Suitable Suitor in a Suit or: a Suitable Course of Action?

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Silly titles aside, I'm in need of some sagely advice from people with knowledge of clothes, and specifically men's suits. Also, If a mod feels this fits in better with another section, do please move it.


I'm in a position where I have a chance get my hands on a once-used and very sharp suit of a decently respectable make (Hugo Boss Huge/Genius is apparently the...model name?), with a few caveats; It's an auction, so there's no return policy. It's out of town, so I won't be able to try it on, though measurements of the suit have been provided (though as of yet I don't know my own measurements). I've recently lost a lot of weight (which is why my old suit is kaput), and having tried a suit jacket two sizes smaller than my old suit and found it too small, process of elimination would suggest that this suit would be in the proper size range for me.

Now, the internet has so far, been exceedingly unhelpful, with semi-professional looking advice ranging from "don't ever, EVER buy a suit you haven't tried at least four separate times" to "Only brand, fabric and rough size range is important. A good tailor can fix basically anything else, and suits are made with such changes in mind."

So in the interest of further intelligence gathering, what are your thoughts?

I have no idea, but I posted here because I felt bad that nobody had replied to you and also because I want to buy a suit too.

My inexperienced guess is that a good tailor can fix an ill-fitting suit for you. I personally don't care about brands, as long as the material is good (not always a guarantee when buying expensive brand clothes!). It being an auction sounds like it will start super cheap and end up being actually quite expensive. Is it gonna be your first suit ever? I'd suggest trying a cheaper (not bad quality, just not expensive Hugo Boss) suit first, so that you know how they "work" when you're wearing them, get to know your measurements right, etc.

Aw, that's sweet.


Not my first suit, no, hence references to my previous suit no longer fitting due to weight loss. However, it's the first time I'm after a suit because I want one rather than because I need one. Part of my ongoing project of self-improvement.

It's an online auction, and it's already run its course twice with no bidders. The opening bid is about $230, with the buyout being about $330. At $750 retail price, I'd never afford it new, but with Hugo Boss being one of "my" brands and assuming it can be made to fit well, it's quite tempting to gamble and see if I can get it for the minimum bid.