Should I Buy a Cheap Blazer and Get It Tailored or Buy an Expensive Blazer?

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  wei13 on 18/05/2018 - 19:50

  Is there a reason you can't find one that fits without needing to be tailored ?

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 10:42

    My body's a bit out of proportion I guess. Usually the sleeves are too long, the shoulders are fine, but it fits too big on my torso. Other times, it fits well on my torso, but the shoulders are too tight and the sleeves too short.

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  [Deactivated] on 18/05/2018 - 20:27

  +11

  I believe it is expected of you to wear a poorly fitted suit for your formal. I've never seen a boy in a fitted suit.

  I wore my dad's suit. Shoulders too wide, sleeves and pants too short, and a belt to hold it all together. Good times.

  • 

    barbarella on 19/05/2018 - 08:58

    but did you get a job when you wore it to an interview?? wink wink

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 10:43

    Ahah, I still want to use it for interviews and other formal occasions though, so that's why I want to get it fitted.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 19/05/2018 - 12:50

      You're in year 10. Nobody will hold it against you.

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  bobbified on 18/05/2018 - 21:03

  +4

  Get whatever blazer for your school formal and don't bother thinking about interviews.

  Formal interviews that you think require a "blazer" actually require a full suit with matching pants. Having a well-fitted blazer with non-matching pants will make you look funny. haha

  • 

    GenghisGun on 18/05/2018 - 21:50

    +2

    That, or you go into something like engineering where if you wear a blazer you will simply look overdressed. Practically, I'd say you can never go past a well-fitting smart looking button up shirt, good matching formal pants that suit your body shape and are the right length and a pair of polished shoes.

    To OP, for the formal I'd say no matter what you choose, guaranteed you will look back at the event, the outfits you and your friends were wearing and have a good chuckle and maybe shake your head a bit. That said, I did end up buying a suit for my formal and using it for other things in the years after, it just wasn't interviews or anything professional - casual black tie type things I went to.

    • 

      BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:14

      Fair call, and yep, I also want to use it for other occasions. Did you think it was worth getting a well fitted nice suit?

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 10:44

    Thanks, but I should've mentioned that I want to wear the blazer for other formal events as well (functions etc.) so it's not just the interview perspective.

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  GenghisGun on 18/05/2018 - 21:53

  My vote is try and find an off the shelf blazer that fits you, will save the immense hassle of tailor fittings and time wasted. Not to mention that there's a chance that it will still look like a cheap blazer that was tailored. The fit of the jacket is not the only thing that comes with a higher price, you're looking at fabrics, designs, lining, lapel, quality of the seams and hems etc.

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:15

    I've always found it really hard to find things that fit me off the shelf (blazers included). That's what i'm confused about though, do I want a cheap suit that fits well, or a nice suit that doesn't fit well?

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  altomic on 18/05/2018 - 21:57

  ebay for an inexpensive used suit.

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:16

    Thanks, but I'm not really a fan of using used clothing.

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  youfnc on 18/05/2018 - 21:57

  Try outlets like Birkenhead point or DFO. I picked up a great charcoal blazer for $60 at Oxford. I got lucky and didn't need to have it tailored. I just removed the ugly fake pocket square. Asos is a great option as you already mentioned too.

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:16

    +1

    Yea I'll definitely head over to DFO to see what they have. I reckon if they've got good blazers for around $60 I'll grab one of those and will most likely get it tailored.

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  ShannonN on 19/05/2018 - 01:31

  Ask your parents for an early "finishing school" present now (cash), in next school hols fly to hong kong get cheap suit etc

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:17

    +1

    I wish! That's highly unlikely.

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  try2bhelpful on 19/05/2018 - 06:13

  A cheap blazer will be cheap material, no amount of tailoring will fix that. Have a look at the DFO places and find a good midrange priced blazer. I would look at a suit, for interviews.

  • 

    BobbyJ on 19/05/2018 - 11:20

    Will cheap material make a very noticeable difference in the appearance of the blazer, or does it have more to do with durability? Do you recommend the suit because it's matching? If so, wouldn't it still be possible to buy pants for the blazer at a later date, or is it hard to find matching clothing if they're not in a set?

    • 

      try2bhelpful on 19/05/2018 - 13:24

      You usually cant match the blazer colour to pants colour, the shades don’t match and it looks too “try hard” if you do. Suits are “life changing” social occasions like interviews, funerals, etc. they are about respecting the people you are meeting. Luxury material doesn’t look shiny, will drape properly and feels good to the person holding your arm. You don’t have to pay a fortune but look for natural materials, like wool, rather than a blend. It might be worth looking at an op shop, but check for moth holes. People “grow” out of good quality clothes and they donate them rather than dump them. My other half got a good quality tux that really worked for formal occasions where you could also be a bit tongue in cheek. Make sure you get a proper bow tie, not a pretied one. Chat to your parents, they have been there before. Have fun at the dance and best of luck for the job.

      • 

        John Kimble on 19/05/2018 - 16:10

        People “grow” out of good quality clothes

        Get fat?

      • 

        try2bhelpful on 19/05/2018 - 17:34

        @John Kimble: I was being circumspect about circumferences.

    • 

      John Kimble on 19/05/2018 - 16:14

      Yes, you can spot a cheap material, it is usually shinier, coarser and stiffer than quality material.

      Wouldn't last as long either (generally speaking).

    • 

      bobbified on 20/05/2018 - 13:18

      At a school formal, no-one will be expecting people to be wearing expensive suits. At that age, are many people really going to be able to tell the difference between materials?

      And finally, if you intend to get wasted on the night, it may not be such a good idea to get something expensive!

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  John Kimble on 19/05/2018 - 16:09

  +1

  Have you even stopped growing yet? Is there a possibility you will slim down or bulk up?

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  lolcoaster on 21/05/2018 - 23:21

  https://www.tmlewin.com.au/clearance/mens-suits/pine-navy-te…

  There you go OP. Cheap but decent quality. If you can wait, you might be able to find another 20% off coupon which stacks. Factor in another $100 to $150 for tailoring - (getting the pants hemmed and jacket fitted properly). If you're unsure about sizing, you can trying going instore first and seeing what sizes fit you closest and don't do any alterations until you're otherwise happy with the fit. Ideally, pick up your order in a store if you can.