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$100 Suit vs $1000 Suit - Differences Between Cheap & Expensive Suits - Gentleman's Gazette - YouTube
Channel: Gentleman's Gazette
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Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
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In today's video, I discuss the differences
between a $100 dollar suit and a $1000 dollar
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suit and I share some secrets about how you
get the best suit for your money.
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In my wardrobe, I have suits that cost over
$5000 new and then some that just cost $5.
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Over time, I've really seen the entire broadband
of suit manufacturing and so I want to share
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with you what really goes into it and what
you need to know.
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When I became interested in suits, I really
didn't have much money and a $100 was a lot
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and so I had to really make things go far.
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The suit I'm wearing today actually cost me
only $80 but in fact, it's from A Caraceni
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in Milan, one of the most renowned tailors
in Italy and the world.
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New, the suit cost over $5000 dollars but
I just got it for $80 and if you keep watching
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the video, I'll share with you how I scored
that deal.
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So now, it's time for you to understand the
key differences between a $100 dollar suit
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and a $1000 dollar suit.
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First, let's focus on the $00 dollar suit.
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This is a suit such as from Jos.
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A. Bank, H&M, men's Wearhouse, you name it,
they're all pretty similar.
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Basically.
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it is a completely machine-made suit that
is sewn together in 2-3 hours max and there
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is no handwork whatsoever.
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When it comes to suits, hand sewing is better
because it is more flexible and it adapts
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to your body more easily and so especially
for a jacket, you always want more handwork.
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A $100 dollar suit is made of very cheap fabric
and cheap lining, that means, it's usually
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stretched polyester with nylon or other artificial
fibers.
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Also, the raw materials may be cotton or wool
that go into that fabric are of the lowest
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quality possible.
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The $100 suit may not look that different
when you see pictures online but as soon as
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you touch it, you can immediately tell the
difference between a $100 suit and a $1000
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suit.
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It simply is stiffer, less comfortable, and
you're more prone to sweating in it.
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A $100 suit has a glued interlining.
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So, what exactly is interlining and why do
you use it?
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When you start out with fabric, you have a
two-dimensional surface, in order to keep
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it in a three-dimensional shape, you need
a second layer and the layer needs to be attached
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in a certain shape so it stays like this,
think about this of your chest and this being
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the fabric and this the interlining, Once
they're detached, they stay in shape.
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For the $100 suit, this interlining is of
very low quality and is glued to the fabric,
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that works in the beginning but it also acts
as an insulator so you're much more likely
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to overheat and sweat.
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Over time and maybe if you walk through the
rain, this interlining will come lose and
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you will see bubbles forming on your lapels
all over your jacket, that looks really cheap
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and sloppy and it's the hallmark of a $100
suit.
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Another aspect of a $100 suit is the lack
of attention to details.
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For example, the buttonholes are first sewn
and then cut not the other way around that
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means you see some fraying.
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Also, the trimmings are usually low-quality,
the buttons are plastic, the lining is polyester,
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and everything is made to remain low on the
cost side but it also means low on the quality.
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Usually, you also don't see any refined cuts,
you don't see fine pick stitching by hand,
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it's all either non-existent or machine-made.
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The cut of a $100 suit can in theory, be as
good as the on of a $1000 suit or a more expensive
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suit but in practice, that's really rarely
the case.
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More often than not, $100 suits are either
very fashion-forward, with very skinny lapels
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and you can only wear them a year max, before
they go out of fashion or they're simply old-fashioned
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and the cut is boxy and bulky and simply not
favorable.
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In order to create a suit from a piece of
fabric, you need a pattern.
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For a $100 suit, this pattern is the same
for everyone, there's no custom element and
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so it will never fit you perfectly.
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That aside, the $100 suit patterns are often
not very refined.
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Let's say they go for a slim suit or a slim
silhouette, they make everything slim, even
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your sleeves and then you can't really move
when you want to do something, you can't wave
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for a cab, simply because it wasn't thought
through and it's too tight.
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Another pet peeve of mine is the deep-cut
armhole that restricts your movement and $100
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suits usually have this 90% of all cases.
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In recent years, it has changed a little bit,
sometimes they have adopted more modern cuts
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and they try to go with details such as working
buttonholes, but in reality, they still use
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cheap buttonholes and it still looks cheap.
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So, at the end of the day, a $100 suit looks
cheap and it feels cheap when you wear it.
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If you think about it more, it makes perfect
sense, the retailer has to make some money,
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the sewer has to make some money, and the
factory owner who employs a sewer wants to
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make money.
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At the end of the day, there's not much room
left to add anything of quality in to the
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suit.
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The consequence of a $100 suit is that the
person who actually sews the garment earns
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very little and sometimes has to do it under
dangerous conditions, so my verdict for a
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new $100 suit is, it's never worth its money
because it's below average on day one and
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just goes downhill afterwards.
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Now, if that's the maximum budget that you
have and I used to have that budget, what
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I suggest you do is you go vintage.
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Buy used suits simply because you can buy
a much higher retail price suit for a lower
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price, so you get a better quality and you
can look great and feel great without breaking
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the bank.
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You can find complete suits for 10 or 20 dollars
that have hardly ever been worn or sometimes
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completely unworn but have a really high-quality
and you can score a huge bargain there.
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However, not all suits at second-hand stores
or vintage stores have good quality, you can
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also find cheap suits so how do you distinguish
between a cheap used suit and a quality vintage
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suit?
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If you want to learn more about that, please
sign up to our email list here and you will
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learn more about this specific stuff over
time.
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We also discuss how to build a wardobe, how
to determine quality from crap and everything
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you wanted to know about suits, garments,
and wardrobes.
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No matter what suit you buy, you always need
to understand the quality and the quality
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hallmarks.
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You need to be able to identify a $1000 suit
in a thrift store.
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Alright, let's focus on a $1000 suit.
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First of all, you have to keep in mind that
the quality can be hugely different for suits
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that cost a thousand dollars.
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On the one hand, you can have an Armani fashion
brand for a thousand dollars which has more
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machine workmanship and fashion-forward styling
than a suit that is made by a custom tailor
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in HongKong.
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The time that goes into a thousand dollar
suit can range from 8 hours to 30 hours so
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that's obviously a huge difference and you
will also be able to feel that.
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Generally, a thousand dollar suit show some
amount of handwork.
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Sometimes, they have decorative elements like
hand-sewn buttonholes that look really nice,
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they use a silk thread that is shiny or a
cotton thread, they may have machine-made
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buttonholes but it looks nice.
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They may have an interlining that is sewn
in hand or a collar which makes it softer
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and fit better and make you look better.
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Generally, big brands like Canali, or Armani,
or Dolce & Gabanna, have less handwork but
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a refined style and pattern that you can use.
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On the other hands, suits from Asia may have
more handwork because the labor is less expensive
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but the styling can sometimes be a little
old-fashioned and not really classic and boxy.
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One big advantage of a thousand dollar suit
is the fabric quality.
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In that price level, you can actually get
a decent quality cloth that lasts, is soft
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and comfortable in your skin and drapes well
on your body.
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The biggest advantage of a thousand dollar
suit over a hundred dollar suit is the interlining
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and the construction.
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Where the $100 suit has a glued interlining,
the $1000 suit has a half canvas or full canvas
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interlining.
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So, what does that mean?
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A half canvas is actually sewn to the fabric
and it's usually made of materials such as
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horsehair or cotton or wool and that way,
it's more breathable so you don't overheat,
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you're less likely to sweat and it moves with
you on your body so it's more comfortable.
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To save on cost, this form of interlining
is only used on the upper part of your body
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such as your chest and it's glued at the bottom
part of your jacket.
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Full canvas means that the interlining is
sewn throughout your jacket and it's the best
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version you can get.
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At a thousand dollar price point, usually,
these canvases are made by machine and not
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by hand.
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Even though hand sewing will be better but
it's very time-intensive and for a thousand
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dollars, you have to make some trade-offs.
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Overall, a thousand dollar retail suit will
not give you the best of everything, you either
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can get something with more handwork that
is a little more comfortable and lasts longer
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or maybe something that is more machine made
with a more refined cut but you have to kind
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of compromise on the fabric.
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If you're now interested to learn more about
suits and other garments, shoes, and how to
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put them together, I urge you to sign up here.
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This is different from our regular email list,
and specifically for people interested in
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wardrobe building.
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No matter if you spend a hundred dollars or
a thousand dollars, this little secret has
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helped me save a lot of money and to get quality
suits.
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When I walk into a store and look at suits,
the first thing I do is I flap up the collar
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and look at the stitching.
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If it is machine-sewn, I move on especially
at a vintage store.
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If it's hand-sewn, I take the jacket off and
take a closer look.
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I do this because a hand-sewn collar indicate
a very high quality.
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If I go into a vintage store with 300 suits,
there are probably only gonna be 3-5 suits
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that are hand-sewn.
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With this method, I can quickly go through
the entire store and look at the ones in my
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size and determine if it's worth staying there
or not.
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If the collar is hand-sewn, chances are, it's
a high-quality garment and it deserves a second
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look and you can use the hallmarks I described
in this video to identify if you should buy
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it or not.
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High-quality suits are often just a little
more expensive than well-known, used brands
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or even cheaper suits that are more modern
simply because the price range is very limited
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in those stores.
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So even if you buy a new suit, you can utilize
that same method to look at the existing quality
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when somebody wants to sell them something.
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Now that you know the key differences between
a $100 and a $1000 suit, stay tuned for a
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more detailed video about $500 versus $5000
suits.
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