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I agree with scaredy about the brands, Ben Sherman and Brooks bros are good bets.

Fit is key, brand is meaningless. A suit from Zara that fits well would work, if you know a seamstress that can adjust.

For So Cal. material is not that important. Just choose a light fabric.

For an idea on fit, just look at the TV new anchors. Shirt sleeves should show a little so jacket sleeves should be shorter. Over long jackets and pants make you look like a penguin.

The slim fit is in.

brand may mater in this sense if youre young and trying to fit into the adult world, a name lik e borooks bros will make you feel like youre more part of the establishment, possibly. so maybe brooks bros. someting super sober, grey or blue, and plain looking. but classy.

or jcrew

suits…sheesh.

ZK, I assume your nephew is in his 20s. Young people wear slim these days.

But I agree. Go with classic and sober. The way Obama wears his suits. Not fashionable, but very acceptable, year over year.

I don’t wear suits very often so I don’t see the point to spend a lot of money. But I’m a perfectionist and like everything to fit nicely.
I would buy a suit from Zara and have it adjusted if necessary. Your nephew might like that, plus cash over an expensive Hugo Boss suit.

Incidentally, in Japan, people wear lots of suits. They used to spend a lot of money. But Japan now has many discount stores that have good suits as a result of the 2 decade long economic stagnation. Not really a practical shopping solution, but Japan is a great place to shop for cheap nice suits. My point is to emphasize fit over brand.

I’m thrifty and don’t spend money on brands… but people always think that I do.

Again I agree. Brand is about belonging and feeling.

But suits are commodities these days. It’s not like the 1980s and before. A good looking suit is all about fit and precision stitching which is done very well with machines.

If you look at old photos, you will notice that even rich people in the past we badly dressed. They suits didn’t fit really well.

Obama’s suits are a little too big for him which does make him look old. Maybe a little sloppiness is good so he can appeal to broader groups.

The national TV anchors dress very well David Muir, Dan Harris….

It used to be that Americans dressed worse than Europeans in general, but now we dress better!

I don’t like colored shirts other than white or light blue. Shirts should also be fitted.

Hugo Boss is a good brand if you want brand. But, again, brand is just for bragging rights. Fit is essential. If a brand doesn’t fit, you’ll still look bad.

Some expensive suits are made of expensive material like wool scaridy mentioned. Or materials made in Italy, France, England. Prestige.

But in california you don’t need wool. Even in NYC when it’s cold you don’t need wool indoors. A nice quality synthetic blend works and saves money.

It’s about precision cut and how well it fits on your body. You know goodlooking when you see it. I’ve learned that from reading about architecture over the years. the same principles of beauty can be applied to many things. Like Apple products look beautiful because a lot of thought goes into design. But the materials are commodities.