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?