# Alexandre Savile Row



## pt4u67 (Apr 27, 2006)

Does anyone have any experience with this line of suits? They have a botique at Marshall Field's in Chicago (State St.). They seem a bit fashion forward and present with functional sleeve buttons. Thanks.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

Alexandre is the name of a UK House that has been around for many years. In the 1980s it was associated with some of the worst MTM garbage that one could buy. 

It disappeared but I suspect that it is not worth wasting any money on whatever.


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## Bertie Wooster (Feb 11, 2006)

Alexandre, for me is one of those guilty pleasures. I really want to like their offerings but on repeated encounters it seems that I just cannot make the line work on me. Now I know it's all a bit phoney with their working cuffs and cloth covered buttons but there is just a certain something that one misses on a casual glance. That said, the cut is shockingly slim and the price point is quite astonishing for the rather mediocre quality. Still, that never did Boss any harm now did it ?


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

*Great spring suit*

Like many straight men, I have a strong aversion to the fickle fashion world, and I hate shopping. Yet I also have a particular sense of style, so I have to bite the bullet and put in the footwork to find what I want.

I have five weddings between April and June, and I wanted a nice suit for spring/summer that stands out from the same old boring stuff. Overall I think suits are far too conservative. They're okay for corporate jobs and interviews, but a wedding is supposed to be fun! A party, a celebration of love, right?! Over the course of a month I visited a good number of Chicago shops, trying on suits. I learned that I hate the big, boxy look of a lot of today's suits, and the fabrics used are extremely boring. I also learned that I have pretty expensive taste, as the only ones I really liked were a couple by Dolce & Gabbana, and Ermenegildo Zegna, which usually start at $2,500. That's way beyond my budget.

Here's the places I went:

Ermenegildo Zegna
Brioni
Kiton
Morris & Sons
Syd Jerome
Hugo Boss
Andrea Vangna Custom Clothiers
Paul Stuart 
Mark Shale
Brooks Brothers
Lord & Taylor
Men's Wearhouse
Bloomingdale's
Nordstrom's
Neiman Marcus
Sak's
Dei Giovani
JosABanks
Ralph Lauren
Alexandre Savile Row

It ended up being an easy decision. Alexandre was the only place that had a suit I liked for just under $1,000. I lucked out and bought it during a one day sale for $790. It's a wool-linen blend, perfect for warm weather. Blue with silver pin stripes spaced about ½" apart, slanted pockets, two button, very slim fit. I bought a linen tie and a purple shirt, and for additional splash of color, a purple pocket square with pink polka dots, ha ha. I wore it at a reception last weekend, and am still waiting for photos that friends took.

Two men work at Alexandre, Michael, and I forget the other bloke's name. They said the house has only been around for about seven years, so I don't know if it has anything to do with the one GBR referred to. I'm no expert, but as someone drawn to the likes of Zegna, I'd hardly call it garbage.


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## Ay329 (Sep 22, 2007)

Alexandre is not the same Alexander in New York

Alexandre of Savile Row has been advertising in the English GQ and other men's clothing mags since 2001. I recall one ad with twins sitting down and wearing navy suits with light blue stripes.

If my memory serves me well and I might be mistaken, they were a RTW outfit with MTM available at the home store in London. Their "dashing" patterns on their suits are what caught folks initial glance. The suits cuts were on par with what Ozwald Boateng offered back at the turn of the millenia...and defintely overpriced. 

They marketed heavily with advertising and thus hoped this could earn the price premium.


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

Have you tried on the suits? At the Chicago Macy's location they don't go over $995, and they don't seem overpriced.

I looked up Ozwald Boateng, and he seems to be a reputable enough bespoke tailor, located at No 12a Savile Row. Says Wikepdia:

Born in England in the late 1960s and brought up in north London, Boateng started tailoring at age 16, selling his mother's designs on Portobello Road; by twenty three he had set himself up full-time in business. He began making bespoke suits in 1990, and is credited with introducing Savile Row tailoring to a new generation. The first tailor to stage a catwalk show in Paris, Boateng's many clients include Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves, and Mick Jagger. He was appointed creative director of Givenchy menswear in 2003. On June 22, 2006, the Sundance Channel began airing a reality television series called _*House of Boateng*_ which follows Boateng's efforts to launch his Bespoke Couture line in the United States, was Produced by Robert Redford and Ben Silverman, created by and .


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## whistle_blower71 (May 26, 2006)

Alexandre of Savile Row is part of the BMB group. It is their "premium" line.

*W_B*


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## Bishop of Briggs (Sep 7, 2007)

whistle_blower71 said:


> Alexandre of Savile Row is part of the BMB group. It is their "premium" line.
> 
> *W_B*


Alexandre is one of the firms that is lowering the standards and "tone" of the Row. Yuk!


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## Ay329 (Sep 22, 2007)

Last I recall reading in a previous post on him, Ozwald Boateng is not a tailor. Previous posts here and at Style Forum outed him as a fashion designer...who employs tailors at his bespoke HQ. Much less the members at FNB noted information on him too...none of which was positive if I recall


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

Boateng is both designer and tailor, hence his coming up with the term "bespoke couturier." I doubt that the Savile Row Bespoke Association would have invited him as a member if he was not a bespoke tailor.

I'm starting to get a sense of why Savile Row is in decline, reduced to 19 shops in 06, and is criticized for falling behind the times. It seems classic English snobbery and conservatism may be behind the resistance to new talent coming in and changing things a bit. If young designers aren't welcomed, it's going to continue to stagnate.

It would be nice to see more bespoke designers break into the American market and catch up with the Italians. 

So doesn't a tailor need to meet some sort of standards to be able to open a house on Savile Row? What does it mean to be accredited to the Royal household?


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## ComboOrgan (Aug 28, 2006)

I have a thrifted Alexandre suit that I enjoy. I suspect it may have been MTM because it only has one back pocket.
On the other hand, the fabric is a wool/poly blend.

Still, I like the fit enough that it gets plenty of use


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

Bishop of Briggs said:


> Alexandre is one of the firms that is lowering the standards and "tone" of the Row. Yuk!


+1. They confirm the fact that the backside of Old Burlington Street is the wrong side of Savile Row. Now that A&S have relocated, it is now without exception.


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## whistle_blower71 (May 26, 2006)

misterdonuts said:


> +1. They confirm the fact that the backside of Old Burlington Street is the wrong side of Savile Row. Now that A&S have relocated, it is now *without exception*.


Davies and Son at no.38 seem like the real thing?

*W_B*


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

whistle_blower71 said:


> Davies and Son at no.38 seem like the real thing?
> 
> *W_B*


True.


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## Bonhamesque (Sep 5, 2005)

whistle_blower71 said:


> Davies and Son at no.38 seem like the real thing?
> 
> *W_B*


Yes they are.
They're the exception to the rule.

Oh, and I wouldn't touch BMB suits with a barge pole.


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Bishop of Briggs said:


> Alexandre is one of the firms that is lowering the standards and "tone" of the Row. Yuk!


Available at the House of Fraser. I've seen them up close, and there's nothing particularly to recommend them above anything else. Aquascutum, M&S, etc., are all better value.


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## tintin (Nov 19, 2004)

Before I left Chicago, one of my favorite things was to go over to Fields/Macys on State St. and shoot the bull with Michael at Alexandre. Great knowledge of the industry and a passion for the cloth. I had a great time with him when I invited him to the Union League and we got hammered on Guiness while trying to best each other with dirty jokes and stories about our fathers.

The off the rack stuff goes on sale a lot. Michael could never get me to buy a shirt or a tie. But I did buy:

Grey plaid suit with Hacking pockets (not so much)
Covert Coat sans velvet collar (A favorite)
MTM Navy Chalk Double Breasted Suit (the best)
MTM Navy Chalk SB, Peak Lapel Suit (returned 3x for fit issues. Mike knocked $500 off)

The quality of the MTM ain't too bad. However, the look of the suit is damned impressive. Between Michael and I, we hit a home run on the DB. At the AA dinner in Chicago, I told the story of a young lady who asked me about my DB suit in a bar. I told her it was MTM. She asked to see my lining. I opened the jacket, showed her the purple lining and she said, "Oh, I think I'm getting wet."

That's what Alexandre of Savile Row and Michael accomplished for me. I'm forever indebted.

www.thetrad.blogspot.com


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

*Suit was a hit*

I wore the suit at four weddings and receptions and it was a hit. For the fifth one I have to wear a black suit as an usher. Interestingly what really drew attention was the purple and pink polka-dot pocket square, and the linen tie with an aztec pattern (can't see that here). This is a bad photo, it matched better than it looks.


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## Bonhamesque (Sep 5, 2005)

Fastnbulbous said:


> I wore the suit at four weddings and receptions and it was a hit. For the fifth one I have to wear a black suit as an usher. Interestingly what really drew attention was the purple and pink polka-dot pocket square, and the linen tie with an aztec pattern (can't see that here). This is a bad photo, it matched better than it looks.


You wore a pin-stripe 3(?) button suit for a wedding??
Perhaps the rules are different overseas...


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## Dynamic Turtle (May 15, 2008)

Fastnbulbous said:


> I'm starting to get a sense of why Savile Row is in decline, reduced to 19 shops in 06, and is criticized for falling behind the times. It seems classic English snobbery and conservatism may be behind the resistance to new talent coming in and changing things a bit. If young designers aren't welcomed, it's going to continue to stagnate.


Good posting.

I honestly don't know how the old boys stay in business. Surely their clientele must be dwindling? I can only assume they're kept afloat by clueless foreign "new money" that believes the traditional Saville row cut is somehow classy, esteemed, fashionable and flattering. It isn't. I think SR is a highly insular community and you can tell by the clothes the tailors themselves wear. Extremely old-fashioned (NOT classic. There's a world of difference between the two), frumpy and tasteless, in all the examples I've seen. 

I have the utmost respect for the craft involved and high levels of service delivered to the client, but they MUST provide a modern twist if they are to survive.

Kilgour has done a great job of bringing themselves into the 21st century though. They should be an example for the others to follow. Other newbies like Boateng, Richard James, Tim Everest etc. attract a younger crowd which is essential for the longer-term viability of bespoke tailoring in London. They should be welcomed by the row, not derided for catering to a young audience that doesn't want to dress like their Granddad.

DT


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

It appears that this thread has just turned a corner albeit a vaguely anticipated corner...:devil:


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## Bonhamesque (Sep 5, 2005)

Fastnbulbous said:


> Boateng is both designer and tailor, hence his coming up with the term "bespoke couturier." I doubt that the Savile Row Bespoke Association would have invited him as a member if he was not a bespoke tailor.


Boateng is not a tailor, he's a 'designer'. The criteria of the SRBA is not that every member must personally be a bespoke tailor, only that their company must make proper bespoke suits and be within *sigh* 100 yards of Savile Row.
If you get the chance to watch the BBC series on Savile Row I'd suggest you take the opportunity because there's a classic scene in which Boateng has this 'brilliant' idea that there should be a massive bespoke factory filled with coatmakers where everything would be done on a production line.
This is the man who claimed to 'revolutionise' Savile Row.



Fastnbulbous said:


> I'm starting to get a sense of why Savile Row is in decline, reduced to 19 shops in 06, and is criticized for falling behind the times. It seems classic English snobbery and conservatism may be behind the resistance to new talent coming in and changing things a bit. If young designers aren't welcomed, it's going to continue to stagnate.


The Row doesn't appear to be in decline to me at all. In fact most tailors I speak to are struggling to cope with the sheer weight of business, even in these difficult times.
Tailored suits are very trendy in London at the moment and that's reflected in the sales figures.
As for new talent not being made welcome, no-one can stop new tailors opening a shop in the Row however much they might want to, so if a new, young tailor opens a shop and it fails it's nobody's fault but his own.

The only thing preventing exciting young tailors from opening stores on the Row is the sky high rent that they'd have to pay.
This is why a lot of new tailors are setting themselves up as 'off-row' or 'visiting' tailors.



Fastnbulbous said:


> So doesn't a tailor need to meet some sort of standards to be able to open a house on Savile Row? What does it mean to be accredited to the Royal household?


No they don't. At the moment they have to be tailors according to the council but there's no measure of quality.
The Royal Warrant simply means that you make some kind of clothing or uniform for the Royal household.
People assume that it means you make Prince Charles' suits but it could just mean that you make the trousers for security guard number 24.
If you're unsure, read the warrant itself. If it says 'outfitters to Prince William' or similar then you have your answer.



Dynamic Turtle said:


> Good posting.
> 
> I honestly don't know how the old boys stay in business. Surely their clientele must be dwindling? I can only assume they're kept afloat by clueless foreign "new money" that believes the traditional Saville row cut is somehow classy, esteemed, fashionable and flattering. It isn't. I think SR is a highly insular community and you can tell by the clothes the tailors themselves wear. Extremely old-fashioned (NOT classic. There's a world of difference between the two), frumpy and tasteless, in all the examples I've seen.


See more examples please.
The SR cut is extremely classy, esteemed and flattering and if done correctly, fashionable.




Dynamic Turtle said:


> I have the utmost respect for the craft involved and high levels of service delivered to the client, but they MUST provide a modern twist if they are to survive.





Dynamic Turtle said:


> Kilgour has done a great job of bringing themselves into the 21st century though. They should be an example for the others to follow. Other newbies like Boateng, Richard James, Tim Everest etc. attract a younger crowd which is essential for the longer-term viability of bespoke tailoring in London. They should be welcomed by the row, not derided for catering to a young audience that doesn't want to dress like their Granddad.
> 
> DT


I agree with most of this but you must also bear in mind that when you have a suit made it's up to YOU to choose the style and even change the cut if you want to.
Bespoke means that you can change any detail you like so if you want to narrow the lapels to make the suit more up to date that's entirely your choice and your cutter will advise you on this.
Admittedly there are still stubborn idiots like A&S who often insist that their cut is their cut and if you don't like it you can fornicate elsewhere, but they are in the minority these days and that's why there are so many young men and women coming to the Row.


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

Bravo, Bonhamesque!:aportnoy:


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

Bonhamesque said:


> You wore a pin-stripe 3(?) button suit for a wedding??
> Perhaps the rules are different overseas...


It's actually a two button suit. Your other answers were good, but yes Mr. Catty, the rules are different overseas. Think about it. Does it not sound utterly ridiculous that someone else should dictate how many buttons or what kind of cloth is appropriate for a wedding? Too many rules and you don't have fashion or creativity, you have uniforms. My god, people are wearing what they like, what next? Chaos man! The last of the six weddings I attended half the people didn't even wear suits, which may be going a bit too far.


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*With both buttons buttoned.....*

I can see how it could be mistaken for a three button suit. Three button or two button, I don't like it. And the heavy watch does not go well with the suit. The whole ensemble looks like what a novice in suit buying would pick.


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## Simon Myerson (Nov 8, 2007)

The tension between rules and breaking them is eternal. The moan about Boateng and his ilk is not that they break the rules, but that they fail to understand them. The aim of a good tailor is not to provide purple lining (however much it presses some female buttons - odd ones though they may be. If you took it further did the lady in question have black silk sheets?) - it is to make you look as good as possible by lengthening your body unless you are over about 6 foot 2, suppressing your waist, slimming your behind and broadening your shoulders. Unless you want him to do something different.

This can be achieved in different ways, but it is always done best by lots and lots of tiny stitches, carefully inserted in the right place by someone who understands how you move and stand. Selling any other idea does the trade no favours. The trouble with fashion is that next year it has moved on. Tailors need to educate a pretty uneducated public about what makes clothes fit. Once they understand, they tend to want those clothes and not to want anything else - however flashy or good it looks in a picture or on a mannequin. 

I thought the suit in the photo was ok. The style isn't my thing but that is personal. The dead giveaway fror me was that the cuffs are very wide and the chest has no real shape. That suggests machine made and fused. That is not to say that it doesn't have appeal - simply that it does not fit as well as a suit that had been made for the wearer.

Because this is often a cost issue it seems to me that we should be very careful before being rude about what someone else has done to try and be smart at a wedding. As the OP said - he made an effort and that involves good manners for which he should be congratulated. I also agree that whether it is a pinstripe or not is the business only of the bride and groom. 

That does not, however, apply to Boateng who is charging big money for something not as good as can be obtained at that price point. If he can make it good for him, but to suggest that his fashion sense makes up for lesser production values and poorer fit is rock/sports star logic.


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## Bonhamesque (Sep 5, 2005)

Fastnbulbous said:


> It's actually a two button suit. Your other answers were good, but yes Mr. Catty, the rules are different overseas. Think about it. Does it not sound utterly ridiculous that someone else should dictate how many buttons or what kind of cloth is appropriate for a wedding? Too many rules and you don't have fashion or creativity, you have uniforms. My god, people are wearing what they like, what next? Chaos man! The last of the six weddings I attended half the people didn't even wear suits, which may be going a bit too far.


No-one is dictating how many buttons or what kind of cloth you should wear to a wedding but there are rules about what you SHOULDN'T wear to a wedding.
The rules don't exist to keep stuffy English people on Savile Row happy, they exist to stop people looking stupid.
Sadly if you wear a City-boy stockbroker suit to a wedding you will look exactly like one that has just come off the trading floor, i.e. inappropriately dressed.
Or worse still you'll look like you couldn't be bothered to buy an ordinary suit so you grabbed whatever was nearest in your work wardrobe because ultimately this occasion wasn't all that important to you.

It's not that different from turning up in your comfy clothes or whatever you wear to watch TV.
As for the 2/3 button thing.
The angle of the camera and the fact that it appears to be a fairly high-buttoning two-button means that not much of your tie is showing which is why I thought it was a 3-button.
Also as someone has pointed out the bottom button is done up so I assumed it was the middle one.


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## tintin (Nov 19, 2004)

Simon,
We didn't get to her bed. So, I am unable to comment on her ticking.

www.thetrad.blogspot.com


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## Fastnbulbous (Feb 20, 2008)

Bonhamesque said:


> The rules don't exist to keep stuffy English people on Savile Row happy, they exist to stop people looking stupid.
> . . City-boy stockbroker suit . . . [blah blah] ...grabbed whatever was nearest in your work wardrobe . . . [insults, etc.] . . . not that different from turning up in your comfy clothes or whatever you wear to watch TV [lame excuses for mistaking 2 button for 3].


Well I can be thankful I didn't attend the weddings you're used to. I can only imagine the glares shot past flared nostrils, the whispered behind-the-back insults, the thinly disguised in-your-face insults. Silly peasant and his pinstripes.

My original post had a very specific scope -- the issue of finding a decent Savile Row suit on a relatively strict budget of $800 USD, in Chicago. In my social circles that's actually considered a pretty extravagant budget. I work in nonprofit as do some of my other friends, who are also writers, academics, artists, musicians, even fashion designers, and a smattering in more corporate type jobs who certainly do not wear suits to work. Rules of fashion do not always apply globally. One must take in account the context of specific cultures and subculture. In Chicago, Sun Ra's original Magic City, jazz, blues and soul men have worn pinstripes for well over a century, and seem represented well enough in photos and footage of weddings, funerals and showtime -- all ultimately celebrations of life's past present and future. Perhaps it's high time to reclaim and liberate the long-suffering pinstripe from investment bankers and brokers.

The weddings took place in a variety of settings, including the jungle-like Garfield Conservatory where Von Freeman blew his horn, a husband-wife gospel duo who had a hit in 1950 performed, and we danced to the scratchy r&b/soul 45s of East of Edens Soul Express. Another was at Architectual Artifacts, where among the large sculptures, human skeleton model of the nervous system, cultural scraps, skulls on the tables and a Slayer cake, women wore dresses to complement their full-arm sleeve tattoos, and men varied widely between black tie and black t-shirt. Near San Francisco another ceremony occurred in a druid-like half circle of stone seats amidst towering redwood trees and live sitar and tablas. The groom wore a gown handmade in Rajistan , and the "dressy but not fussy" event did not require "balloon sleeves of nankeen pique" nor solid colors. Dress varied from thrift-store chique to SF historical roccoco and Edwardian steampunk attire. Really. The fashion was eclectic, whimsical, and most importantly, fun. No one but friends and loved ones attended these things, and so no one looked stupid. In these circles, it's certainly not okay to judge anyone on what they can afford, or choose to spend. To do so in that context would at best make you come across as a pompous ass, if not a complete douchebag.

In a fashion forum, constructive criticism and educating people about bespoke tailoring is appropriate, but it's another thing to ignore specific context given by a post. Take in account that your own culture does not trump all others on the planet. I spent two months asking questions in various posts as I visited dozens of shops. I got almost no feedback. Yet after the money had been spent, I get the most ridiculously patronizing, bitchy responses. It's no wonder that even my designer friends who are passionate about the art, prefer to say this to most of the people involved in that scene -- "bite me."


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## Bonhamesque (Sep 5, 2005)

Fastnbulbous said:


> Well I can be thankful I didn't attend the weddings you're used to. ...........blah blah bitchy comments etc.....
> One must take in account the context of specific cultures and subculture.....blah blah....snore......zzzzz ....we danced to the scratchy r&b/soul 45s of East of Edens Soul Express.....zzzzzzz ....half circle of stone seats amidst towering redwood trees....... ZZZZZZZzzzz
> 
> *In these circles, it's certainly not okay to judge anyone on what they can afford, or choose to spend. To do so in that context would at best make you come across as a pompous ass, if not a complete douchebag.*


Exactly where did I judge you on what you can afford....?
*Sigh...* Go back and read my posts again and you'll find no mention of money.
I have only commented on the colour and style of the suit you pictured.
And don't waste your time mentioning all kinds of weird and wonderful weddings you've attended because the point is that you do what it says on the invite otherwise you look like you don't care.
So if it says come dressed as a pirate then you go out and get the best pirate outfit you can afford, but if (as in the majority of cases) you are simply required to wear standard wedding attire i.e. a suit then it's important to look like you've made an effort imo.

If you're attending a beach wedding in the Caribbean then a beige linen suit might be perfect but if it's in the city other options might be more appropriate.
As I said it depends what country you're getting married in and what your hosts expect of you but GENERALLY speaking if you turn up to a wedding in a suit which is identical to the one you wear for work people will assume that you couldn't be bothered and that may not go down well.

Imagine you work in finance and so does your best friend and best man.
You invite him to your wedding with no other instruction other than to wear a suit and he turns up in the same tired pin stripe he wears to the office every single day complete with coffee stain on the tie.
What would you think? You'd get the impression that he didn't think that this was a particularly special occasion right?
This is the point I'm making. It's not necessarily about different cultures or different budgets it's just about dressing like you actually give you a toss out of respect for the hosts.

If you wear a pin stripe _some_ people might think that you had simply not bothered.
It's just a suggestion, it's my advice. Take it or leave it I don't care.
If you're not worried that people will think that of you then do what you like.
Personally, if I'd been invited to all these 'whimsical' and imaginitive weddings that you've mentioned I would be even less inclined to wear a pin stripe.
To most people it simply says boardroom. We'd all love to change those perceptions but less face it it aint gonna happen any time soon.



dfloyd said:


> I can see how it could be mistaken for a three button suit. Three button or two button, I don't like it. And the heavy watch does not go well with the suit. The whole ensemble looks like what a novice in suit buying would pick.


I notice that this poster who was far more scathing of your suit doesn't get the bitchy comments or the 12-hour lecture. Is he special?
Don't take my advice so personally.


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## 16412 (Apr 1, 2005)

aspectator said:


> My original post had a very specific scope -- the issue of finding a decent Savile Row suit on a relatively strict budget of $800 USD...


Who are you writing to?

If you are writing to Bonhamesque he knows more about fit than you can imagine a hundredth and, which means you know almost nothing about fit, so you don't know what you are missing. Your Philosophy of what to wear to a wedding is fine with me until you bring in Savile Row and accuse a tailor from there taught the Savile Row way of saying what a Savile Row tailor would say. He is merely giving advice as he was taught, what else do you epect? For most people who go to Savile Row for a wedding suit his advice is perfect. As far as zany wedding why would somebody mention Savile Row quality? I've seen tailored zany that fits perfect and liked some of it. Many tailors, where ever, have never let zany out the front door, but out the back door, and for good reason.


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## aspectator (Aug 27, 2008)

Was writing to "Fast and Bulbous." My comment was only the last sentence. The paragraphs before were from one of Bulbous' posts. I only copied them.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

As far as Savile row is concerned, my only experience is of Thieves and Sharks. I have one of their jackets, which isn't special, and I had one of their RN uniforms, which was well made, but ludicrously expensive, and definitely not M to M, and the staff in the uniform department were quite famously rude.
Ps. I wasn't trying to reinvigorate an old thread, I was looking for reviews on Alexandre suits and found this one.


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## rcoreytaylor (Dec 22, 2009)

My $0.02 .....

I recently acquired a vintage Alexandre of London Harris Tweed jacket in blue(-ish). Admittedly many years old, this jacket fits me very well without any alterations and has an almost "tailored" fit. Quality of construction is good - frankly better than most older Harris tweed jackets I've seen. This probably doesn't help anyone looking to purchase a new Alexandre suit, just thought I'd chime in.....

Cheers!


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## euwa88 (Jun 6, 2011)

*$ 790*



Fastnbulbous said:


> Like many straight men, I have a strong aversion to the fickle fashion world, and I hate shopping. Yet I also have a particular sense of style, so I have to bite the bullet and put in the footwork to find what I want.
> 
> I have five weddings between April and June, and I wanted a nice suit for spring/summer that stands out from the same old boring stuff. Overall I think suits are far too conservative. They're okay for corporate jobs and interviews, but a wedding is supposed to be fun! A party, a celebration of love, right?! Over the course of a month I visited a good number of Chicago shops, trying on suits. I learned that I hate the big, boxy look of a lot of today's suits, and the fabrics used are extremely boring. I also learned that I have pretty expensive taste, as the only ones I really liked were a couple by Dolce & Gabbana, and Ermenegildo Zegna, which usually start at $2,500. That's way beyond my budget.
> 
> ...


I would have to work for 3 months to pay $ 2,500 for a suit. Have you ever looked at Ebay? There are a select few high end shops selling stuff which cost thousands. Just saying.

Handmade shoes, sea island cotton shirts, there is more than just the usual stuff.

The most recent wedding photo I got shows the groom in a canary yellow suit. :icon_pale:

Sorry, but I see a wedding as a one-off thing. That $ 790 suit might fetch $ 12.50 gross (before fees) on Ebay. Being worn just once. OTOH, one could buy something u s e d for a similar amount. YMMV. But I would worry more about the food than the clothes I wear as a guest, TBH :rolleyes2:


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## euwa88 (Jun 6, 2011)

ComboOrgan said:


> I have a thrifted Alexandre suit that I enjoy. I suspect it may have been MTM because it only has one back pocket.
> On the other hand, the fabric is a wool/poly blend.
> 
> Still, I like the fit enough that it gets plenty of use


 That's clinching it for me. Which self-respecting brand would dream of using *polyester*?!? :crazy:


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## euwa88 (Jun 6, 2011)

Fastnbulbous said:


> I wore the suit at four weddings and receptions and it was a hit. For the fifth one I have to wear a black suit as an usher. Interestingly what really drew attention was the purple and pink polka-dot pocket square, and the linen tie with an aztec pattern (can't see that here). This is a bad photo, it matched better than it looks.


 What makes you say that? Got any feedback?


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