# Slim Fit Suits



## johnnybravo22 (Jan 31, 2007)

hey folks,

i've been focusing on the slim stuff lately, figuring it suits my frame best.

anyone else out there very slim? who makes really good slim suits? would be looking in the range of a 39-40 L for reference.


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## omairp (Aug 21, 2006)

johnnybravo22 said:


> hey folks,
> 
> i've been focusing on the slim stuff lately, figuring it suits my frame best.
> 
> anyone else out there very slim? who makes really good slim suits? would be looking in the range of a 39-40 L for reference.


It depends on your price range. 
-Under $500 - H&M
-Around $500-$1000 - Hugo Boss
-$1000-$2000 - Ralph Lauren Blue label or Black label
-$2,500 - Ralph Lauren Purple Label


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## johnnybravo22 (Jan 31, 2007)

*thanks*

thanks for the tip. probably looking under $500 (after any sales, etc.). haven't heard of h&m (still building my sartorial knowledge base).

what do people generally think about h&m quality, style, etc? what does h&m stand for?

anything in particular to know/look out for when buying slim? thanks!


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## fullgrain (Jan 5, 2007)

Under $500 retail, banana republic, zara, and the aforementioned h&m (hm.com), which all cater to a youthful look; other brands at discount stores--try the search feature for previous discussions. At $600 you might catch a BB fitzgerald on sale.

H&M (stands for H&M :icon_smile is aimed at 20 somethings and are not meant to be keep for a lifetime suits but you mind find them appropriate for what you are looking for. BR and Zara often make quite serviceable garments, but quality from one suit or season to the next varies.

Not sure where in NJ you are exactly, but these all have big shops in Manhattan.

What to look out for depends entirely on what you are looking for--if for work then something slim-cut but w/ otherwise conventional features. If for clubbing, then whatever hip styling features (hacking pockets, high button stance, etc.) you like. New Esquire big black book has some nice photos of various permutations. If you want something super slim and hip, there's a custom suit maker in LA, www.thickasthievesla.com which gets good reviews from folks on style forum.


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## gpe (Aug 3, 2007)

I have the same problem of finding slim enough suits, and RL is unfortunately not so widely available here (at least not black and purple label). Zaras "older brother" Massimo Dutti might be worth checking out, in general a step up in both price and quality, I think that brand has been discussed here earlier. CK/Calvin Klein suits, bought one on sale recently, nice fit, very slim but quality wise, well.... 

(By the way some stupid additional information: H&M at least used to stand for Hennes & Mauritz, before expanding outside scandinavia. People here still call it by that name.)


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## jojo (Mar 28, 2007)

If you can find them on sale, you could get something from Paul Smith, Ted Baker or Hugo Boss Red Label.


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## pt4u67 (Apr 27, 2006)

Corneliani might fit the bill as well. On STP you can get quite a bargain.


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## Tiberias (Sep 25, 2007)

H&M is the slimmest of the slim, you're not going to find anything much closer than their new (aptly titled) Slim Fit line. Zara also has a close fit, and while they're a bit more expensive, they also have slightly more interesting styles. I remain mixed on Express, which has a close fit, but some quality clothes and some not-so-quality (check the label for polyester mixes, which are in quite a few of their clothes.) Banana Republic is slightly higher quality, but they charge disproportionately more.

As mentioned, of the department store brands there's CK, but I just picked up two suits from them, and had to get them taken in quite a bit. Macy's house brand Alfani actually has a closer fit than CK, and they're slightly cheaper, so they may be one to consider for some of the more basic styles.

The overall story with slim-fit clothes is that you can find them at affordable price ranges from the "mall stores", but if you want higher quality, you're out of luck until you get all the way up to MTM or bespoke. I haven't tried the better RL labels, but if they are a slim fit, they would likely be the exception.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

I'm a slim fit as well -- difficult to find 39R fits my 6'. 158lb frame the best of RTW sizes. My best fit is Hickey Freeman Collection or Paul Smith -- usually they need only jacket sleeves adjusted. I typically find them at clearance sales under $300.

Hope this helps,
AD


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*Slim fit? Try JAB Joseph.*

While many object to JAB in this forum, I have found the JAB "joseph" model to be slim fitting and stylish. It comes with plain or single pleat pants, side-vented jacket, English cut on the jacket, pic stitching on jacket collar and pants, and fully lined jacket. Available with custom working buttons. It is now on sale for $497, but I have seen the as low as $188.

Another slim fitting suit is the Brooks Bros. 1818 Fitzgerald or Regent. These can be had as low as $500 when on sale. Look for the ones made in Italy since they are usually made from Loro Piana fabric.


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## prince029 (Aug 4, 2007)

Or you could also try MTM from Bangkok :icon_smile_big:


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## omairp (Aug 21, 2006)

johnnybravo22 said:


> what do people generally think about h&m quality, style, etc? what does h&m stand for?


I'm a bit surprised you've never heard of H&M, there seems to be one in almost every major shopping mall in the world now. Its like Banana Republic or Zara, they're not true designers, but they imitate designers clothes well at very low prices. The suit will probably be $200-$300, the style will be pretty contemporary because its aimed at a much younger audience. It will be styled pretty similar to Hugo Boss. The quality is nothing special, at that price point your only options are factory made fused suits, you can get a few years out of it, but don't expect it to be a cornerstone of your wardrobe for the next 20 years. H&M stands for Heinz and Mauritz, but no one calls it that, and if you ask for the Heinz and Mauritz store, people will look at you funny.

Good luck


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## fullgrain (Jan 5, 2007)

omairp said:


> I'm a bit surprised you've never heard of H&M, there seems to be one in almost every major shopping mall in the world now.


Actually, H&M doesn't have a huge US presence yet, though they seem to be expanding, and some of their branches carry only women's clothes. Agree w/ the rest of the assessment, though.

That reminds me, I seem to recall that Mexx recently came to the US. (They're another Euro chain, Dutch I think, in the H&M/Zara mode.) They're sure to have a Manhattan location.

Personally I find even the JAB Joseph cut too full, but if that works for you, jb, they are not bad quality if you catch one of their many many sales. A much different esthetic, obviously, than the Euro or fashion-forward brands.


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## gpe (Aug 3, 2007)

Thanks for all the good tips on slim fit suits, I guess most of the "younger" lines like Boss Red, Collection Corneliani (CC) will be more slim-fitting than the mainlines/top-lines(?) 

Off-topic: Everything that's said about H&M is right. But they (H&M) sometimes has a "designer" creating a collection for them (Madonna, Lagerfeld,...). And people go crazy trying to get their hands on a cheap designer dress/suit/shirt or whatever. Lagerfeld by the way got angry with H&M for making his clothes in large sizes/for non-slim people.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

dfloyd said:


> Another slim fitting suit is the Brooks Bros. 1818 Fitzgerald or Regent. These can be had as low as $500 when on sale. Look for the ones made in Italy since they are usually made from Loro Piana fabric.


Excellent observation. I bought a khaki colored poplin suit from the Fitzgerald line and was surprised at the fit. To re-emphasize the above though, you will need to wait for a sale to get these for under $500.


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## cgc (Jan 27, 2007)

Ralph on sale/outlet/discounter is a good choice given your budget. The Bleecker is shrunken Pee Wee Browne sized while the Congressman is much more sensible but still trim. The Marshalls here have a few hacking type jackets for $190. Also, eBay has a lot of outlet scavenged NWT Polo to choose from. These are a good way to build up a classic WASP wardrobe that still have a lean cut.

If you can spend some money, the new Kilgour RTW cut is really trim. Not sure if it is available yet, but Peter Saville was wearing one on his recent visit. I think he said the model is the number 5, but I can't recall for certain.

Brooks has a MTO Regent cut for around $600 for a suit that might be worth looking into since the stores will probably not have much if anything in a 39 Long. The cut is not really as trim as Polo or the fashion lines like Boss though.


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## johnnybravo22 (Jan 31, 2007)

first off- very grateful for the responses. thank you!


in particular responding to Fullgrain, I'm in NY now (should update profile), any spots in manhattan that are particular steals? I have peeked in Century 21 downtown a few times and seen some Hugo but did not notice anything very slim. I'm looking for a few suits that would be mostly worn for work.

Alphadelta- how do you find the hickey freeman and paul stuart for $300? That is basically the price range I'm looking to pay after sales etc. would be very interested.

bought one JAB (not joseph, signature gold) on sale. i like teh suit, but the tailor would not take it in as much as i wanted, said "it's not thee sixties anymore" and i suppose the suit i got is not designed to be very slim. looking to try something new. but next time i look at JAB i'll check out joseph.

Boss is "legitimate" enough that i would buy it and be happy. i'm wary of the "mall" brands, just under the suspicion that if i tell anyone i work with that i have a banana republic suit on i might get laughed out of the office. on the other hand my goal is not to go broke trying to impress. that said, i'm young, sort of just starting out so do not need a suit w/ a 20 yr life. just need a few GOOD years, and it needs to look great and be appropriate for business. i think the slim fit, maybe paired w/ some skinny ties, might add just the right touch.

anyways, please keep the convo rolling if anyone has other thoughts / responses to this. looks like some other ppl are benefiting from the post which i'm glad for.

one very simple question i have is are any of the brand mentioned (including the mall brands) "cheap suits"? dont want something that looks/feels cheap or is likely to fall apart! willing to pay as much as needed to avoid this. does Banana Republic sound to other people like the best of the mall options? (not a ck fan).

Looks like i went rambling, so in summary, so far on the post my thoughts are: 
1. $300 Paul Stuarts / HF sound awesome, i would buy tomorrow if you can point me in the right direction.

2. like the dedication to slim fit at hm, might focus on ties or something though as dont know how to approach idea of "mall brand" suits (read: don't want to feel like i went to walmart)

3. I buy shirts at Charles Tyrwhitt. Don't automatically think i'd pay $400+ for their suits, but i dont know. anyone?

4. Attracted to H. Boss, dont konw price points or where to get the slim suits on sale.

5. Purple label would be amazing, probably a few yrs away.


Thanks all! Will check back tomorrow night.


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## fullgrain (Jan 5, 2007)

JB, 

NYC discount shopping as you've discovered can be hit or miss. Usual suspects would be C21, Filenes, Daffys, etc. I've personally had better luck in suburban Nordstrom Racks and Saks Off Fifths in other parts of the country, but it's really about the timing; I've regularly seen Boss at $350-500 pretty much everywhere. 

Boss is a pretty common brand; you can often find it heavily discounted online at Amazon, Bluefly, etc in the $400-600s range. Also widely available on ebay NWT in the $200-300 range. Perfectly respectable brand for your purposes if you stick with a conservative fabric.

The $300 mainline Hickey Freeman is an rare steal. More common is $600, which is still a good deal. (Their diffusion line, Ltd, is several other threads, do a search, but better value at $400 than $600)

BTW, if you are building your wardrobe, avoid the impulse for something hip and flashy and go for boring neutral suitings--charcoal, grey, subtle pinstripe--in which the fabrics or patterns don't stand out, and use your ties and shirts to create the variety.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

If what you are looking for are some slim, modern looking suits that do not need to be top quality but do need to be under $400 or so, there are definitely worse options than BR. Surprised nobody mentioned J Crew, which has some decent stuff, but again, not the best quality. If you are patient, you can definitely find some great deals at the Last Calls/Off Fifths of the world. However, if you need this stuff now and cannot wait, then as the poster above says, buy something pretty neutral (navy, charcoal) and try to avoid dry cleaning too much.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

*Good deals in Denver...*

The best men's clothing deals here in Denver are usually at Neiman Marcus Last Call and Dillards Park Meadows. I picked up a couple of HF Collection (Boardroom and Madison models, not LTD) and Paul Smith (not Paul Stuart) suits in the $250 to $300 range during recent clearance sales. I also bought a very nice RL Polo summer gabardine suit discounted from $495 to $95. NMLC currently has IKE Behar dress shirts on closeout -- MSRP $135 - $175 for $20 - $40 (picked up four in my hard to find 15.5/34 size). Their sales and inventory can be hit or miss, whenever they have something interesting I'll snag it. They are not the places to shop when you need to find a particular piece in a hurry, but great deals can be found if you are patient.

Hope this helps,
AD


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## davidlo (Sep 19, 2007)

Johnny,

since you are in NY, i would check out woodbury commons, about 1.5 hour drive from new york and there is a bus that will take you there if you don't have a car. You should be able to find something to fit you at the Armani store, which is usually a slimmer cut. If i remember correctly, emporio suits are usually around $500, but sometimes you can find a cheap armani collezioni suit for $500.

Otherwise, there are hundreds of other stores there.

David


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## Midnight Blue (Apr 22, 2007)

Considering the retro Rat Pack look that is so dominant in today's menswear, wouldn't the question be "who DOESN'T make slim fit suits?"


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