My favorite suit right now is one I purchased for $150 on eBay. Its label says “Kenneth Cole / Reaction.” It was listed as $300 retail. It’s the proverbial cheap suit.
El cheapo
Yet the wife actually went “ooh!” last time I put it on, and without irony. The label says it’s composed of 85 percent polyester and 15 percent rayon. It has proven water resistant qualities. Presumably, it’s durable and fireproof. And it looks OK on my lumpy frame.
I know many adult male professionals who never wear suits. But lawyers, politicians and TV reporters are saddled with the burden of purchasing and wearing suits. Lawyers and TV anchors can be frequently seen in thousand dollar-plus tailored suits.
The rest of us with more modest paychecks have to dress accordingly. I know plenty of TV reporters who sing the praises of their cheap suits. Their go-to typically is K&G Men’s Warehouse. It’s also the go-to for police detectives, a profession whose couture and salaries are more mismatched than most.
Less cheap
My go-to is eBay, first suggested by my sister who is a public defender. I’ve bought at least five suits off eBay. All of them were new (verified by the fact that the pants were unhemmed). Three of them were Hickey-Freeman brand, and had tags sewn in that indicated retail prices that were substantially higher than the two to three hundred dollars I paid for them. They are my “expensive” suits.
Portia Bruner: Clearance rack dress, thrift store belt.
But lately I’m more sold on the cheap suits, and I’m not alone.
My friend Portia Bruner has created a thread on Facebook that shows her (looking great) in garments she has purchased at thrift stores. Portia is a reporter and substitute anchor at WAGA, and a mom with two adorable boys in private school. In other words, she is understandably budget-minded.
Valerie Hoff, WXIA
My coworker Valerie Hoff is a walking bargain-bin promotion, as detailed on her Ways to Save site and in random anecdotes I frequently overhear from her desk. The WXIA anchor/reporter views bargain hunting as a sport. Like Portia, she wears the cheap stuff with style.
I purchased the “Kenneth Cole / Reaction” suit by accident. I needed a suit for a costume. The suit that arrived in the mail had a subtle color that surprised me. When I put it on, I was horrified that it not only lacked the costumey quality I’d expected, but also looked better than some of my pricier suits.
This points to one of the pitfalls of ordering a suit from eBay: You may get surprised. But it may be a pleasant surprise.
Last word: Cheap neckties.
I own one (1) suit. I got it for $8 at Goodwill. I get compliments when I wear it, which is limited to job interviews, weddings, and funerals. For I work in software development, where as long as you’re covered nobody cares what you’re wearing.
What is this “suit” of which you speak?
It’s a suit I’ve deliberately not identified. If I don’t keep our millions of viewers guessing, then I risk them peeling away from their TVs and finding something else to do at news time.
Although I now realize you’re referring to an item that is, as one of those professionals who never wears suits, completely foreign to you.
If it is 85% polyester then it was worth less than the $150 that you paid for it. K&G ocassionally has decent quality suits but you can’t depend on them being there when you really need one. They do have a good selection of dress shirts especially the french cuff ones that I like so much.