Men's suit in Chicago

July 22, 2009 12:33 PM

Looking for a men's suit in Chicago. I have an idea what I want, but I don't know where to look. Any pointers are appreciated.

I haven't found quite what I'm hoping for at my local Men's Wearhouse, so I'm going to Chicago this weekend to look. I'd like to get a dark gray or charcoal two-button with flat-front pants. Peaked lapels would be kind of cool, but I won't insist on them. I'm afraid that pinstripes look a bit pretentious on a guy my age (late 20s), so I'd prefer a solid color. I'm tall & skinny and need a 36L, heavy on the L.

I'm hoping to spend $300-400 for an off-the-rack suit. If it's going to cost much more than that, I figure I could get a made-to-measure from Thick As Thieves (recommended elsewhere in MeFi) for the same money.

Have any favorite suit stores? Or anything else you think I should know?

posted by echo target to clothing, beauty, & fashion (10 comments total)

I got a pretty decent off-the-rack Calvin Klein Suit from the Macy's on State st. for $300 a couple weeks ago, it's worth a shot.
posted by Oktober at 12:50 PM on July 22

I've never bought a suit there, but if you're going to be downtown anyway, you might as well try Nordstrom's Rack.
posted by Xalf at 12:50 PM on July 22

Seconding Macy's. The fellas there are really helpful and they have some great sales. I've always found buying a suit hard, and they helped make it easy. They'll tailor an off the rack for you for pretty cheap.
posted by bdizzy at 1:06 PM on July 22

My husband swears by Syd Jerome. And my husband always looks fly!
posted by macadamiaranch at 1:41 PM on July 22

If you can head a little north of Chicago, to Des Plaines, IL, on a weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., you could get great deals at the Hart, Schaffner and Marx Factory Store, at 1700 East Toughy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018. You can also order HSM made to measure through their Web site.

Unfortunately, the Factory Store in Des Plaines is closed on weekends. Fortunately, perhaps, this means they always have a ton of fresh stock, if you can make it on a weekday.
posted by paulsc at 1:59 PM on July 22

Maybe consider Saks Off Fifth (the outlet arm of Saks). There is one in Schaumburg near Woodfield Mall and one in Gurnee (Gurnee Mills). I got a really nice Hugo Boss suit in Schaumburg for like half off retail which was a little north of $400 IIRC. The have a thing with an independent suit shop in Woodfield Mall to handle alterations. Their sizing selection might be a little limited though.

I have also purchased a Calvin Klein suit from Macy's several years back which worked out nicely as well.
posted by Ultra Laser at 2:14 PM on July 22

Filene's Basement at 1 N State St in the Loop (there's another one on North Michigan Ave.) usually has a very nice selection of good quality mens suits in your price range.
posted by applemeat at 2:32 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

I don't have any stores to add, but I'd like to disabuse you of the notion that peak lapels would look anything but ridiculous on anything but a tuxedo or dinner jacket.
posted by brozek at 4:58 PM on July 22

I can't speak as to their quality, but I noticed that Dei Giovani is having a half-off sale. That might drop a number of their Italian suits into your price range.
posted by Iridic at 5:53 PM on July 22

Update to any future readers: the recommended stores above are fine establishments and purveyors of quality goods. But if you need a size 36, don't bother. Thanks anyway, AskMe!
posted by echo target at 6:41 AM on July 27