After yesterday’s house warming party today and this evening seems like a good day for weekly Q&A round-up.
Q: Hi Atte! What’s your take on Suitsupply suits (Sienna, La Spalla)?
A:
To put it shortly, SuitSupply offers suits and jackets that are mostly classically proportioned and cut and decently constructed and personally I would recommend their garments to anyone. I think that most of all SuitSupply is known as a brand that offers good quality for one's money especially in terms of lower price range (300-400 euros) which covers their basic “blue” and “purple” lines. Whereas in that price tier most of brands are selling either fused suits or ones made with either “fashionable” cuts featuring very skinny lapels and too short jackets or ones with very “classic” (read baggy and loose) cut - SuitSupply has done upped the quality, brought cuts into better balance, and priced it around 300-400 euros. In terms of quality, construction, details and fit, the basic SuitSupply suits are comparable to many brands featuring price tags around 1000 euros or even more.
And when it comes to more expensive lines such as La Spalla - which I have no personal experience - in terms of details, construction and materials La Spalla suits (as well as the Sienna and Jort-line suits) are likely on pair with something you usually still pay a lot more. And this is based on pictures, readings of reviews and my own observations done at the SuitSupply stores.
For example all La Spalla suits are made of S150's wool fabrics and feature full-canvas construction, hand-stitched shoulders & collar and real horn buttons. And these suits are priced around 700 euros. Compared to some Italian “big name brands” such as Canali, Zegna or Armani for example - suits with the same features and amount of handwork - I dare to say - the prices could be at least doubled.
That said, I think that in terms of all ranges of suits SuitSupply offer products that are definitely respectable in terms of the price-quality-ratio.
However there is one downside, which is that in all of the jackets the sleeves have functioning buttonholes. This means the length of the sleeves can be altered only up to 2 centimeters or in case your arms are shorter than that allowance, you'll have to take the sleeve up from the armhole, which is a much bigger (and more expensive) alteration for a tailor. And if you are dealing with a jacket featuring a pattern - the pattern matching can go off in case the sleeve is shortened from the top of the sleeve.
Q: Hey Atte! Thanks for your great blog and all your quick answers! I was wondering if you ever looked into RM Williams Craftsman chelseas? I recently bought a black yearling one for a good price and I’m stoked about the fit. Just not sure about the wearability cuz I’m looking for a boot that is quite versatile in that it can be dressed up or down but this one looks a bit robust. Thoughts on that regarding the black Craftsman? Thanks in advance - keep up the great work! Regards, Alex
A:
Hey Alex,
Well, I think the craftsman is a classic. I have no personal experience but I’ve taken a look of those a couple of times. In terms of the quality and construction those RM Williams boots are top notch.
When it comes to versatility I think that Craftsman (depending on the last it is made of course, but the most common version might be the B543 chisel toe last) is on its best as a part of more casual combinations. For example paired with jeans, sweaters and a field or a down jacket. In my opinion It can be used in sport coat ensembles (or even with a suit) as well, as long as the fabrics and textures are more on the “robust” and thicker side of the range. I personally still wouldn’t use it for pure business, in other words in case you are looking a shoe to be paired with your light weight wool suits and a tie - go for a different pair.
For more thoughts about chelsea boots - check this post from last year.
Q: Hello! What are the best sites to look for blazers at? Supplysuit does not have my size, as I am a very slim fit 148 (or 48). How many cm can you tailor with good results? Best regards
Hey mate,
First to answer your latter question, I think there are no universal rules on how many cm different parts of a jacket can be altered. Best way is to take the jacket (or whatever garment) to your tailor and take a look with him or her. Finding a good and reliable tailor will make your life (in menswear) much easier.
Secondly, you don’t say the price range you are looking for but I guess something mid-tier range as you refer to SuitSupply as an alternative. There are of course multiple places to look for such as Mr. Porter, Braun-Hamburg, Trunk Clothiers, Rose&Born, No Man Walks Alone and Carson Street Clothiers to begin with. But in case you are looking for something slim with a affordable price range, here are some web stores (most of them could be described as “online-outlets”) to start your search.
http://www.dipierrobrandstore.it
http://www.abbigliamentograndifirme.it
http://www.playgroundshop.com/
http://www.stilecontemporaneo.it/
http://www.marinuccistoreonline.com
http://www.sancarlodal1973.com
Hope you find what you’re looking for!
Q: Any suggestions for what to wear with black chinos for both business casual and casual scenarios? Cheers in advance
Hey man,
Black chinos can actually be pretty tough to pull off. In case you are looking something to wear in casual combinations, I would go for black denim instead of chinos and for business casual I would preferably replace the black chinos with some dark grey flannels (or then dark blue chinos).
But in case you have already invested in those black chinos, I would try and keep the ensembles quite monochrome and restrained. White button-up shirts together with some sweaters in different shades of gray (or dark blue) would probably work at least for casual use but also for business casual in some environment. Black, burgundy and grey turtle neck sweaters are also an option worth of taking a try during fall and winter. Finally, if you go for sport coats, try to keep them also quite plain and restrained and the color scheme quite dark. My advice would be to avoid high contrast and bright colored top-parts whenever you are wearing black trousers.
For shoes I’d go either with white / black / burgundy sneakers such as Common Projects, Butteros or such or then with some black leather shoes (and boots).
Below (on the left side) a good example of how to get black (denim) trousers to look good.
And thanks again for all the feedback and comments, appreciate it!
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