The Best Place to Buy a Suit, From Off-the-Rack to Bespoke

Suits are an essential part of the menswear universe, but thanks to a truly bewildering array of places to get one both IRL and online, figuring out the best place to buy a suit can feel like a Herculean task. Do you go with a big-name brand or a connoisseur-approved indie? Made-to-measure or off-the-rack? And what about those online tailors promising high-end details and a perfect fit with just a few simple measurements? The answers to these questions will have a definitive impact on the kind of suit you end up with, and—more importantly—the impression you make when you wear it. Whether you ’ve got a summer wedding on the calendar or a gauntlet of job interviews on the horizon, here’s how to get yourself suited right.

Tailoring Shops

Whether you’re going bespoke (a unique design created just for you) or made-to-measure (a pre-made silhouette customized to your individual specs) top-tier tailors like J.Mueser and The Armoury provide a level of craftsmanship, customization, and fit that sets them apart from anything you’ll find in a retail store. This kind of quality, however, comes at a price. If you’ve got the budget, do your research to find a shop with a house style you like, then ask lots of questions about fit, materials, and technique before committing. If they’re doing everything in-house and using decent fabric (i.e. no wool-poly blends), you should be in good hands.

Made-to-Measure Specialists

There is an abundance of online retailers that claim to offer the dialled-in fit and old-world quality of made-to-measure at prices far below what a top-shelf tailor would charge. Treat these with a healthy dose of suspicion. If you want to roll the dice on an online purchase, look for telltale marks of quality (name-brand wool cloth; full-or half-canvassed jackets) and find a reputable tailor in your area to do alterations (you will definitely need alterations). For best results, choose a brand with a brick-and-mortar showroom, like Suitsupply or Proper Cloth, where you can assess their wares in person and get measured properly.

Entry-Level Brands

Good suits are expensive, but (with a few exceptions—see below) there are good reasons for this. Even if you’re not getting hand-stitched buttonholes and cloth from one of Italy’s top mills, the amount of skilled labor required to make a half-decent suit is going to be reflected in the price. That’s why you should be dubious of suits from the likes of Zara and H&M, and avoid Shein and Amazon altogether. If a brand can make a profit selling a suit for $150, they are probably cutting corners in materials, labor, or both. Fast fashion brands are also geared towards trends, so whatever you buy now probably won’t look good in a year or two (if it even lasts that long). All that said: If you’re looking for an easy-wearing, laid-back, uber-affordable suit to get you through the summer, you could do a lot worse than Uniqlo U’s $150 number or Mango’s Italian-inspired assortment.

Mid-Level Brands

Big name brands like J.Crew, Buck Mason, and Todd Snyder tend to offer the best bang for your buck if you’re buying off-the-rack. To find the right look and fit for your body you should try as many brands and styles as you can, paying particular attention to the shoulders and jacket length, and have a trusted tailor standing by to make alterations.

Luxury Brands

Names like Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, and Ralph Lauren carry a lot of weight in the tailoring world, and for good reason. These are designers who have shaped the way we dress and have built empires on the strength of their good taste. That doesn’t, however, mean you need to spend two months’ rent to get a great-looking suit. While you can expect a certain level of quality from a luxury brand, the price on the tag also covers the money they spend on marketing, fashion shows, and expensive real estate. If you love the suit (and have the budget), by all means, go for it. But try not to be too swayed by the name on the label.

Indie Brands

At a certain point in your journey down the rabbit hole of men’s tailoring, you’ll discover brands like Anglo-Italian, Stoffa, and Ring Jacket. These each offer a distinctive blend of style, material, and craft, plus a certain level of clout among your menswear-obsessed friends. Unless you’re confident about your measurements and their fit, however, the best way to get into these brands is by visiting a showroom in person.

Vintage

The world is full of gently worn suits looking for a new home, and with a bit of perseverance and a lot of time spent in fitting rooms (or trolling eBay), you can find one that’s perfect for you. The luck-of-the-draw nature of vintage shopping, however, means that it’s not ideal if you’re in a rush to find a suit for an upcoming occasion. Likewise, if you’re after something specific, like an all-purpose navy blue or black suit for the office, you may have a harder time finding it here.