Britain's cheapest suit (guess the store)

[carebear]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=428987&in_page_id=1770

Supermarket giant Asda has launched what it claims is Britain's cheapest suit.

Customers can now pick up the suit for just £19 as part of Asda's George clothing range. Normally the jacket would retail at £19 and the trousers at £6.

But for one week the supermarket is giving away the trousers for free when customers buy a jacket.

George's managing director, Angela Spindler, said: "It is not a stitch-up I assure you. You really can be a cut above the rest with change from £20 thanks to George.

"The reason why we can deliver such great value is simple, we buy in bulk and pass the cost savings that this brings direct to customers."

The machine-washable, black, single-breasted suit is on sale now.

Asda apparently = Wal-Mart.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Well if you need a suit in a pinch.

Wal-Mart by me has them.

 

[Duck]

George is really a U.K. brand, that Wal-Mart has brought to the US.

 

[carebear]

In a pinch? That's a suit you can buy with the change in your ashtray.

It's not so much it's cheap, but that they dropped the price 20% more.

 

[Salv]

I'd expect to see a lot of those suits making appearances at magistrates courts, as a nice change from sportswear or smart casual.

 

[Micawber]

The chap in that photo seems to have a dropped shoulder problem.

 

[Fletch]

"Nice shoes. You make those in prison?" - Chevy Chase

 

[Baron Kurtz]

WalMart bought Asda a while (maybe 5 years ago, but no more than that) ago.

This will only scare people away from suits even more than they are scared already. Can you imagine being a child going to a wedding and being jammed into one of these plastic monstrocities? They'll never wear a suit again after that experience. A little like being a child of the 80s getting scared to death by Miles Davis' later work, and never discovering his 40s/50s/60s albums . . .

Reminds me, i must phone my father and ensure that he will not be buying one of these next time he's in an Asda.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The chap in that photo seems to have a dropped shoulder problem.

design flaw . . . the plastic wants to retract into the smallest possible space, but for reason only does so on one side. Sigh what one must go through for a cheap suit.

bk

 

[Feraud]

This will only scare people away from suits even more than they are scared already. Can you imagine being a child going to a wedding and being jammed into one of these plastic monstrocities? They'll never wear a suit again after that experience. bk

Absolutely! My brothers and I have the emotional scars from the polyester suits we were forced to wear as children. To add insult to injury, not only was the material uncomfortable but the colors and trim were awful too.
As an aside, why is a cheaply made plastic suit the only option available for children?? Even if they wear it one time I would gladly pay the money for a quality suit!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Is that right? I'd always assumed there would be a suit for decent suits (OTR) for children for those who wished to pay the cash for them . . .

bk

 

[Fletch]

Don't thrift stores still enjoy some small prestige in Jolly Olde? Or have the trendies driven up the prices there, too?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

My parents shopped in charity stores when i was a kid in Blighty (we never had the trendy jeans, trendy sneakers etc.). Even then the stigma against doing so was very strong. People are apparently afraid of "appearing" to be as poor as they really are and so stay away from the charity stores even though they'd be helping themselves out by going to them . . . here comes the credit card debt!

bk

 

[Elaina]

I bought my son a decent suit at an outlet mall for about $5 more then buying one of the awful ones at Wal-Mart.

I also tend to make him slacks (that fit versus elastic waist) and vests with ties...he doesn't like clip ons and I swear little boy ties are only that, so I usually make his ties. Then he discovered ascots, so we go to Mass alot in ascots over ties (and I dare you to find a little boy ascot.)

 

[Feraud]

From what I recall there were no decent suits available for boys under 12.
My son is about to hit his teen years and I am hoping to find something presentable for occasions.

 

[Fletch]

My parents shopped in charity stores when i was a kid in Blighty (we never had the trendy jeans, trendy sneakers etc.). Even then the stigma against doing so was very strong. People are apparently afraid of "appearing" to be as poor as they really are and so stay away from the charity stores even though they'd be helping themselves out by going to them . . . here comes the credit card debt!

bk

Hmpf! I hadn't thought of it, but if just being seen going in or coming out of the store was enough to cause talk...then yes, you mightn't have been so pleased with a bargain on nice clothes (assuming there were any nice clothes).

 

[cookie]

WalMart bought Asda a while (maybe 5 years ago, but no more than that) ago.

This will only scare people away from suits even more than they are scared already. Can you imagine being a child going to a wedding and being jammed into one of these plastic monstrocities? They'll never wear a suit again after that experience. A little like being a child of the 80s getting scared to death by Miles Davis' later work, and never discovering his 40s/50s/60s albums . . .

Reminds me, i must phone my father and ensure that he will not be buying one of these next time he's in an Asda.

bk

Thanks for that M le Baron.

I agree entirely on your Miles Davis point. The later stuff could put you off forever. Then again his version on that live red album (last one c1986 concerts?) of Cyndi Lauper's Time after Time is a corker!

 

[cookie]

GBP20 suit from WalMart aka whatever

To sum up this discussion - does this mean WalMart are all over you like a cheap suit?

 

[GOK]

fftopic: (slightly) I put on the TV last night and How It's Made was on. It was about to go off for the ad. break but the voice-over said that after the break they would be showing how a suit was made. I know how tailoring works but I thought that nevertheless, it might be interesting to watch. Suffice it to say I watched the entire piece like this ----->

Minimum human intervention. Seams joined with fusible web and then sewn by a computer operated machine. Even the pattern pieces were cut with a computerised laser. The human operator put the individual pieces onto large tailoring hams (I think they were called bucks actually) to be steam-pressed into shape (again, computer operated). Then the jacket went onto a mannequin where the human placed shoulder pads (no stitching or anything) and more computer-steamers pressed everything into place. Sleeves, collars, lapels, pcoket welts etc. were stitched/glued by computer and more steam shaping was done.

Then the trousers were shown - imagine two long planks of wood on their long side, with a groove (like tongue and groove) running the length. The trouser legs were placed over the planks, with the centre (where the crease would be) placed over the grooves. Then the human operator took a squeezy bottle and squeezed a silicone mix gel along the crease line, pushing the fabric down into the grooves to ensure a straight line. The trousers were then pressed with knife-edge creases.

The piece lasted around five minutes, so I'm guessing that the actual process takes only an hour or two. With this, low wages and fabric buying in bulk, it's no wonder Asda can afford to sell its OTR suits at such low prices.

And there I was, expecting to see a piece about a tailor. :eusa_doh:

 

[Jovan]

I bought my son a decent suit at an outlet mall for about $5 more then buying one of the awful ones at Wal-Mart.

I also tend to make him slacks (that fit versus elastic waist) and vests with ties...he doesn't like clip ons and I swear little boy ties are only that, so I usually make his ties. Then he discovered ascots, so we go to Mass alot in ascots over ties (and I dare you to find a little boy ascot.)

You have got to be the coolest mother ever. And your son will be an effortless dresser by the time he NEEDS to wear suits. Good job. :eusa_clap