Brooks Brothers vs. Suit Supply MTM for Wedding
Looking for thoughts comparing MTM suiting options for these two stores. I'm looking for a classic navy suit for my wedding (~13 weeks away) that I can rewear professionally on occasion, and to other weddings, etc. I've been having difficulty finding OTR suits because of my build (5'11", 200lbs, very broad shoulders and hips/seat). Namely, everything being "slim fit" by default really doesn't work well for me.
Here's what I know about BB:
- MTM is $998 but there is a 15% discount I can use to bring it to $848.
- The suit is half canvas, super-110 230g. Unsure if full canvas is possible or what it would cost.
- The fabric is from Italy and would be constructed in China. Sales associates said same factory that Suit Supply uses.
- The BB ready to wear suits (regent fit, "1818 suiting line") are $1.3k and after talking to the sales associate the markup is primarily because they're made in Italy.
- Not much other information online about customization options, but sales associate said process includes choosing lapels, buttons, lining, tabs/belt loops
Here's what I know about SS:
- MTM is $758 for navy super-110 230g suit.
- The suit is half canvas, +$100 for full canvas.
- Fabric is from Italy, suit constructed in China. - SS has a great online MTM tool that allows me to explore all customization options ahead of time. - I did have one appointment at SS and when discussing custom suiting, the sales associates assigned to me said he wouldn't really measure me but would use "his eye and experience," which seemed concerning. - I generally have not had much luck trying on OTR suits at SS because of their slim cuts, particularly the trousers. In sum, they seem almost identical. I could go with SS and get full canvas and have more customization via their web tool, or go with BB which might be a more traditionally tailored fit. I'm open to other ~1$k suiting options as well. Based in Washington DC area and prefer to visit stores in person for measurements.
- Fabric is from Italy, suit constructed in China. - SS has a great online MTM tool that allows me to explore all customization options ahead of time. - I did have one appointment at SS and when discussing custom suiting, the sales associates assigned to me said he wouldn't really measure me but would use "his eye and experience," which seemed concerning. - I generally have not had much luck trying on OTR suits at SS because of their slim cuts, particularly the trousers. In sum, they seem almost identical. I could go with SS and get full canvas and have more customization via their web tool, or go with BB which might be a more traditionally tailored fit. I'm open to other ~1$k suiting options as well. Based in Washington DC area and prefer to visit stores in person for measurements.
4 Replies
I bought a suit from SuitSupply 3 years ago and they took my full measurments in the store to adjust the suit
yea he may have just been a jabroni, i would certainly insist on actual measurements
Both are a perfectly decent option. I'm not 100% sure they use the same factory but I wouldn't be at all surprised, both are large-factory mtm. Both produce perfectly decent work. Realistically, both will have access to much the same fabrics. I tend to recommend a perennial VBC fabric as a great price-value point for most people.
In general what it should come down to, if not the modest difference in price, is their house styles. MTM from big factories is generally set up to accommodate most body shapes decently well so I assume they will fit you, but they will want to base them on house cuts. So if your favorite cut that gets the closest is the regent fit, use BB, if your favorite cut is suitsupply's lazio, use susu. Just less risk that way.
The claim that they can measure you by eye well enough to make a suit is laughable on its face. Excellent tailors who have worked for 45 years can immediately tell you you're, eg, a 42L but if you pay them to make you a suit, out come the measuring tapes. That some guy who's never made a suit can measure you by eye is 8==m==D
So if you go with susu, find a different person to work with, one who doesn't think he's a jet fighter pilot and/or god.
230g is a fairly light suit. Just around 8oz. Nothing inherently wrong about that. BUT you gotta think about use case. A fabric that light, I'm thinking outdoor weddings and other outdoor events. Or in offices or buildings with poor AC.
Given that it'll at least have canvas on the chest, and I'd personally pay the extra $100 to have it canvassed all the way down, well, it's not exactly an unstructured unlined suit, it's gonna sort of have a minimum level of how warm it is. I might make the tradeoff and choose one of the 260gm VBC fabrics for a little more durability. Going lighter than that I'd want to choose a fabric very well known for lightness but also being adequately durable, like fox air or something. I'm not saying 230 is too light, just that if you think you'll wear it in cooler months and in AC, you may prefer to trade off for a bit more durability. This is splitting hairs a bit.
But I do recommend using a named mill, not a "made in italy, but we won't say who / nobody online has anything to say about the mill" name.
Hope this helped
this is a great framwork for thinking about it
thanks for this. more options with BB for weight. Eg, 270g and 290g at same price point, etc.
from what I can tell both BB and susu have named the mills for all of the options I've considered, which is nice, but ill keep an eye out for any options that might hide this info