Looking for a stylish, slimfit suit

September 19, 2009 12:26 PM

I am in Vancouver. I can never find suits that fit me. I am around five ten and very slim. Most suits, even at their smallest size, fit me like a refrigerator box. I am looking for something in slim fit suits, kind of like the brand Tiger of Sweden (seemingly unavailable via the internet purchasing route). Does anyone know of any brands I should look into? Price range around 750 max. Should I look into getting one made? Any advice is appreciated, after years of looking I still don't own a suit I am happy with. Thank you for any advice you have.
posted by cascando to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

Get a suit that fits ok and have it fitted by a tailor. Suits never fit great off the rack.
posted by bravowhiskey at 12:43 PM on September 19

Hello fellow Vancouverite! My advice is to check out the sales at Harry Rosen and Dunn's.

I bought my slim boyfriend a Zegna suit for Christmas, from the Harry Rosen in Pacific Centre. I couldn't have afforded it at full price but they were having a very good sale at the time. I think I paid about $800 in the end. The suit jacket and pants both fit him nicely off the rack and the only alteration needed was hemming, but they would have done other alterations (like taking the jacket in) for free too.

When we were suit-hunting we also had good luck finding some slimmer-fitting suits on sale at Dunn's for a bit less (maybe $600ish?).

We did not have any luck at Moore's (even their "european fit" suits were huge!) or H&M (the suits were slimmer but seemed to be of rather poor quality).

Another friend of mine swears by Banana Republic for nice fitting men's suits, so maybe try there too?
posted by sanitycheck at 12:43 PM on September 19

thick as thieves has been around for a few years and do made to measure suits. they are generally slim cut and come in a variety of styles and fabrics you can choose from. the general feel has a distinct retro bent.

prices start around US$450. there is a large thread on style forum where people have photos wearing tat suits, too. you may have to dig around but here is one poster with photos.
posted by mlo at 12:49 PM on September 19 [1 favorite]

looking through their blog, they also offer a style of suit with more traditional cut
posted by mlo at 12:56 PM on September 19

Mexx men's clothes tend to fit quite slim. There's a Mexx on Robson St., but if you're willing to drive out to the burbs, there's also a Mexx outlet in Langley (on the bypass, just off 200th St.) where the selection is still quite impressive but the prices are lower.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:26 PM on September 19

I second Zegna for slim fit (and quality/style generally worth the price) and then seeing a tailor no matter the brand. Zegna, like most higher-end off the rack brands, tends to have both "traditional" and "modern" lines, so if you don't like what you're seeing, look for the other.
posted by kcm at 1:55 PM on September 19

Try Zara. That's where we found a stylish, slim-cut, affordable suit for my husband who is 5'11"and 130 lbs. We looked at all sorts of higher end brands and none was slim enough.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:40 PM on September 19

Brascia's Tailors and Menswear on Hornby do bespoke tailoring. They will also make any suit fit, and can usually handle short notice. I bought a suit there for a wedding when last in Vancouver and they had it fitted within three days. Excellent service overall.

I've heard of not so good experiences with Townline.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 5:52 PM on September 19

Get one made. It can cost you less than $750, and will fit you better than anything off-the-rack can possibly ever hope to. The afore-mentioned Thick As Thieves is a good option, but so is Duchess, who are in Portland, and thus quite a bit closer to you than TaT, who are in LA. It would not surprise me to learn that there are Vancouver options as well.
posted by dersins at 12:44 AM on September 20