Blue Suits?
There seems to be a lot of mid (pun?) blue suits floating around second hand markets for great prices.
Blues with a bit higher saturation like the attached picture.
Is there an occasion outside of summer weddings where it seems more appropriate?
36 Replies
I wore mine for my wedding! It wasn't exactly summer, but not cold either. I would call the color of mine lighter-than-navy. Maybe a skosh darker than pictured.
Anyways, they're a nice color, more casual than a navy suit for sure, but not as casual as I think you are implying. While it might be the wrong choice for an interview, I'd wear mine to just about any wedding where the formality isn't wrong, and more generally to any celebration where the formality isn't wrong, and I'd wear mine to cultural events where a suit is appropriate.
I think my preconception comes from the internet being very insistent navy/charcoal are it because they're versatile. But it sounds like outside of interviews it's not actually that restrictive?
Seller's asking 80 for these. Really tempted but definitely feeling a bit worried it's too bright
(I like the suit)
Other than the torn lining at the armpit, the suit is in good condition. This should be an easy fix right?
Don't pay more than $25 for a suit like this.
Assuming you don't wear one for work, there are typically 3 main reasons that most men wear a suit: interviews, weddings, and funerals. Navy and charcoal are buoyed by the internet as versatile because they work for all 3.
Medium blue is good for most weddings but not for most interviews and definitely not for most funerals. So the answer to your question comes down to a personal value judgment - is it worth $80+repairs+tailoring to you to have this suit as an option to wear to weddings? If yes, go for it, if not, don't
Also, the jacket on this suit is pretty casual with the contrast buttons and the patch pockets, so you could wear the jacket as a separate. That'll increase the versatility because you can wear the jacket with odd trousers in most business casual settings, to nice restaurants, on dates, etc. So that's something to keep in mind too
If I were sitting on an interview panel, which I've done many times, and saw someone walk in wearing this color, I would think nothing of it
Why is that? Could you elaborate?
Good to know! Out of curiosity, what line of work are you in?
Thanks for the advice! You pretty much nailed the problem... Gotta give it a bit of a think
Energy sector, corporate side
Sorry, silly inside joke. A few days ago J. Crew put a blue suit on deep, deep discount and several folks on here bought them.
Haha, I thought my sense of pricing is messed up and I was getting ripped off
Naah, I think $80 is not crazy for an eBay suit, if you actually like it and you are confident it will fit you (or willing to take the risk). I'm not sure I would pay $80 for that suit, though. Lapels look too big to me, plus the torn lining. $80 is reasonable for an eBay suit that you like, in excellent condition.
On the other hand, big lapels are cool
I'd totally spend 80 on that. Tailors only gonna charge like $25 for that repair
Yeah honestly I like it, for $80 if the fit is good, I'd rock it.
Seller lowered to 55 so I pulled the trigger! Woot!
Thoughts? I spent 10 more bucks to repair the lining at a local place, not sure if I need alterations.
Not sure why the pants do that at the back. Maybe I need to let it out a bit?
For fifty five bucks man you knocked it out of the park!
Looks like a nice color. Like a light navy.
Solid buy for fifty bucks. Good color.
Thanks for the advice guys 🙂
I think you could have the seat let out and it look just fine. I can't tell but might be a tad bit of collar roll up top, but hard to tell. I get collar roll on literally everything I wear, I hate it.
Man, I feel that, but then again, I feel like if you can't see it, it's a lot easier to ignore
Yup
Yeah I got minor advice if you want it but for $50 I would probably just let it go as is
Always good to know what could be better. Why would the price be a factor?
Because at some point it starts to feel like nitpicking for its own sake. If someone enjoys their suit and it's good enough and they're not asking for feedback ... I try not to give unsolicited advice
But my advice here would be that the back thighs are not cleanly draping. This may be due to pose (common when taking photos) or because they're too tight. Would consider letting out room along the thigh and possibly the entire seam, not a ton but just enough to fix the issue while keeping the same proportional taper.
I believe the waist is a bit tight as well. See how the cloth rumples on your right, our left side of the waist? There's a triangle of pulling from the cardinal button to your right.
Finally: I love smoked MOP buttons for a suit like this. The ones you showed at your cuff look chewed up. Not expensive to replace. Might suggest it. Either that or the photos aren't showing reality
Oh and if we're really picking nits, the tight leg opening means that rather than breaking over your shoes your trousers kind of crumple at the bottom and sit on top of the shoe. You ideally want "perfectly" no break to avoid that issue -if- it's not just an artifact of your stance in the photo. Your rear left foot also shows skin. I'd want to get them re-hemmed to your favorite shoes, no showing skin, no negative break, but also no stacking on top of the shoe.
I hope this helps and you don't see it as overly annoying or needlessly criticizing. You're fine as is, but I think fixing those issues would be even better.
It helps! I think it's nice to know what room there is for improvement and whether my wallet is happy to help me out.
I recognize the points with the pants and the waist, but I've also never been to a tailors in my life. How much do these things cost? I think the edge of the buttons are a little chipped/scratched, would be a nice to have, but do MOP damage easily? Will I end up having to replace them over and over again? It's curious that a few of these things are dependent on stance/pose. I guess it's most relevant for photo ops. Oh absolutely not! If I didn't want advice, I'd ask my gf who'd say "yep, looks like a suit" and I'll move on. Also, I'd be shocked if I buy a cheap second hand suit and it was perfect. Would really bring into question what they're charging for bespoke garments wouldn't it...
I recognize the points with the pants and the waist, but I've also never been to a tailors in my life. How much do these things cost? I think the edge of the buttons are a little chipped/scratched, would be a nice to have, but do MOP damage easily? Will I end up having to replace them over and over again? It's curious that a few of these things are dependent on stance/pose. I guess it's most relevant for photo ops. Oh absolutely not! If I didn't want advice, I'd ask my gf who'd say "yep, looks like a suit" and I'll move on. Also, I'd be shocked if I buy a cheap second hand suit and it was perfect. Would really bring into question what they're charging for bespoke garments wouldn't it...
Sometimes you just get a perfect fit :)
Costs vary. Biggest factors are: 1) location with regards to cost of living and workshop rent; 2) location with regards to both men's tailoring being sold and worn regularly and competition; 3) individual pricing. Generally speaking, alterationists will be cheapest, often working out of dry cleaners, whereas tailors will be more expensive. Generally speaking, you'll get better pricing and better work where there's a lot of men's tailoring being worn. Generally speaking, a tailor will do better work and more complex work than an alterationist, but on the flip side you may feel it a waste of money to pay a tailor to do simple things like hem trousers.
So all I can do is tell you how much I've paid for things.
- Letting out trousers along inseam: never done it, estimate $30-50
- Hem trousers: $10-15
- Let out or take in waist: $30 to do minor work at an alterationist, $60 to do more precise work at a tailor
- Swap buttons: Probably like $30-ish to do ten buttons, plus cost of buttons (which is about $30 more)
- MOP: I've rarely seen it chewed up like this on secondhand garments; would not be concerned about longevity.
Part of the reason price is a consideration is that if someone buys a brand new suit for $900, I think it's pretty reasonable to tell them they should budget from the get-go additional alterations to the tune of ~$100 (+-) to get the best reasonable fit, so like an extra 10-15% on top of base cost. Add sales taxes and you could just eyeball a 20% extra cost, from advertised price to end price, to get a good fit, right? On the flip side, when people spend $50, I am loath to suggest someone spend another $100 or $150 extra. Certainly I laugh about having bought a $5 (+shipping) jacket and then spent $85 on altering it, and people 'into' menswear with an eye for specific details will consider alterations as just part of the process, but most people see alterations as an optional extra best avoided rather than part of the process and may feel disheartened ... so ... unless directly asked I prefer to suggest only bare-minimum work and absolutely necessary fixes. Hope that makes sense why I mentioned price before.
Isn't the main reason that secondhand suits can be so affordable is that they most likely will not fit? The only reason I have against not doing some of the stuff you suggested is that I can no longer brag that this cost me 55 bucks 😂.
Among the items here, are there any that are too... Let's say risky to do at an alterationist?
A quick guestimate from your numbers gives $150 to fix everything. And since I asked you to point them out it'll be on my mind everytime I wear it because I'm probably too much of a cheapskate to fix them ðŸ˜.
I think I'll at least get a quote for the pants because that bugs me a bit more than the rest. Appreciate the help!
Now you know why I don't give unsolicited adfvice haha
Anyways, nothing I listed is hard or risky except maybe widening the trousers. I wouldn't widen them. I would hem them, let out the waist, and swap buttons.
When buying suits or blazers on eBay, I think it's not unreasonable to factor in about $50 for alterations, plus the cost of dry cleaning. Even so, that's a good deal. But it takes some practice. I've fumbled a few times, but I can now look at pictures and measurements and be pretty confident that a jacket is going to fit me.
Also, when you buy a new blazer, the advertised price often includes some "free" alterations, like adjusting the sleeves or waist. These alterations aren't free, of course. They are just included in the list price.