Black business suit recommendations?

Ladies, I'm stuck. It's time to replace my go-to black business suit, but I cannot find anything out there that I like. The suit should be a classic-looking suit that is more on the business formal side and more elegant than casual looking. I usually go to JCrew or Ann Taylor for suits like this and during a sale last week, I ordered this jacket online. When it arrived though, the sleeves were too ridiculously long and it had these horrible little shoulder pads, which are not flattering on me.

Enticed by a sale email, I stopped in at Banana Republic tonight to try this on, but the fabric is a little too casual and unimpressive for the price. I also stopped in at Ann Taylor to check their other inventory, but all the other jackets have shoulder pads too or are double breasted or just ugly. I'm also not seeing anything that interests me on the Nordstroms, Macy's or Bloomingdales websites either. JCrew's suits have become a little too young and trendy-looking for my tastes.

Has anyone seen any great basic, affordable, classic black business suits out there recently? If I don't find something soon, I will have to see if my tailor can shorten the sleeves and remove the shoulder pads from the Ann Taylor jacket, which may be risky and costly work.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Frances, have you been in stores to try all the new suits at AT? It's a must.

Frances

Active Member

Angie, the jacket I linked to above was only available from the AT website, not in stores. And it looked like what I wanted in terms of style and shape, but the shoulder pads--ick!!! I stopped by an AT tonight, but no luck. The other black suits were either boxy and double-breasted (not my thing) or they also had those horrible little shoulder pads or else, my usual problem--they were sold out of my size.

BTW, Angie, thank you for your great post yesterday on business attire for commutes. I loved it, but didn't get a chance to post a comment on it. I will have to trot over to the blog page to write a belated comment.

sarah

Veteran

Frances- have you tried Talbots?

http://www.talbots.com/online/.....e=cat70008

I was blown away by the quality AT's suits a few days ago while I was in stores, Frances. I would have loved to see you in that jacket

Get to Nordies and look at Sejour suiting! If you wear petites, try CK suiting at Macys.

Jenna S.

Jones New York has some good suiting options, including a black jacket with a similar stance to the one from Ann Taylor you were looking at, though I've never tried it on.

Sarah, I forgot about Talbot's--they've improved a lot in the past year or two. Jenna, I was thinking about JNY earlier this evening. I didn't see any JNY suits I liked on the Macy's website, but may have to pay a visit to the actual store this weekend to see if there's anything in stock that isn't featured on the website (this isn't uncommon).

Angie, I will stop by Nordstrom's too this weekend. I know this is a "cry me a river" kind of thing to whine about, but the major problem I encounter time and time again is the size issue. I'm a size 0, and most of the Talbot's and department store sizes only go as low as a size 2 . One way or another, it looks like I will be forced to shell out extra money for serious tailoring, whether I keep the AT jacket or buy a size 2 from a department store. Sorry for the complaining--I'm just frustrated.

Steph

You might want to take a look at Brooks Brothers. Their stuff is definitely on the more formal side and I'm pretty sure they have at least one black suit right now. Their quality is always great.

Vix

Hi Frances --

The sizing issue is a frustrating one, I know.

From experience, Theory, Elie Tahari, Nordstrom's Classiques line, and Ann Taylor's 00-0 sizes will be your best bet if you're trying to stay with decent quality ~ 98% wool, under $500, and need minimal tailoring.

[Though Theory and ETahari climb right up on that price point line. After that it's add-more-$ like Hugo Boss.]

I generally think J Crew and BR are overpriced for the fabric and construction, but you can get the smallest sizes online. I love Lafayette 148's fabric but odds are you will swim in their smallest size.

Personally I rarely get a good fit in AT "suit-suit" jackets, and stick to the (props-for-lining) dress pants. Sounds like they were a miss for you this cycle unless one of their more standard silhouettes turns up online.

Some of the "extra petite" blogs may be useful in your hunt:

Business formal emphasis: http://www.extrapetite.com/
Suits as separates/lots of jackets: http://alterationsneeded.com/

Good luck and please report back!

Some great suggestions!

Brooks Brothers is worth a look, as is BR and Express. I don't think that you should alter a size 2 if you need a size 0. If you are not petite, I'd also suggest Theory - who run small, but with length. I wear their suits with the greatest of pleasure - NO ALTERATIONS!!! But they cost a pretty penny unfortunately.

Talbots will not fit if you are an AT size 0.

Frances, it's worth taking the time to try on several suits in stores over the weekend. Good luck and keep us posted!

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