Why isn't there a petite sophisticate for men?

May 7, 2008 12:32 AM

Suit filter: I'm looking to buy my first suit but I'm having trouble finding anything off the rack. Can anyone point me to somewhere that has 34R jackets and 28x30 trousers on their store floors in Tucson or Phoenix area?

I'm not looking for anything too fancy just: Grey or Charcoal pinstripe, 3 button notch, single vented, fully canvassed, 100's wool. My price range is ~$500-$600. I'm 5'7" and weigh 110lbs on a good day. I usually wear a 34R jacket and 28x30 trousers.

So far I've tried places like Nordstrom, Dillard's, Macy's, Men's Warehouse, Banana Republic, etc. but they never seem to have anything smaller than a 36R. I'm not above shopping in the kids' section but I find that most of the stuff there is not up to the quality standard I'm looking for (most of the kid stuff is polyester, yuck). I'm also not above shopping used if you have any good places like that in mind.

My last plan of action will be a mail order MTM suit so if anyone has had any experiences with places like Nicholas-Joseph or Thick as Thieves I'd be more than happy to hear about them. I'd prefer to see a suit on myself before buying but I guess I could trust a tailor without doing a proper fitting if other mefites have had success with it.

I guess I should probably also ask, but what can my local tailor do? Would they be able to alter a 36 jacket down to a 34? Would they be able to make a suit from scratch? Would either of those break the bank on my budget? And of course does anyone have any recommendations for tailors in Tucson or Phoenix?

posted by woolylambkin to clothing, beauty, & fashion (13 comments total)

I don't know places in Tucson/Phoenix but can I advise you against getting a pinstripe for your first suit? They look nice but aren't very versatile compared to a solid grey or dark navy suit. Your first suit should be usable with a wide range of shirts and ties - dark navy, grey/charcoal, and even black fill that bill but should be solid, not pinstripe.

Size-wise, you're going to have trouble finding a 34R in any US-based stores. Even Brooks Brothers starts at 36 or 38. Your best bet is with a Europe-based store or Italian labels. A 34 is 44 in Italian sizing. Are there any department stores even more upscale than Nordstrom and Macy's? What about a United Colors of Benetton store (Italy-based)?
posted by junesix at 2:01 AM on May 7

So ... some of my friends are very small people, and they shop in the children's section. Brooks Brothers, for example, makes a Boy's suit in your size.
posted by Comrade_robot at 4:00 AM on May 7

A good tailor is a great thing to have, more important than how good a suit fits to begin with.

They'll also know which stores/brands are easiest to work with, for your size, so maybe you should start by finding the tailor, then the suit?
posted by rokusan at 4:17 AM on May 7

Express for men has off the rack suits (recently,with sale, $200). They haver both basic and stylish choices. Then, tailor it if needed.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 4:30 AM on May 7

I can't speak directly to Arizona, but both Macy's and Brooks Brothers at Mall of America have tailors on hand. At Macy's, the tailor is there in back to measure you--alterations are scheduled and ready in x days--my experience at this location has been good.

When you're in the store, ask staff what they can do for you. My expectation is that Nordstrom's would have a good answer, Banana Republic wouldn't be set up for this sort of service (but I could be wrong).

(Slight derail--U.S. retailers need to learn that while many of their male customers are giant, pudgy oafs, not all are.)
posted by gimonca at 4:47 AM on May 7

My husband had a hell of a time finding a suit for our wedding. His size requirements were almost exactly the same as yours. After about 100 failed attempts to find a suit in our area, he ended up ordering one from a United Colors of Benetton store in Atlanta. Got it in the mail a few days later and it fit almost perfectly. Just needed a little hemming on the pants. And, with a more slim-fitting modern cut, I thought it looked great too. :)
posted by missjenny at 4:53 AM on May 7

In the adult section of any store I've seen, you will have a hard time finding trousers that are sold at 30 inches length. I'm 5'9, and I go into all trouser-buying expeditions expecting to just get something 34 inches long and have it tailored later.

A tailor could take in a jacket for you so that there is less fabric in back. However, the jacket should already fit you pretty well in the shoulders, and it should also just barely cover your ass. If that's not the case, then the tailor is going to be messing with the basic integrity of the jacket's design if he modifies it to fit you.

I know there are some 'fine clothes for the small man' type stores in Los Angeles, though I forget the names. Maybe it would be worth a trip out there, once you scope out the stores online. It might still end up cheaper than ordering a MTM suit.
posted by bingo at 5:09 AM on May 7

I know United Custom Tailors in Scottsdale makes shirts, and I'm 99% sure they make suits too. I can't advise as to the quality or service; I've only had alterations done there, and I don't place much stock in the fact that the tailor wouldn't do everything I asked because I've never gotten a tailor in Phoenix to do everything I ask. As an added bonus, this place is right next door to Well Suited, a great used clothes place for men that has a lot of suits.

As to Thick as Thieves, I've seen a lot of people on Style Forum gushing about their orders.
posted by TheManChild2000 at 5:18 AM on May 7

Do not listen to some of the posters above. You absolutely do not want to tailor a 30/32 waist pant into a 28. You do not want to bring down the suit jacket. Tailoring looks bad if it is done this way, the pants just aren't designed to be adjusted like that.

I was once 29 in high school and I had a hard, hard time finding a suit that fit for graduation. Armani (NOT Armani Exchange), Paul Smith and Prada were the only ones who had a size 30 that was a true size 30. You could bring it down to 28 and it would look okay. You may not even need to do that, you'll quickly find that American mainstream pants are 1-2 inches larger than they claim to be.

The downside is that such pants cost $300-350. If you can get them during a clearance sale at Neiman Marcus or your local high-end retailer, you'll find a good bargain, but these only happen a few times a year. You'll still probably need to get them tailored, but taking 1/2" off is a lot different than taking 2-4 inches off the waist. Inseam is always going to be long, you'll be expected to bring those up.

The upside is I never looked more fashionable in my entire life. I'll not lie to you, this is going to be expensive anyway you look at it. But, in my opinion, well worth it. If you had a lot to spend, there are all sorts of tailors who will MTM suits for you. I have not done this, but the pricing is much, much more than just buying off-the-rack Italian suits.
posted by geoff. at 5:33 AM on May 7

Used to work in men's tailoring. Most off the rack men's clothing is distributed in a bell curve centered on 32 inseams, 32-26 waists, etc. etc. For some reason, the bell curve is right shifted to larger sizes for suits (bigger men? tailoring down the excess? I'm not sure why). With the spread of Americans in recent years, both those curves may have shifted even further right.

With all that said, you're an ideal candidate for something not off the rack. It's kinda hard to look good with off the rack even if you're in the heart of the curves, and as you've found, pretty much impossible if you're in the tails. Doesn't have to be full on bespoke, either. Check out your local MBA programs. There are a few guys who fly around measuring those students, then ship the numbers off to Hong Kong. When my wife was getting her MBA, ALOT of her classmates took this route, and to a person they all looked better than the dudes who grabbed off the rack. Ran about $700 or $800 and up a few years ago.

If that's not a viable option, I've known people to make special visits to Brooks Brothers stores in distant cities to get it done. Pricey, but those guys know what they're doing. You might even try calling one in LA to see if they can help you out over the phone, they send you one from their stock (or another location's) and you get it tailored locally.

And after revisiting your price range: save up for a few months. A properly tailored suit can be more comfortable than pajamas, will last you for years, and most people only bring out their suits when they really really need to look good. This is not something you want to scrimp on. Too many people chose the cheaper option here and the unfortunate result is the typical American guy looks terrible in his suit.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 7:32 AM on May 7

I get my shirts made at mycustomtailor.com. It's based in Thailand. They also do suits. They routinely send their master tailor to major cities in the US to take measurements for free. The last time they did a US tour, Phoenix was on the list of stops. If you don't want to wait, you can go to a decent tailor and have him/her measure and record a whole bunch of measurements that the website specifies. Of course, you'll have to pick your fabric from online swatches whereas the master tailor brings books of swatches during visits.

Prices vary, $300-500 depending on fabric and options.
posted by junesix at 10:37 AM on May 7

Find an Asian custom tailor. Not to stereotype, but Asians are more likely to have smaller suit sizes. I love Jimmy Au's here in L.A., but I don't know of any place like that outside of SoCal. In fact, you can give Jimmy a call, he might be able to help you out.

Anyways, back to Asian tailors - they can give you recommendations on where to look, if not actually make a suit for you.
posted by jabberjaw at 12:36 PM on May 7

Not exactly the answers I was looking for but it's certainly a start. I guess I'll start saving up and take a trip out to LA some time during the summer to broaden my choices or look into tailor for a MTM suit. Thanks all!
posted by woolylambkin at 2:00 PM on May 7