# Armani suit versus everyone else



## OldSchoolCharm (Apr 12, 2010)

Guys, I like Brook Brothers except the English style pocktes. I was 99% sure I'd buy more.

Then I tried on Canali, and liked it more.

Then I tried on Armani, and felt like I went up to a different level.


Is Armani worth 3X the cost of a Brook Brothers suit? That is when Brook Brothers is on sale. Does Armani go on sale?The Armani suit felt cool, silky, not too soft, not hard, perfect. I would never buy an Armani shirt over other brands, but the suit I can feel the difference.


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## thefancyman (Apr 24, 2009)

It all depends on what Armani line you are referencing. Giorgio Armani sells three separate lines of suits with varying degrees of quality (Emporio Armani, Armani Collezioni and Giorgio Armani). Armani's highest quality line is Giorgio Armani also known as "black label" because of the black rectangular label with Giorgio Armani in contrasting white letters. However, I've recently seen a new Giorgio Armani label that is a white rectangle with contrasting black letters at Saks 5th Avene this year, but I don't know if this is just unique to Saks or a completely new label. 

Judging for the estimated price of $3000 it is probably a Giorgio Armani suit but I've seen some 100% cashmere Armani Collezioni suits in that range. Giorgio Armani suits are made in Italy in-house by Borgo 21 S.p.A and are either half or full-canvass construction. I specify either half or full because prior to 2009 the suits were all to my knowledge half-canvass but I have read that Armani has switched to a full-canvass constructin for his GA suits. Another feature of GA suits is that they are actually designed by the man himself, Mr. Armani, whereas the diffusion lines are not. 

Honestly, the GA suits are nothing that special in terms of construction. They are machine-made whereas Canali suits feature good amounts of hand-tailored details and even the Southwick made Brooks Brothers 1818 suits have minimal hand-tailored details. However, what makes them special is the impeccable drape and flattering cut that Armani has perfected and has always been a signature of his suits.


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## Bog (May 13, 2007)

What is different is that Armani makes suits out of fabrics traditionally used for womens' wear with excessive "drape".


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## David Reeves (Dec 19, 2008)

Armani is somewhat of a dated/dormant brand right now especially in terms of tailoring. What he did in the 80s while not to my tastes was inovative and interesting.


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## OldSchoolCharm (Apr 12, 2010)

thefancyman said:


> It all depends on what Armani line you are referencing. Giorgio Armani sells three separate lines of suits with varying degrees of quality (Emporio Armani, Armani Collezioni and Giorgio Armani). Armani's highest quality line is Giorgio Armani also known as "black label" because of the black rectangular label with Giorgio Armani in contrasting white letters. However, I've recently seen a new Giorgio Armani label that is a white rectangle with contrasting black letters at Saks 5th Avene this year, but I don't know if this is just unique to Saks or a completely new label.
> 
> Judging for the estimated price of $3000 it is probably a Giorgio Armani suit but I've seen some 100% cashmere Armani Collezioni suits in that range. Giorgio Armani suits are made in Italy in-house by Borgo 21 S.p.A and are either half or full-canvass construction. I specify either half or full because prior to 2009 the suits were all to my knowledge half-canvass but I have read that Armani has switched to a full-canvass constructin for his GA suits. Another feature of GA suits is that they are actually designed by the man himself, Mr. Armani, whereas the diffusion lines are not.
> 
> Honestly, the GA suits are nothing that special in terms of construction. They are machine-made whereas Canali suits feature good amounts of hand-tailored details and even the Southwick made Brooks Brothers 1818 suits have minimal hand-tailored details. However, what makes them special is the impeccable drape and flattering cut that Armani has perfected and has always been a signature of his suits.


The suit jacket I tried on was Armani Collezioni, and it was selling for $1899. I said 3 times the price of a Brook Brothers when on sale (2 for $999). I could get 3 Brook Brothers, or 1 Armani. The sales guy said the Armani suit was full-canvass. The material felt better in my hands than Brook Brothers. The jacket was very cool to the touch, very smooth, very nice.

If it goes on sale and gets to 50% off I think it would be worth buying.


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

I tried on a Giorgio Armani suit and it looked and felt amazing, I just couldn't bring myself to pay the more than $3000 price tag. It is noticeably better than the Emporio line and definitely worth the price if you don't mind spending it. In your situation I think whether you should buy it or not depends on how often and to what types of events you wear your suits - and if you have a number of high quality shirts/ties/shoes to accompany it.


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## 82-Greg (Apr 13, 2008)

If the suit you are looking at is $3000, I would consider bespoke instead. Not much more and the improvement of fit between bespoke and OTR is substantial. If your looking at the $1900, I would consider MTM -- even by Brooks. Again, the improvement in fit between OTR and MTM would be worth it (IMHO).


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## Blueboy1938 (Aug 17, 2008)

*Innovazione di Armani*

The Armani boutique within Neiman Marcus currently has at least three SB peaked-lapel one-buttons for around $1900-2000. They are in less formal/cooler fabrics in summery colors. Sorry, no pics.

Nieman is in pre-sale mode right now, so I called, and only one of them, a solid medium gray, is going on sale and will be marked down from $1800 to around $1400. The actual sale, I was told, will start June 3rd.

I mention this because I think that SB peaked single-button is innovative in a suit. I had seen it in an Armani sport coat last season, but they have moved this styling into less formal suits, as well. Whether one likes the idea or not, at least they appear to be trying:aportnoy:


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## thefancyman (Apr 24, 2009)

OldSchoolCharm said:


> The suit jacket I tried on was Armani Collezioni, and it was selling for $1899. I said 3 times the price of a Brook Brothers when on sale (2 for $999). I could get 3 Brook Brothers, or 1 Armani. The sales guy said the Armani suit was full-canvass. The material felt better in my hands than Brook Brothers. The jacket was very cool to the touch, very smooth, very nice.
> 
> If it goes on sale and gets to 50% off I think it would be worth buying.


Some Armani Collezioni garments have been full-canvassed, the higher end models, but the standard collection is fused. If you are buying at a major department store such as Saks, Neimen Marcus or Bloomingdales they all have major sales in mid-late June to move the Spring and Summer merchandise and make room for the Fall collections. Nordstroms has their big half-yearly sale for men in June as well that starts on the 18th.
Armani Collezioni is a diffusion line of Giorgio Armani and is made in Italy by Confezioni di Matelica S.p.A. and is cut in a more traditional manner than Giorgio Armani.


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

82-Greg said:


> If the suit you are looking at is $3000, I would consider bespoke instead. Not much more and the improvement of fit between bespoke and OTR is substantial. If your looking at the $1900, I would consider MTM -- even by Brooks. Again, the improvement in fit between OTR and MTM would be worth it (IMHO).


Aside from the fit, what about the fabric? Will a $3000 bespoke suit be better in every single way than a $3000 Armani suit, or will the bespoke fit better but the Armani fabric be better?


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## Bog (May 13, 2007)

a!!!!1 said:


> Aside from the fit, what about the fabric? Will a $3000 bespoke suit be better in every single way than a $3000 Armani suit, or will the bespoke fit better but the Armani fabric be better?


Armani provides a specific, non-traditional, Armani style that is popular with actors, nouveau riche, and the like. It is made of "highly woven" fabric that is also used in making women's wear. The cut has a lot of drape, the material flows. It is not a traditional suit by any means, and is instantly recognizable as such. Wearers of this style tend to want to distinguish themselves for: 1. having a certain "monochrome" almost "night club" look 2. not being part of the established traditional mode of dressing 3. spending a lot of money. If this appeals to you, go for it.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

a!!!!1 said:


> Aside from the fit, what about the fabric? Will a $3000 bespoke suit be better in every single way than a $3000 Armani suit, or will the bespoke fit better but the Armani fabric be better?


There is no reason to expect the Armani fabric to be "better."


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## OldSchoolCharm (Apr 12, 2010)

CuffDaddy said:


> There is no reason to expect the Armani fabric to be "better."


The Armani fabric felt much nicer and smoother than Brook Brothers.


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## thefancyman (Apr 24, 2009)

OldSchoolCharm said:


> The Armani fabric felt much nicer and smoother than Brook Brothers.


The standard BB 1818 suit I think uses a super 100s wool whereas an Armani may use a 120s to a 150s, possibly higher. Also, the BB suit is going to be a worsted woven but Armani has been famous for using wool crepes. Armani is also noted for mixing his wools with synthetics that contribute both stretch for added drape and a subtle sheen to the fabric. Usually, the synthetic is no more than 5% of the blend.


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## Thurnau (Apr 14, 2010)

I really like my Armani Collezioni suit. I got it at saks on clearance for around 600. Retail was around 2,000. I like my versace cut a little more, but the two brands are my favorite. Canali never stood out to me, and it never really goes on sale. I might give them a try later. I tend to buy suits on sale, and only if I am really in love with the suit and brand quality would I pay full retail. 
I only have a linen suit (and many dress shirts) in the BB brand, but I noticed several small defects in it.


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## OldSchoolCharm (Apr 12, 2010)

Thurnau said:


> I really like my Armani Collezioni suit. I got it at saks on clearance for around 600. Retail was around 2,000. I like my versace cut a little more, but the two brands are my favorite. Canali never stood out to me, and it never really goes on sale. I might give them a try later. I tend to buy suits on sale, and only if I am really in love with the suit and brand quality would I pay full retail.
> I only have a linen suit (and many dress shirts) in the BB brand, but I noticed several small defects in it.


$600 is a steal! Congrats.

The sales guy at Nordies said Canali may be on sale soon for the mens or half yearly sale. If you want one, that might be the time to buy.

I'm going to try Saks and see if I get lucky and find an Armani on sale. Wish me luck.


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## Thurnau (Apr 14, 2010)

Thanks. Once the suit goes on clearance, you can take an extra discount off of the already reduced prices. They only go onto that level of clearance twice a year, but there are usually some nice ones left over.


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## bluesman (Aug 17, 2009)

I have 2 Armani Collezioni suits and a few sport jackets and pants raning in age from 2 to 10+ years. They're all made very well of fine material, they've held up very well and I love them all. If you like the fit, the material and the price, grab it.

I also have a few Armani shirts I've accumulated over the years, and they're equally fine. Quality only costs a lot more if you can't or won't wear the same piece for more than 2 or 3 years. If you take proper care of your things and wear them for a long time, the total cost of ownership can be surprisingly low. Admittedly, it's taken me 20+ years to build up a durable wardrobe that's now in maintenance mode - but it was worth it. I now buy only what I really need (which is very little) and what I really want. I got a great olive unconstructed Armani sport jacket last month at N-M just because it looks and feels so good on me, and I put its predecessor in the Goodwill box because I like this one so much more.


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## Bog (May 13, 2007)

OldSchoolCharm said:


> The Armani fabric felt much nicer and smoother than Brook Brothers.


But it doesn't go with your username.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Bog said:


> But it doesn't go with your username.


It does not go with his demeanor either.


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