$200 vs. $2,000 Suits: Which is the Better Value? (Review)

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00:00 $200 Suit vs $2000 Suit Introduction

While many men assume that a suit is just a suit, all menswear garments come in different qualities and price ranges that massively impact what they are like to wear and style; failing to distinguish between these realities is like failing to distinguish between cars like a Tata and a Bugatti.

00:32 $200 Suit: What Are The Sacrifices

Frankly, at this price point, you must make sacrifices in terms of quality. There's no way around that. There are certain fixed costs you have -- the material you have, things like shipping, the infrastructure like a shop or an online storefront, and the people involved. You won't be able to get a custom suit at that price point unless you go to a really low labor-cost country like India for example.

04:58 How They're Made

$200 Suit
→ All machine work, no handiwork
→ Poor, boxy fit
→ Thick at the seams
→ Reduced flexibility
$2000 Suit
→ Handiwork at essential points to improve fit versatility
→ Elegant detailing

06:00 Pattern & Fit

$200 Suit
→ Very simplified patterns -- single-breasted, lapel shape only has two buttons, no extra details, no half-back belt, no pleats, etc.
$2000 Suit
→ Can customize it to your personal preferences
→ More handwork overall

$200 Suit
→ Trendy or poorly designed
→ Boxy, cheap
$2000 Suit
→ Wider range of patterns
→ Can find what fits you

10:07 Fabric

$200 Suit
→ Synthetic -- like shell, stuffy, shiny, and unpleasant
→ Lining is hot
$2000 Suit
→ Natural, quality ingredients

14:29 Construction

$200 Suit
→ Glued, flimsy interlining
$2000 Suit
→ Half or full canvas -- superior structure, drape

18:00 The Suit Pattern

$200 Suit
→ Trendy or poorly designed -- boxy, cheap
$2000 Suit
→ Wider range of patterns -- can find what fits you

19:27 Extra Details

$200 Suit
→ Obviously machined buttonholes
→ Wide, deep armholes
→ Plastic buttons
$2000 Suit
→ Attention to detail -- subtle elements that genuinely improve the wearing experience

21:49 In A Nutshell

Ultimately, only you can decide how much you are willing to spend on a suit based on your particular needs. With the information in this guide, you are now able to make informed decisions while carrying out your purchase because you know exactly what to expect at both the $200 and the $2,000 price point.

23:04 Outfit Rundown

#suit #menswear #mensfashion #luxuryclothing #cheapclothes

[RWonline]

What I like about your group is that you are serious about your field, but don't take yourselves too seriously. I think they used to call that "class."

[LanguagesWithAndrew]

Very good, as usual. You'll notice their bias for made-to-measure and against expensive off-the-rack suits, and they're absolutely correct. With all the fantastic made-to-measure options available today (I like J. Hilburn), once you go north of about $600 you're a fool if you don't buy made-to-measure. Once you go north of about $2000, you're a fool if you don't go bespoke.

[janerkenbrack]

Is interesting as this video was, I still think the comparison is too extreme. Rather than a 10 to 1 comparison, I'd rather see a 4 to 1. Compare a $500 suit to a $2000 suit. I think that there's a huge section of the market that would spend five C-notes for a suit, where two large is just too much. This would be harder I think, as the $500 suit could easily get you nice fabric and decent tailoring. So the tradeoffs are not so extreme.

[erne]

Great call out on hitting the vintage market for quality clothes at excellent prices. Ebay and goodwill stores can net you treasures and you only pay pennies on the dollar. I recently scored a vintage tweed herringbone jacket from the 80s, made in the US, pleats on the back, patch pockets and leather buttons for around $50. It helps me that my body is an exact match for properly sized off the rack garments but you can always find an alterations tailor if needed. Budget for that if not an exact fit.

[rasul_alizade]

Raphael's channel can be considered the bestest of all🍀
Thank you for all these years. Respect🌹🌹🌹

[ramanshah]

Appreciate the rundown!

While you're guaranteed to suffer a lot of compromises at $200, I don't think that price is a reliable way to differentiate suits. It's easy to find a $2000 fused suit made in an anonymous factory of anonymous material from a big designer brand at a department store. Conversely, the quality one gets from makers like Samuelsohn, Hickey Freeman, and Spier and MacKay is quite good. The first of these is my standby and offers a wonderful full-canvassed product, union made in Canada of brand-name fabrics, in the vicinity of $1000. The last is notable in terms of value - through Chinese production, it delivers a full-canvassed suit also with premium fabrics around $700.

A final note, as I've been keenly into fragrances since this summer. I haven't actually tried Green Irish Tweed, but Creed is *definitely* not a value choice in fragrances. Even a usually expensive niche fragrance in the green category, like a Xerjoff (say Nio or Torino21), will save you a lot of money compared to a bottle of Green Irish Tweed 😂

[mkyhou]

I’ve received more compliments on cheaper suits and jackets than more expensive ones. If an expensive suit makes you happy - go for it. It doesn’t make you look better though, the key is finding something that fits you well. My fav now is “a Fish named Fred”. Affordable and a little funky.

[Acemans]

I recently found out there's a master tailor near that does French Reweaving that loves vintage clothes and style. she loved her work and does everything by hand, this turned what was supposed to be a short session of trying the suit to get it shortened, gauging the amount of work on fixing a moth hole, into a 1 and a half hour long discussion on today's clothes vs vintage clothes, the "bad tailors" in the area and thrifting.
Best part is that she charged less for basic things than some of the "bad tailors" she mentioned. All done by hand too.

[adamcuthbert]

Spier And Mackay seems to be the perfect middle ground between the two.

[Holden_McHock]

Who else is waiting for new leather glove videos now that it's that time of year again? 😅

[piccalillipit]

*NEITHER - BUY SECOND HAND* and have it altered to fit you, then save up to have them made by a local tailor...

$2, 000 will probably get you basic bespoke at a local tailor

[FortunePayback]

This is why I love going to thrift stores! Either way, provided you're not in a hurry for an outfit, you get a good deal.

Going to a thrift store and poking around ensures that I can find something quality for very little money, or even if I find something of less quality, it's still a cheap price to enjoy every now and again, and in my opinion, you're actually paying a proper price for that lower quality. Although I still try to at least avoid anything synthetic. No matter what you buy while thrifting, you will always save money that you could use for any necessary tailoring.

[kttk]

Not gym harder - you have to eat less. Sad but true. 😊

[Qwerty-]

when I visited my grandparents, they told me the clothing shop my great grandfather shopped at was still open, and my grandpa still frequented there. I went in and the store was beautiful, they had 100% wool suits for 60-100$. They also sold nice stetson fur hats.

[Vinnik]

200$ for an H&M suit? I mean, here, in Italy, we don't have such a thing...i never saw a 200€ suit from H&M...by the way, we have Gutteridge, in this shop, with more or less 300€, you can buy a suit made of Vitale Barberis Canonico, 100% wool 120s.

[Rudey]

Because I don't wear a suit often, and after giving up on 'off the peg' suits which none have ever fit properly, I opted for budget tailoring, like Hockerty for example. You do the measurements at home, pick the material all online, in the UK it's about £250 (just over $300) and the suit fits perfectly, i did have some issues with the shoulder length for which I decided to seek out a local tailor some time later to remove about a half an inch from the shoulder for the perfect fit. i'm more smart casual dresser and prefer to mix and match chinos (or dress jeans - Sorry, I am that guy) with a fully tailored Navy sports jacket from Gieves & Hawkes. Its alot of money comparatively but it's a garment that will get alot of wear time compared to the suit.

[TheoTheTimeTravelingMagician]

A full on GG movie theater? YES PLEAESE 4:07

[B-oc]

At this stage in life, I don’t see myself spending more than $500 for a suit. I buy cheap suits - usually Stafford or something similar. I have brought them to a taylor for alterations for a better fit. My wife likes how they look on me, and that’s good enough for me right now. Maybe one day I’ll go for some better quality.

[willyum]

I suggest a better question might be $600 vs $2000. In the UK £600 suits are noticeably better than £200 but not IMO proportionally worse than £2000

[BadMotivator]

i recently picked up a suit from a charity shop for £10! it fits pretty well and doesn't seem to be very worn. As the fit was decent it was well worth £10 to me. But it isn't worth having a closet full of cheap suits as they won't last forever and ultimately spending £100 once will likely get me a far higher quality item which will last longer- so it's a better value over time.