First Suit in Calgary
Hey guys! I've been invited to my first wedding in September and I need to buy a suit. I read this: https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/guide-the-first-suit but need recommendations for stores and brands in Calgary, Canada. I'm 27, 5'11", 130 lbs. Thanks in advance for your help
4 Replies
What's your budget? That might dictate where it makes sense to go. For context I'm from Toronto but I travel to Calgary quite a bit for work (but a local might be able to help better).
In general, on the lower end your best bang for buck option are less traditional, newer suit-focused brands like Suit Supply and Spier and Mackay, etc., but I don't believe they have storefronts in Calgary. I feel like for a first suit you'd at least want to go to a physical store to get measured, and probably want to purchase there too if they have good alteration services (and quality/price fits).
Based on your size information you appear to be slender compared to the average Ready-to-Wear suit, so there's a chance you'll want to do some alteration after buying (taking the suit in a bit) and there's a chance Made-to-Measure (semi-custom) or Bespoke (full custom) might work better for you. Though those are more expensive. It depends a lot on how wide your shoulders are. Suit jacket shoulders are the hardest part of the suit to alter so that's the part you'd want to make sure fits perfectly to start. I think getting measured by someone who knows what they're doing will help you determine that.
Since you have some time till September, you can also try to catch a sale - various stores usually have summer discounts.
Since you have some time till September, you can also try to catch a sale - various stores usually have summer discounts.
Thanks for the reply hoser! The wedding is in Toronto! My budget is $750 CAD for the suit. I also need recommendations for shoes and a shirt. I definitely want to get measured and all that in store so I'll dismiss Spier and Mackay and Suit Supply. MTM would be nice
At that price range, I've heard good things about Huey Lam, though I've never been able to try them myself.
With all the Hudson's Bay news recently, I believe they might be liquidating some stores, including the Saks in Chinook Centre, which might be an opportunity for you to snag something on huge discounts. So maybe check that out and see if you can get a deal.
I'm not the biggest fan of the brands at the Bay, but Saks in Toronto at least have some stuff I personally enjoy (i.e. Ralph Lauren Polo/Purple Label, Isaia, Pal Zileri, etc). Prices are usually high but it might be worth it to see how much things drop.
Another discount timing you might look into is Harry Rosen's and Holt's summer sales. Normally I'd say their stuff is on the overpriced side but they do big sales in the summer (50-60%+ off). Harry carries Sameulsohn, which is a very solid "entry level", made in Canada suit brand. Full canvass suits. They both also carry Canali which tends to have decent discounts too, though I'm not sure if it'll get to $750 CAD.
For shoes and shirt, that also depends on your budget. In general I don't love the offerings in a lot of big CDN retailers for shoes. TLB Mallorca is often spoken about as being sort of like the Suit Supply / Spier of shoes, but you gotta do everything online which might not be the best/ most convenient. For this one I don't have a anygreat Calgary local suggestions. For shirts, I suspect similar to suits based on how slender you are, you might need brands that are a bit more customizable in terms of collar size and sleeve length. If you can't find anything locally Charles Tyrwhitt is decent quality, and most importantly pretty customizable and decently priced. Heard good things about Spier too. Personally I feel a lot more comfortable ordering shirts online since it's a smaller investment, but that's up to you!
For shoes and shirt, that also depends on your budget. In general I don't love the offerings in a lot of big CDN retailers for shoes. TLB Mallorca is often spoken about as being sort of like the Suit Supply / Spier of shoes, but you gotta do everything online which might not be the best/ most convenient. For this one I don't have a anygreat Calgary local suggestions. For shirts, I suspect similar to suits based on how slender you are, you might need brands that are a bit more customizable in terms of collar size and sleeve length. If you can't find anything locally Charles Tyrwhitt is decent quality, and most importantly pretty customizable and decently priced. Heard good things about Spier too. Personally I feel a lot more comfortable ordering shirts online since it's a smaller investment, but that's up to you!
Thanks for the lengthy and helpful response!