Well this all depends on your money and the requirement of the suit.
Cheap suit will always cost less off the rack.
But you won't impress anybody for sure.
I know it cost more but over the long run you are well served by a good suit.
A hand made or Taylor made suit. there are still quite a few very good old, near retirement, professional Taylor's around Montreal.
You can make a good bargain with one of these small shops for a great suit.
they have been in business for 30 years and still have great bolts of material left on the shelves. They paid a lot less back then so they can make you a good deal. I am sure if you find a few shops like this you can have a hand made taylor made suit using canvas as the inner core ( the olds way) not the current cheap way using light paper core. Canvas core will last 3 times as long and it will hold it's shape for 30
years. These methods of tailoring are still used on Savile row London.
Cost? well that's up to you but I would say 600-800. Bigger name places will want 1000-1200. Don't forget ,this way you get whatever fashion you want and made 1st class. Ask for all the extras like full satan linings, and perhaps silk piping, rubberized belt lining and suspender buttons in case. If you spend some time really looking at the extra stuff you will find a lot more interesting things and of course a nice Gold stitch MonoGram on the inside of your Jacket.
You will look like a million bucks, if you think girls won't notice THINK AGAIN. Men that look like James Bond as they walk into a room make a huge statement and the women's eyes become the size of BIG BALLOONS. The order anything at the bar just remember to say "
shaken not stirred"
I haven't bought a suit in Montreal for awhile now, but I'd recommend checking out Boutique Duo (a few years ago they had nice suits. They've expanded, and they may have changed their focus a bit, but they'll recommend other good boutiques if you don't find something you like). Boutique Michel Brisson is a bit cheaper and, while I've never bought a suit there, I have got some nice clothes there. Again, it's been awhile.
Alternatively, you can go to a place like Alterations Mark Les ((514) 842-5608). He's a tailor downtown, on Ste. Catherine, and while I've never been impressed by their suits in the store, they can make a bespoke suit for you for cheaper than the above options. They do great work with tailoring, so I'd imagine they could put together a far better suit for that price than anything you'd get at some generic store like Simons.
I'm doing my MBA right now so naturally I had to spend a ton of money on suits, trust me it's better to spend a little bit more and get something nice that's tailored, ABSOLUTELY do not go to Moores, or any bargain store, they have attractive labels yes, but there built poorly and not too last. Go to a smaller store with a tailor, and ask him to show you what to look for, I did it and it's made my life so much better and he's made my wardrobe look better.
For some reason I like the one I purchased at the Bay the most (Galerie D'anjou). Great price and with the Bay card you even get an additional discount.
Should've known you were an east ender with the italy flag
I don't know montreal, but look through yellow pages and yelp, especially look for 2nd or 3rd gen tailors, It's how I found my guy. Also see if any friends have any suggestions, but avoid the box stores as much as possible
I feel pitty for people that need to wear a suit 5 days a week.
OT- but in answering this...
At one time in my life, I had to wear suits every day. That means having at least 5 suits and rotating them. It was like playing dress up for conservative people.
At $500 a crack... it gets expensive too, and they wear out with regular wear and tear no matter how much you pay. Sure, cheap suits wear out faster, but so do $1000 suits if you wear them at a sit down job. Trust me on that one.
What a happy day it was when I got into another line of work.
Ralph's in Cavendish Mall. They did a great job on the only suit I own. You'll be paying closer to 1000 but they include every piece (vest, belt, socks too). The man who served me knew his stuff, told me he'd been doing this for 40years. Very friendly too!
Moores: Quality is good and prices too but you better be big or somewhat fatty cause they are way too large and its hard to find some slim fit. Same thing for the shirt (i didnt know chemise was shirt in enlish) which aren't slim fit.
Ernest: That's where i took my last 3 suits when they had 50% off.... 3 suits for 800$ 100% wool is a fantastic deal. Slim fit and their home brand his pretty good (I think its Anthony).
Mexx: Good looking suits but you gotta spend a little more time to find some deals. There are always a few suits they have to get rid of so you can save 40 to 60%. Tie are really fine but don't buy Tommy Hilfiger.... Its costy and it gets cumpled fast.
Personal advice buy 100% wool instead of polyester or composit material cuz you'll see you're knees gets used and whitish pretty fast.
Ralph's in Cavendish Mall. They did a great job on the only suit I own. You'll be paying closer to 1000 but they include every piece (vest, belt, socks too). The man who served me knew his stuff, told me he'd been doing this for 40years. Very friendly too!
It really depends if you're going to need to wear suits often. I have a bunch of weddings to go to but I don't intend on wearing suits at work everyday, unless they double my salary anytime soon. So I went for a H&M suit. It's off the rack, I paid 200$ for 3 shirts, the pants, the blazer and the waistcoat. I know it's not gonna last, but why spend a fortune if you don't intend to wear it often.
My gf said it looked good, that was good enough for me. I don't give a crap about impressing anybody either. So it really depends on what you will use the suit for.
It really depends if you're going to need to wear suits often. I have a bunch of weddings to go to but I don't intend on wearing suits at work everyday, unless they double my salary anytime soon. So I went for a H&M suit. It's off the rack, I paid 200$ for 3 shirts, the pants, the blazer and the waistcoat. I know it's not gonna last, but why spend a fortune if you don't intend to wear it often.
My gf said it looked good, that was good enough for me. I don't give a crap about impressing anybody either. So it really depends on what you will use the suit for.
I will most likely wear the whole suit once or twice a year and then use the pants every week for work.
