So it has come to my attention that my “lovely” groom to be invaded our Grooming the Groom space last week! With horror I saw that he had bumped his post ahead of mine (which will be on cravats by the way!) and put his frankly ridiculous post up on his version of the perfect wedding! Storm Trooper groom suits, homer slippers for his shoes, crayons for the stationary and the most ridiculously priced watch ever! If you can bear it you can view the whole debacle here.
So ladies… It’s revenge time. The MEN are back! I have been really good recently (well sort of!) and I had been looking at items that I thought Matt would like.. Lest we forget the Darth Vader cufflinks… I still have nightmares about them! Or the super heroes boutonnieres…or…….. *shudder* let’s try and move on shall we…
So it’s payback time and I’ve found the fittest, hottest hunks for my next investigation of the suits and Matt can’t complain…. Mwah hah haah  😉
So back to the suits. Now, so far in our hunt for the ideal suit I’ve just been looking at styles that happened to catch my eye and looked flattering and stylish. This week we are going deeper down the rabbit hole and I’m going to look more carefully at brands and retailers: Where to get these suits, what prices are you roughly looking at (i.e. do you have to sell a kidney to afford one?!) and what are the most popular brands out there? I’ve hunted in the high street and scoured the designer stores (poor me!) and these are my favourites so far.
And I make no apologies for the amount of fit men in these suits… sorry Matt it had to be done. 😉
One of the most popular retailers to buy suits from is Burtons.
They have quality suits at reasonable prices with a pretty good selection.
I particularly like this grey double breasted slim fit checked suit, stylish and cool.
£119.00 from burton.co.uk
Another big name for suits on the high street is Debenhams.
They have a buying guide on their website with advice on the best suits and you can view the suits through six different categories; fashion, designer suits, dress suit, 3 piece, business & big and tall.
They also have a dedicated wedding section with helpful advice and a formal hire section.
This designer Stvdio Jeff Bank suit reflects key trends for a designer look using slim fit and stylish fabric.
A bargain at the moment at £92.78 for the suit! Debenhams.co.uk
Marks and Spencers have a lovely range of wedding suits too and are of a lovely quality.
This Autograph 1 button morning suit with wool is a lush quality and at £199.00 is definitely worth a thought.
If you are looking for something more designer but without that crazy price tag Zara is a good option.
This fine stripe blazer is £89.99 and would be stylish for the contemporary groom.
You can find it here.
For the quirkier man…what about the Topman range of suits?
They do seem to target their market at the slim/skinny fit range but if that’s your build type then it’s a great option.
This dark sand ‘Taylor’ single breasted suit jacket with black contrast peak lapels is £160 and can be found at topman.com
Another option is Next. Next seemed to focus on fashionable looks with affordable prices.
A wide selection of quality suits
If you’re not interested in the high street brands then how about something tailor made?
Featured on the Dragon’s Den this company offer something high-end and a little bit different.
You choose the cloth from an extensive range, then the measurements are taken using a cutting–edge 3D body scanner! (very James Bond!)
You can personalise your garment as you wish so it is completely unique for you… tres cool!
To find out more and receive a quote go to.. tailormadelondon.com
Or if you want a more traditional tailor-made option (without groovy 3D designing!) then how about the fabulous tailors Gieves and Hawkes?
Gieves & Hawkes exhibit all the characteristics of perfect craftsmanship and quality, providing luxury that lasts a lifetime.
Or if you aren’t interested in buying off the peg or tailored… what about hiring a suit?
Moss hire offer a wide range of suits to hire: morning suit, wedding waistcoats, cravats and ties… you can get the lot!
For more information go to their website at moss.co.uk
If you want the perfection of a tailor-made suit but at a pretty reasonable price you should look at cadandthedandy.co.uk
“We dispel the myth that quality comes at a heavy price. We operate with the conviction that high end bespoke tailoring should be accessible to all. Our suits are hand made with British cloth and offered at the most competitive price on the market.”
Prices start from £549 which isn’t bad considering the extreme high quality they provide.
To finish I have found some super high end suits… hold on to your purse strings…. it is about to get EXPENSIVE….
Huntsman has reigned supreme at Saville Row for over 160 years and has dressed royalty, stars of stage and screen and leaders of industry.
Their reputation is based on uncompromising level of workmanship and service.
Two-piece suits start from £3995.
To find out more about this prestigious brand go to their website at h-huntsman.com
And Finally….
A suit company so exclusive there are no suit photographs on the website.
A quote from http://www.forbes.com/2004/11/
Want something a bit finer–or perhaps a whole lot finer? Expect to pay dearly for it, though bear in mind that most of the expense above $5,000 or so is due to the fabric, not the talent of the workmanship.
Master tailor and “Power look” avatar William Fioravanti, for instance, charges clients who walk into his Manhattan showroom up to $10,500 to create a bespoke suit in Super 220 merino wool, of which he says $5,000 covers the cost of four meters of cloth–precisely the extra above his entry-level rate.
“This year we will sell at least 12 or 13 suits at that price,” he notes.
WOW.
Anyone any good at knitting?!! Wonder if the wool shop in town does Super 220? I mean, how hard can it be?! Oh…very apparently! Ah well, back to the writing board I guess!
So there you have it… Grooming your groom for every budget! Well actually not quite every budget, there was a rather nice suit in H&M modelled by David Beckham, which I believe is very cheap indeed… Â Matt wouldn’t let me use the picture but here’s the link…suits you sir!
No Matt, he would not look better in a stormtrooper suit…HONESTLY!!
Great blog…. And very dappa! Suits… 😀