Off-the-peg or made-to-measure suits?

For the average man it seems logical that an off the peg suit should fit. So why have I not found one person that says this is so?


I spend most of my time meeting people who wear suits regularly and most say that they usually buy a suit that is off the peg. M&S have the autograph collection which often gets a reasonable response, but still people find that they are settling for a jacket too big just so the sleeves fit them correctly. Even a few people who say “I am pretty lucky I can walk into an off the peg suit and it fits perfectly” could often look better with having some adjustments made to their current look.

However, is it worth it? You can get an off the peg suit from Tesco for around £50. You'll wear it two or three times and chuck it - it's certainly not going to like being dry cleaned. Topman offers suits for £125 to £225. The more expensives suits from Topman coming from other brands. The Suits on the cheaper end of the scale are over 50% polyester and will certainly not last the same length of time as a suit from a quality cloth. However, the suits on the top end of the scale are a collection from Ben Sherman which look fine for the job hunter who doesn't want to look cheap. So, a good off the peg suit for the aspirational gentlemen is likely to cost you around £250 yet still may not fit correctly. More than anything, a good fitting suit is what will separate you from others so it is paramount that this is right.

What about our designer friends Hugo, Paul and Ted? Paul Smith’s suits start at £479 off the peg, they’re well made and will take a bit of a battering however, they are often semi canvassed. This sounds appealing however, a fully canvassed suit will give it better structure, shape and strength, and so will always drape better. Ted Baker and Hugo Boss are similar in their construction to suits from Paul Smith. They're not better than a suit from M&S, the cut may be preferred, or even the brand name for that matter.

Gieves & Hawkes start at £695 and going up to £1,895 for off the peg. These suits are going to be well made and have good fabric and last but they still may not fit. Like designer suits, here your money is going towards the Savile Row reputation. It’s easy to say that if you pay more it will last longer and if you pay less it doesn’t matter. Isn’t the most important thing about a suit to look and feel great? If you know you look fantastic this positive energy is passed on to the people around you. I know I would prefer this to knowing that you have paid a lot for a suit and it should look expensive. 

If you could get something that looks great, but be safe in the knowledge that it fits perfectly, surely this makes sense?

Head & Griffiths Suiting Sessions

Our Suiting Sessions are great way to get colleagues and clients together for a bit of a bonding sesh! 


We will visit your company at a time that is convenient for you, whether it be a lunchtime or after office hours in a more relaxed environment and take you through the telling signs of a quality suit. 


Have a peek at our Suiting Sessions information pack via the link below. If you feel that this may be something of interest to you and your company then feel free to contact us at any time.

Branding Your Tailoring

Head & Griffiths appreciates the importance of making a good first impression. You reflect your company, so it is important to dress to impress and have a team around you that likewise, shares your ambition for looking good, whether it’s when meeting clients, giving a presentation or just having a few drinks after work. It might be that your company wants to adopt a uniform or a particular corporate style for a team of employees and there are few ways in which to do that.

Cloth

Cloths have various personalities and connotations so is important to choose a cloth that communicates your brand in the right way. For example a wide rope pinstripe has associations with bankers and high flyers so it's important to think about what your suit cloth says about you. There might be a particular colour pinstripe or Prince of Wales check which links in with your branding.

Style

Like the cloth what does the style of your jacket say about you and your company? If you offer financial services is a double-breasted jacket appropriate? Or if you're in a creative industry perhaps you want a single breasted jacket with a neat trim to best portray your creative style. A waistcoat in a contrasting cloth may be the way to give your tailoring the brand treatment.

Lining

It may be hidden away but one of the more obvious places to incorporate your brand in your tailoring is with the lining colour. We have a whole wealth of colours to choose from so you can be guaranteed to find something that is right for you and your employees. This can then be linked with nice subtle details around the suit like coloured buttons, button hole stitching on the sleeve or lapel, lapel stitching and so on.

Embroidery

Typically embroidery is reserved for just the name of the owner of the suit. However, it is very much open to interpretation and more importantly what you want to have embroidered on the inside or outside your suit jacket. It could be the name of your company or just the initials of your company. Or it could your company's memory hook - 'Live well, feel great', 'Profit from good advice' or 'Law in your language'.

Mark Selby

Around Leicestershire in your local pubs and cafés you should be able to spot the latest issue of Soar Magazine. If you can't then there is a link here so you can download it. Inside you'll find an article on Snooker's Mark 'The Jester from Leicester' Selby who we made a suit jacket and shirt for his interview with the magazine. The jacket worn by Mark is a shawl collar with contrasting trim and patch pockets. It's been an absolute pleasure dealing with Mark and we were very fortunate to have a small editorial in the magazine which we have to thank Mukesh for making possible. If you haven't done so already, make sure to read our article with Mark now!

http://www.markselby.info/
http://www.soarmagazine.co.uk