this is more helpful, thank you

12/18/2013 3:04:40 PM

Suit/slacks color match question: I have a pair of cordovan/oxblood dress shoes. I know I can wear those with both of my suits (light tan/stone linen blend summer, blue winter) but I'm wondering if there are any colors of pant they would work with other than tan or navy. Obviously black, brown, and olive are out, but I'm unsure on gray.

12/18/2013 3:23:45 PM

Depending on the shade of grey, you can almost pull of any standard dress shoe color. That's one reason I love grey suits and dress pants. Without seeing exactly what you have, I can still say with confidence there is a good chance your shoes will look great with several types of grey pants.

12/18/2013 3:31:01 PM

Watch Under Armour try to come out with a suiting line. They're crazy enough to.

12/18/2013 4:10:44 PM

why is olive out of the question? the mental image I have looks okay.

12/18/2013 4:25:43 PM

^agreed. It's not really my style but if I am thinking about it correctly, I have seen that pulled off well before.

12/18/2013 4:28:46 PM

The olive slacks I have shade toward brown in certain lights, which I think rules them out. But a more green version would probably work.

12/18/2013 4:42:43 PM

ah yes. I had more of a green version in my mind.

12/18/2013 5:04:07 PM

does anyone wear or shop Bonobos? Thoughts, concerns, recommendations? I've never seen any of their products in person so i'm curious as to what they compare to. Their pricing seems really high for a mail order product, almost up there at J Crew levels.

9/19/2014 4:47:58 PM

quality is better than J. Crew (but J. Crew is probably my 2nd fav place to shop Their stuff on sale/clearance is a great mixture of price/quality/style for my taste). Since my friend got me a discount with his referral last summer, I have gotten lots from Bonobos and they've pretty much become my favorite and most consistent clothing company. I will say I have not bought a blazer or suit from them yet.

When we were up in NYC last month I stopped by one of their guideshops and tried on several things I have not bought from them yet (sweaters, blazer, suit, and some shorts) so I knew what sizes to order in those since I fully intend to get more. But they have free return shipping for 365 days so if you don't like something it's easy to return it. My wife and I both got free beers when we were in there which was pretty cool too. Their casual button ups and dress shirts are by far my best OTR fit but of course that varies from person to person.

So far no concerns or issues with anything I've bought.

9/19/2014 6:38:13 PM

In the market for the cheapest (price-wise) professional suit I can get, but slim/form-fitting. Just need it for a few interviews. What brand should I go for?

[Edited on September 20, 2014 at 3:31 AM. Reason : ]

9/20/2014 3:29:51 AM

Gonna throw a shout out to Ticknors at Crabtree mall. If you are looking for modern style, they are a great place to go get a suit. I enjoy the jackets I've gotten from them way more than anything I bought at BB or anywhere else

9/20/2014 11:10:01 AM

If you are looking for ultramodern style, you should get a Suitsy

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/dear_god._some_rich_guy_is_trying_to_produce_a_suit



[Edited on September 21, 2014 at 1:57 AM. Reason : .]

9/21/2014 1:57:02 AM

lol I saw people talking about that horrendous thing on facebook.

9/21/2014 11:20:39 AM

hahaha. so that thing is just one entire piece...pants and everything lol.

9/21/2014 3:15:09 PM

CalledToArms, how do the fits of Bonobos compare to something like Express? I think I saw they offer Regular, Slim, Tailored Slim. I wear Fitted in Express, Extra Slim is just a little too tight for me.

Can you offer any referral codes?

9/22/2014 7:57:38 AM

Referral code: http://a.bono.bs/x/s0sQqM The current referral deal is $25 of $75 (I get $25 as well if you complete a qualifying purchase).

Do you wear any J. Crew? I can probably compare the fit of J. Crew better than Express. I find the Bonobos slim to be very similar to the J. Crew slim. For Bonobos dress shirts, they follow the neck size/sleeve length model as well as the cut. (Express only does sizes (xs, s, etc.) with cut correct? I forget.). My gut is that the Bonobos "slim" fits in line well with the Express "fitted" and then choose your appropriate neck and sleeve. I wear Bonobos slim dress shirts - their offering of Tailored Slim in dress shirts is fairly recent and I would guess they are on the extreme side of slim but I have not tried them.

For casual shirts, their slim actually seems slightly slimmer but it's appropriate - iow their slim for work is work appropriate and I like the slimness of the slim for casual wear being a tad more slim. However, this difference may be more due to the fact that their casual shirts are xs, s, etc.

Remember that they have free shipping both ways so you can return stuff if you don't like.

9/22/2014 11:09:06 AM

Just a heads up, if you post a Bonobos referral link on a open message board they won't give you the store credit for the referral, you are better off doing it through a PM

9/22/2014 11:23:12 AM

Thanks a lot - I had no idea.

9/22/2014 11:46:53 AM

The Tailored Slim from Bonobos is very slim. Their sizing is slightly different from regular sizing, particularly the pants, just pay attention to their fit charts. I get my casual shirts from Bonobos and go with the Medium Slims (I'm 6'2 175ish, 38.5" chest, 32" waist). I haven't gotten any dress shirts from there, as I still stick with H&C for those. The pants at Bonobos (in particular, the chinos) are the best fitting I've found. The free shipping both ways makes getting the right size easy (and usually get everything within 2-3 days).

9/23/2014 10:36:59 AM

agreed on the chinos - they're the best I've run across imo.

9/23/2014 10:46:04 AM

does bonobos have chinos that don't have plaid pockets?

9/23/2014 11:03:44 AM

their chinos come with a variety of patterns for the pocket liners but yes they offer versions without the patterned liner. (In general I prefer no contrasting liner myself)

9/23/2014 11:22:46 AM

what is different when it comes to pants sizing?

nevermind, just read their sizing guide. I'm normally a 34, guess i'll try a 32.

9/23/2014 11:24:07 AM

Unfortunately, I think it actually depends on the type of pant also. The first pants I ordered were a Twill 32x34, and were at least 1" too big (waist). Returned it for the 31, and I could barely button them. Might have been why they were always on sale. For the chinos I go with a 32x34 and hem the length to about a 33. 32x33 is typically my size in other pants as well. Also, I'd go with just the straight legs, as the slims are pretty damn tight. The straights are fairly comparable to other brands' slims.

I actually like the pocket liners, but it makes having just a few pants in the weekly rotation a little tougher to hide

[Edited on September 23, 2014 at 12:18 PM. Reason : .]

9/23/2014 12:14:35 PM

I get the slim straight in the dress pants and can either do slim straight or slim tailored in casual pants depending on the kind of fit I want. I'm a pretty slender dude tho.

9/23/2014 12:19:12 PM

got a few more dress pants and chinos from them over the past week on various sales. Still the best off-the-rack fit for me.

11/25/2014 10:04:53 AM

Picked up a suit from Bonobos ~50% off (marked down 20% but then had another 40% off over the thanksgiving holiday). Fits me really well. Took it to a tailor today to get the un-hemmed pants finished and then she's taking in the jacket just slightly for $20. Overall very happy.

12/9/2014 3:19:06 PM

I'm getting an all black suit and my tailor is trying to talk me into getting brown buttons for some reason. I thought that was a fashion faux pas?

12/19/2014 11:19:30 AM

in the right context and in small doses black and brown can work together even though as a blanket 'rule' many people consider it a faux paus.

However, in this case I just don't see it as a good idea. I very rarely wear black suits. The times that I am, are a bit more formal so I think it is better to get a simple black suit and just make sure that it is tailored well for you like you would any other suit. Depending on your lifestyle, black suits are often so limited in their use that I don't see much of a reason of being overly 'fashionable' or doing something that may be ballsy or trendy. You want it to get something that has some staying power for years to come. Thus, going classic and safe with the styling is my opinion for a black suit.

[Edited on December 19, 2014 at 11:48 AM. Reason : ]

12/19/2014 11:44:50 AM

Finally upgrade from my crappy Jos A Banks suits. Ended up going to Banana Republic and getting a suit, two of their slim fit tailored dress shirts, 4 pairs of socks, and 4 v neck t-shirts (I usually dress business casual for work trips - so no tie) for like $490. Everything was 40% off then I got an extra 15% by getting the card (so 55% off everything). They fit great and much cheaper than getting all that tailored.

12/19/2014 4:03:57 PM

I have still never found a suit off the rack that didn't realistically need a little tailoring to my liking. But I've had some that were close enough and I didn't feel like spending extra money on them (mainly a couple backup suits from Express).

Bonobos was the closest I have found now - that jacket I just got needed the smallest bit of taking in at the bottom of my ribs.

You can definitely get a good deal on pretty decent looking suits at BR with the 40% promos they do. For some reason they just don't fit me right in the shoulders in my size there which is a deal breaker since that is harder to change.

[Edited on December 19, 2014 at 4:36 PM. Reason : ]

12/19/2014 4:34:52 PM

Picked up a pair of Ecco Helsinki slip-ons. So much nicer not having laces especially at the airport.



--So my problem now is I have a new suit (one from BR) and my older 3 suits from Jos A Banks. They don't fit nearly as well so I'll probably never wear them. Is it worth getting 1-2 of them tailored? Primarily narrowing the pants and pulling in the jacket a bit. I've never really gotten anything tailored (aside from what they did at Jos A Banks). What am I looking at for a decent tailor for pants and jacket? Like $75/suit?

[Edited on December 20, 2014 at 2:30 PM. Reason : s]

12/20/2014 2:28:20 PM

I feel like there's only so much tailoring you can do to a shitty suit. I'd put whatever you would pay someone to tailor the JofAB, towards a new suit. The more you wear your nicer suits, the less likely you'll wear your lesser suits. I've tried to keep all of my old dress clothes that still fit...but I've slowly gotten rid of everything that isn't tailored. Wearing the old stuff just made me feel like a bum once I knew what something that really fit feels like.

12/20/2014 4:53:05 PM

kind of agree with ^. Depends on how much work is needed/how close they are to fitting you now. I have picked up some blazers at thrift stores that I took to get tailored and it worked out well. But my old suits I have kept around 'just in case' I never tend to use at all. There are usually are things I don't like about those suits anyway though.

For a similar price point of getting multiple old suits majorly tailored, I'd use that money and get another clearance suit at J. Crew, BR, or Bonobos or something that you think fits you much better and if needed spend an extra $20-$30 for any touch-up tailoring.

12/20/2014 5:25:11 PM

Quote :

"Everything was 40% off then I got an extra 15% by getting the card (so 55% off everything). "

Just an FYI, that's not how combined discounts work, at least at BR. Lets say your total was $100.

Incorrect:

You combine the two: 40% + 15% = 55% off of $100 ($55)

$100 - $55 = $45

Correct:

You apply them sequentially: 40% off of $100 ($40) and then 15% off the remaining $60 ($9)

$100 - $40 - $9 = $51

12/20/2014 6:27:28 PM

Thanks! Didn't know that. Did that math so my $398 jacket ended up being 202.09 so that's ~51% off. Not a huge difference but good to know.

Quote :

"Wearing the old stuff just made me feel like a bum once I knew what something that really fit feels like."

Yeah exactly how I feel. I guess if I used the money to tailor the 2-3 old suits I have I'd get close or a new suit that I'd feel better about.

[Edited on December 20, 2014 at 7:59 PM. Reason : s]

12/20/2014 7:57:35 PM

Quote :

"For a similar price point of getting multiple old suits majorly tailored, I'd use that money and get another clearance suit at J. Crew, BR, or Bonobos or something that you think fits you much better and if needed spend an extra $20-$30 for any touch-up tailoring."

J. Crew and Bonobos are in a different league from BR as far as suiting (probably in other areas too). They both have partially or fully canvassed jackets as opposed to BR's fused jackets. Also the vast majority of BR's suits and blazers have polyester linings, which kind of suck.

12/21/2014 2:10:36 AM

oh I completely agree. But purely talking price, you can get some decent deals when stuff at those places is on double-sale (not that you can't do the same thing at BR some and come out even less). Especially J. Crew where they will eventually mark the suiting down around 20-30% and then you can wait to tack on another 30-40% off sale items.

12/21/2014 1:56:28 PM

do you guys know if i can take my non-BR suit to BR to have it fitted/altered?

12/22/2014 3:33:54 PM

no idea, but can you not find anyone else near you to do alterations or tailoring?

12/22/2014 3:38:45 PM

Yeah there is one tailoring shop near me, far nearer than the BR, but I don't know, I just thought maybe BR would do a better job...?

12/22/2014 8:48:41 PM

Someplace that makes their profit off tailoring probably would do a better job than a clothing store.

12/22/2014 9:29:59 PM

BR is not going to tailor the suit, they will mark it and a tailor will come and pick up anything that needs tailoring and then take them back to their shop to tailor. If it's a BR at a mall they probably use whatever tailor is in the mall (if they have one). I'm not sure the specifics for BR, but they will either have a tailor available at certain times, or your suit is going to get pinned by a questionably experienced store employee to be tailored later by a tailor who you never meet.

12/23/2014 8:46:16 AM

^

12/23/2014 10:05:18 AM

The only thing BR will do is mark a pant cuff or maybe a blazer sleeve, done by an employee not trained as a tailor, and then send it to a local tailor. I wouldn't trust it, even as a Luxe member which gets you free alterations.

12/25/2014 12:41:36 AM

I got a pair of those Ecco Helsinkis about a month ago, in brown rather than black. Quite impressed with them so far, though the Euro sizing threw me at first (had to return the first pair which I bought online, but got them from Nordstrom so the exchange was free.)

12/27/2014 4:09:35 AM

Men's Fashion question



have any of you ever tried Levi's 501 Shrink-to-Fit or another brand of Raw Denim jeans? I usually have good success with Levi's 511 jeans off the rack. It'll take me trying on 3-4 pairs of the same size and shade but of those I usually find one that fits me very well. But i've been interested in trying to shrink my own pair and create a custom fit. Thoughts?

1/6/2015 1:45:45 PM

negative?

1/15/2015 11:45:02 AM

They can be cheap good jeans, but buying the ones that fit off the rack can be fine to.

Depending on your height and weight you want to size up potentially at different ratios.

Other than that they are jeans... also while a button fly may be cool, zippers are better.

1/15/2015 3:04:55 PM