Where do you buy your suits

[mommylamb]

I need to buy some new suits, and to be honest, it has been a while since I've done that. I need to wear suits occasionally, but not every day. I usually wear nice dresses, dress slacks/skirts and sweaters or blazers. The fact is, none of my suits fit me well since having DS2. This is really a good thing because they're too big (thank you gestational diabetes diet). I can still fit into my jackets (boobs and shoulders aren't going anywhere) but my suit pants are too big.

Of course, I hate to shell out a ton of money on a bunch of new suits all at once. So, it would be great to find some affordable stuff. I did just buy a suit from Banana Republic online, so we'll see how that looks when it gets here.

Most of my old suits are Ann Taylor or Ann Taylor Loft. It seems that Loft doesn't even make suits anymore. Honestly, I tend to try to buy Ann Taylor suits on sale because I think that the quality is fine, but not worth the non sale price. I have typically shied away from department stores because I find them overwhelming and I prefer to buy separates.

Any thoughts?

[Philly Mom]

I buy at Ann Taylor or I go to a department store. In your situation, I would find a tailor and have my clothes altered so that your jackets matched your pants still. Otherwise, I would look at your jackets and see if you can find matching pants from the same place.

[lizzywednesday]

Ann Taylor. They're the only women's manufacturer who makes tall jackets as well as pants, which I understand isn't a concern for everyone, but it's a big issue for me.

[lovin2shop]

Another Ann Taylor girl here, but also for size issues. I often need to mix and match Petite and Regular to get a decent fit.

ETA: There is a 30% off all regular price items at AT right now, use code LOVEANN

[wellyes]

Ideal world, Nordstrom's with a shopper.

Real world, Talbots is popular among women I look up to. I have some suits from them and the quality is good. I think the price is similar to BR but it skews less fashion, more polished.

[westwoodmom04]

Nordstrom's has good options in both the Halogen and Classique Entier lines, which cover a wide variety of price points. Usually there is at least one skirt and pants option to go with each jacket and because both are house brands, the quality is very good for the price point. Plus, Nordstrom seems to mark down both lines frequently. They also carry a variety of other brands like Theory, etc. . . I've also had good luck with suits at Bloomingdales, they usually have a good selection of better brands at good sales prices.

I'm not a huge fan generally of Talbot's but they do have nice suits. If you have a clearance center near you, you can get their suits for dirt cheap. They have both outlets and clearance centers. The stuff at the clearance center comes from the retail store. The downside is that some items are final sale, so you do have to try on before you buy. There is three cuts to the jackets and the one that is the most contemporary (i.e. tailored) seems to be the least favored among their customer base and usually makes it's way to the clearance store (although you'll find plenty of the dowdier stuff there too ).

If you have the right body type (i.e not particularly curvy), the jcrew suits can be a great deal once they are on sale. I particularly like their work dresses.

For me, the quality at Ann Taylor is always very hit and miss. Unless I can see it IRL and try it on, I don't buy it. I've found some really well made stuff there, and some junk. It's weird that they don't have better quality control.

[ellies mom]

Macy's is very hit or miss but some have Calvin Klein separates that are nice and quite affordable.

[crl]

In addition to the other suggestions, check Eddie Bauer. I recently got a navy wool pants suit from them on clearance and thought the quality was good.

Catherine

[DrSally]

Banana Republic ( nice lightweight wool), CK separates from
Macy's Classiques Entier and
Halogen from NR. Some separates from AT.

[citymama]

Like you, I haven't bought suits in a while, and like you, I need at least to buy one (or two). Mine are AT and ATL and quite out of style. My only suit that seems timeless and I love is a Tahari suit I bought at a Saks outlet maybe 8 years ago. It's amazing. I'd love to find another like it! I like how BR fits me, so I might give them a try next, if there's a good sale. I noticed they have a number of single button jackets at the moment, which I don't much care for.