

Three pages in and nobody has given the correct answer yet, which is Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's or even Primark. Nobody will know, much less care. They're fine for general day to day use.

Sainsburys annoyingly reined the suits in a while ago because I had a light grey one off them that absolutely fitted the brief! Tesco have always looked dreadful even for the price but I’m going for a cheeky look in Matalan I think this weekend. I’ll also have a look at Burton (provided they haven’t gone down the “council day at the races” design theme that seems to be popular these days) but to be fair, Marks are really where this levels at.