Suit Quality Assistance?

[Kyle Johnston]

First off, I'm new here. New to suits and dressing nice in general, though I've been in love with suits for as long as I can remember.

My question, though, is if someone on here could let me know if my First Suit is of high quality, or really any other information about it. I got off of work yesterday and was walking home (car died), and this guy stopped and gave me a suit that was in a trash bag marked Goodwill. While I appreciate the fact that it was going to Goodwill, I was excited even more-so because I finally had a suit. Money's been tight for as long as I can remember, so a deal like this was great. It wasn't until I got home that I realized the suit could be too large/small and panicked a little. After trying it on, though, lo and behold, it fit like a glove... Almost. The trousers are just a little too snug, but not so tight that I can't wear them.

Back on topic: Inside the left breast, it has a Holt Renfrew label, and inside the right breast, it has a Mani label. I'm not sure if that's enough information to go on, but that's about all I have.

So, can anyone out there bring up to speed on the quality of this suit or offer any sort of general knowledge about it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rue]

Does it look like any of these labels? http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/holt-renfrew/

Apparently they're a high quality store in Canada.

 

[Kyle Johnston]

It looks a lot like the label on the bottom left. I'll upload a picture of it in a minute.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[rue]

Looks to be 70s, but a great brand

 

[Kyle Johnston]

Thanks so much, Rue!

It settles my mind that my first actual Suit is probably from the 70s and from a great brand. My fiancè can't seem to understand why I'm so fond of suits that I wear them indoors when I have no plans on going anywhere. Thanks again for the help, though, and the speedy response.

I think I'm going to like it here

 

[_Nightwing]

I don't know about the quality of your suit, but your story sounds like it could be the beginning of a really great movie. The Suit, perhaps.

One thing you can do is look for is a woolmark, a logo which looks like a little triangle made of wool - tells you that it's free of man made fibers. Probably would be on a patch or label inside the jacket. You could look for working cuff buttons on the sleeves as well.

Another really great way to tell the quality of a suit is to post pics of it and everyone will tell you.

 

[rue]

Thanks so much, Rue!

It settles my mind that my first actual Suit is probably from the 70s and from a great brand. My fiancè can't seem to understand why I'm so fond of suits that I wear them indoors when I have no plans on going anywhere. Thanks again for the help, though, and the speedy response.

I think I'm going to like it here

You're very welcome Kyle. This is a great place and I think you'll like it very much. Welcome to The Fedora Lounge

 

[Kyle Johnston]

_Nightwing, I just took some pics of it and I'm in the process of uploading them. If you need more/different pictures, feel free to tell me what to do.

Front:



Back:



Collar:



Right Breast:



Again, if there's anything else you need to know, just ask, and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tomasso]

That's early 80's MANI, which at the time was Armani's secondary line. Historically Giorgio has been good with fabric but not so good with construction. But then he is a fashion designer and most of his followers don't really want the garments to last.

 

[Talbot]

Good start to your suit wearing experience.

It looks like a nice suit. I'd wear it.

Welcome.

T

 

[Kyle Johnston]

That's early 80's MANI, which at the time was Armani's secondary line. Historically Giorgio has been good with fabric but not so good with construction. But then he is a fashion designer and most of his followers don't really want the garments to last.

Thank you for the detailed response, Tomasso. Even if you told me it was a WalMart rip-off, I'd still wear it. It looks nice and fits me almost perfectly, not to mention the fact that it's incredibly comfortable, minus the slight trouser squeeze.

And Talbot, I agree. Especially after hearing what I heard on here, I'm even more satisfied with the first piece of my suit-growing collection. A small part of me really doesn't want to grow out of it for something nicer/more comfortable, but I'm pretty sure it'll happen at one point. I really need more button-up shirts, though. The only long sleeve I have really looks like it should be worn as-is, without a jacket or anything. For the purpose of seeing what it looked like on me, though, I put it on. And even with the tacky shirt, I still looked pretty good, and still felt great.

Thanks again for all the responses! If anyone else wants to chime in on this, feel free.

 

[Tomasso]

It looks nice and fits me almost perfectly,

That's what counts most. Sorry if my response came off in a negative way.

 

[Kyle Johnston]

That's what counts most. Sorry if my response came off in a negative way.

Oh, no reason to be sorry. You didn't come off sounding negative at all. I was saying that while my curiosity about the suit was important, it wouldn't have affected if I wear it or not. This Florida heat's a killer, though

 

[GBR]

First off, I'm new here. New to suits and dressing nice in general, though I've been in love with suits for as long as I can remember.

My question, though, is if someone on here could let me know if my First Suit is of high quality, or really any other information about it. I got off of work yesterday and was walking home (car died), and this guy stopped and gave me a suit that was in a trash bag marked Goodwill. While I appreciate the fact that it was going to Goodwill, I was excited even more-so because I finally had a suit. Money's been tight for as long as I can remember, so a deal like this was great. It wasn't until I got home that I realized the suit could be too large/small and panicked a little. After trying it on, though, lo and behold, it fit like a glove... Almost. The trousers are just a little too snug, but not so tight that I can't wear them.

Back on topic: Inside the left breast, it has a Holt Renfrew label, and inside the right breast, it has a Mani label. I'm not sure if that's enough information to go on, but that's about all I have.

So, can anyone out there bring up to speed on the quality of this suit or offer any sort of general knowledge about it?

Thanks in advance.

Seems to be rather odd to be stopped in the street and given a suit? Even more odd that it vaguely fits.

 

[_Nightwing]

Not that there's any point in going after Tomasso, but it looks great, and I see the woolmark in your pic there so I bet it feels great too, and that tells you it's not made of some cheap material. As far as the construction, "Made in Italy" is a lot more reassuring than "Made in China." I can also see now that it's double-breasted with peak lapels, so it's certainly going to look impressive when you wear it around. People will probably think that you're in the legal profession or shipbuilding or something. It appears to be a mid or dark gray, and a solid color without pinstripes or patterns. If so, that's going to make it very versatile in picking out shirts and ties to match with it. If the gray isn't too dark it'll make a great all-seasons suit too. Not that you have any seasons in Florida. XD

Since you have the honor of your own thread I move that you owe us pics of you wearing it. With a palm tree in the background.

 

[bil_maxx]

Congratulations on the suit. Holt Renfrew is a very high end store in Canada and anything they sell is top quality. I can't believe you got it literally on the street from a stranger. Wow.

 

[Kyle Johnston]

As soon as I get a shirt that isn't ridiculously shameful, I'll put up some pictures of me wearing the suit. Maybe sans palm tree.

And bil_maxx, I agree with you completely. The more I heard about the suit, the more baffled I am that someone stopped me on the street and gave it to me. Thank heavens for car trouble, right? I don't think I'm ever going to complain when my car gives me trouble anymore.

Thanks again to all who posted, though.

 

[carldelo]

I had a Mani suit, purchased in early 2001 at Century 21 (a discount clothier in NYC) to wear to a wedding (at Windows on the World, right across the street). It was extremely well-made, good drape, breathable, and I wore it for years before giving it away to a junior colleague when I became too large for it - it was still in very good shape. As I recall, I paid about $300 for it, and that was better than half off. If the pants are tight (and haven't been let out already), a tailor can loosen the waistband at least an inch, sometimes more, for about $10 - money well spent.

 

[Kyle Johnston]

As I'm more or less a suit virgin, I won't pretend to know what a good drape means, or how much a suit like this would go for. I will say, though, that it's very breathable.

As for the tailor, the crappy part is that letting them out a quarter inch would be plenty. They fit, but they have just that hint of snugness. I only really feel that when I first fasten them, though. After that, they feel like they fit just fine. Maybe it's the euphoria from the suit, or maybe it's something else, but the snugness is surprisingly not too bothersome. I'll still probably look into a tailor so the size will be exactly right for me. I might do it for the jacket as well, only because the sleeves are, again, maybe a quarter of an inch too short. To someone like me, I doubt the difference is that notable, but I'd rather have it done right, with all of the measurements matching my dimensions so that the suit is actually tailored to me.

And than God, it hardly needs any alterations.

 

[Kyle Johnston]

Sorry for the double post here, but I was apparently awfully drunk when I typed my last response. The sleeves are not, in fact, a quarter of an inch too short. I'm pretty sure I meant to say too long. As for that last sentence, your guess is as good as mine as to what I was trying to convey. My only theory is "And other than that, I don't believe it needs any alterations."

Since I'm here, though, I have a bit of a question for anyone that might be able to offer some assistance. A good friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a while came by yesterday. I'd recently gotten back from another job interview, so I was still wearing the suit, mostly because it's so comfortable that I don't mind the tie around my neck. Anyway, we got to talking about how he never pictured me as a suit wearing guy, and I explained the whole situation to him, from how I acquired it (which he explicitly asked) to the information you guys have provided me about it. His follow up question was what got me thinking. He asked me how much a suit like this is worth.

So, my question is this; Can anyone on here ballpark a figure on how much this suit is worth based on the pictures and your knowledge of MANI suits, etc? He's actually been bugging me about it since then, via texts and phone calls. He's someone who can't quit absorbing knowledge, despite the fact that he spends a majority of his time doing just that.

As usual, any help on this would be greatly appreciated. And Nightwing, the suit picture is coming soon since you put me on the spot and requested it