Shopping for the Mister

Oh to be a boy. While I had a nightmare of a time dress shopping, my mister couldn't have gotten off easier. He decided early on that he wanted a suit from Brooks Brothers as he felt it had a bit of cache w/o being crazy expensive. And, except for the fact that I forced him to try on a suit at J Crew so he could compare, he really only needed one shopping trip to make this happen. Last weekend we stopped by the Brooks Brothers flagship store near Grand Central to learn about suits. 5th floor is the suits and tux floor and it's such a boys club, they even have a pool table up there! I wish I had thought to bring my camera, but I'll try next time when we go for the fitting. There we met Gabe, our fashionisto salesman. He knew everything there was to know about suits and proceeded to educate us about different materials, weights, designs and options. He pulled several suits to try and we went back to dressing rooms as fancy as those at Kleinfeld's to see what was what. Matt tried on suits from $600 to $3000 and while we could definitely tell the difference in the $3000 suits, they were quickly eliminated from consideration. It basically came down to a made to measure suit where he could pick everything from the lapels to the vents (the split in the back of the jacket for those not in the know) or the fancier (better material) 1818 Fitzgerald 2-butto. In the end, we went for the nicer Fitzgerald. But, b/c they were running a Friends and Family discount, we got it for 30% off or the cost of the cheaper suit!

Here's the Fitzgerald in Navy:


And trust me, my guy looks way cooler in it than this stiff. Also, fun fact, it's called the "Fitzgerald" after JFK who had similar suits custom-designed for himself from Brooks Brothers. And this is what BB has to say about the style:

"Inspired by our archives, the 1818 Fitzgerald suit is distinguished by narrow lapels, higher armholes and trimmer fitting plain-front trousers. It is truly a statement of elegance and refinement. Tailored from pure wool woven in Italy. 2-button. Center vent. Made in the USA."

We went back this weekend (stopped by J Crew for the obligatory try-on) and selected the 1818 Fitzgerald and I gotta say, my man looked hot in a suit! Normally you pick a suit and then the on-site tailors take your measurements and mark the suit right there, but when the tailors got a look at Matt, they insisted that he order an unusual size to accommodate for his "large chest and shoulders." That's right. I'm marrying Superman. So he didn't get to do his tailoring this weekend, but we have the suit ordered and it should come in soon. Then we went downstairs and bought a nice, slim-cut dress shirt with the discount. (If you're interested, definitely try on their slim fit shirts before springing for a custom-made number. Depending on your build, you may not need it.) All in all, I'm a pretty big fan of BB and am really excited to see the fiance in his wedding finery!

Other fun moments at Brooks Brothers:
1) Dutch guy yelling at the tailor b/c the sleeves made his gray 1800s style tails tuxedo look "ridiculous!". Um, no. The tails do. You look like you're trying out for a Jane Austen movie on PBS.
2) Mother demanding to know why the pants for her full-grown son "bulged in the crotch." Awk-ward.

And for those interested, the 30% off sale runs through the 15th of this month and you just need to mention it to get the discount.