Sunday 5 August 2012

Have You Heard About the JetBlue of Suits?


Cary Grant—no stranger to looking good—supposedly said that his secret lay in taking the stairs. That's the first thing you'll do when you walk into Suitsupply's New York store, since it's on the second floor.
Avoiding overpriced real estate is one of the ways the company works at saving you a buck. Dutch founder Fokke de Jong also owns the overseas factories, killing the middleman markup. That's why a suit here costs as little as $399. And that, in turn, is why the most stylish young dudes in N.Y.C.—the ones who nerd out on ticket pockets and pick stitching but can't afford brands pronounced with Italian accents— swear by this place.
Case in point, you'll find jackets with natural (almost padding- free) shoulders and working buttonholes on the sleeves. The jackets also have a floating canvas—a layer of fabric (usually horsehair) sandwiched between the wool and the lining that eventually conforms to your body; it's something you won't find on those boxy, lifeless jackets littering discount racks at department stores. Suitsupply even offers on-site tailoring, with simple jobs (like hemming pants) done while you wait.
One area we're glad to see Suitsupply spending money, though: expansion. Chicago now has a shop to call its own, and later this month Georgetown, D.C., will, too. (Everyone else can buy online at Suitsupply.com.) Which is why this is fast becoming the spot to score a suit— whether it's your first or your tenth.
1. Suitsupply's Nish de Gruiter (left), formerly of Brunello Cucinelli, gets a customer suited up.
2. The in-house tailor needs three days, max, to tweak your new purchase.
3. You can get this whole look at Suitsupply...
4. ...because the store supplies more than suits. It has shirts, shoes, accessories, and off-duty gear, too

Beyond Jackets and Pants
Try not to get overwhelmed by Suitsupply's array of custom-shirting fabrics.
Cover the Spread
Top off a suit with a chambray cutaway-collar shirt and you'll be killing it.
Interior Design
The wool comes from Italy, and even the cotton lining is the good stuff.


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