As my father used to say, “Only very wealthy people can afford to keep buying cheap things.”
If the cost is your main concern, don’t skimp on alterations or the fit. It is better to buy an inferior product than to buy a better garment and skimp on the alterations and the fit.
The next question to ask is, “Are you buying pieces that only be worn in one category, such as business casual, sartorial, or …?” We feel that in the foreseeable future menswear will have a non-industrial look and feel, so there is no reason that you cannot buy things that could be worn in each one of those categories. Now that is the true value!
The true value of a garment can be measured in two easy ways. The first is cost per wear. Let’s say a suit that costs $1000 will last for 7 to 10 years, being worn once a week. For this example, we’ll take the lower end (7 years), so this suit will be worn 364 times. 1000 / 364 = $2.75 per wear. Now, a suit that costs $299 might last a year or two. For this example, we’ll take the higher end (2 years), so this suit will be worn 104 times. 299 / 104 = $2.86 per wear. In this case, the cheaper suit actually costs more per wear, not to mention the quality will be far inferior. As my Dad used to say, “Only very wealthy people can afford to buy cheap things.”