Suits focus: Suitable Company

Nobody wants to look like a banker these days, not even a banker, says Donal Leavy of Dublin's leading men's tailors Suitable Company.

While selling suits is primarily about helping men look their best, it can also offer an interesting insight into the state of the nation.

Take, for instance, the pin-striped suit. Once eponymous with wealth, it’s now been unceremoniously relegated... and for one reason.

“Nobody wants to look like a banker these days, not even the bankers themselves,” says Donal Leavy of Suitable Company, the Dublin suit specialists based on the corner of Drury Street.

“We’ve been selling significantly less striped suits over the last 18 months or so. Taking their place are suits made from flat plain cloth or from cloths with just a little bit of detail in the weave of the cloth.”

Donal started the company back in 1985 at the tender age of 23. Since 2001, the company has been trading in Dublin under the name of ‘Suitable Company’. Initially they discounted all of the big brands, but as time went on they changed tack.

“We realised that we were better off making our own suits in Italy, dealing directly with the factories, buying our own cloth and getting suits made to our own specifications," Donal says.

“I can’t see us going back to stocking the big-name brands now, as our own product is superior to most of them and we can sell our suits for a fraction of the price. We also do a made-to-measure service which opens up all the possibilities for a customer to come in and get something really special.”

Experience

When it comes to surgeons or pilots you don’t want a novice in control of things. The same goes for the suit business, and no-one could accuse the staff at Suitable Company of not having earned their stripes.

“Our team has a lot of experience,” Donal says. “Brian Cosgrove has been selling suits for 49 years, Joe Farrelly has being doing so for 42 years and our tailoring team consists of Danny Geoghegan with 45 years’ experience and Tony Kane with 33 years of tailoring behind him.”

Which makes Donal the new boy, having only been in the business for 26 years. Less than the rest of his team but long enough for his opinion regarding suit buying to be worth listening to.

He explains: “When buying a suit, you need to concentrate on the four ‘c’s – the cut, the construction of the suit, the cloth and the cost. The cost should reflect the quality of the other three ‘c’s.”

Getting measured and getting any alterations done by the experts is vital if you’re going to spend your hard-earned cash on a quality suit that helps you look the part. “Of the people who come into our shop, I would say that only one in 20 can take a suit straight off the peg without that suit needing to be altered in order that it fits them perfectly,” Donal says.

“It makes good business sense to always sell a suit that fits. A smart salesperson will be thinking of repeat business and further recommendations, so it so not in his interest to sell a product that’s inappropriate for the customer.

So what’s ‘in’ at the moment?

“Currently the style of suit that is far and away ahead of any other style is a suit with a two button jacket and twin vents coupled with a flat-fronted trouser,” Donal says.” It gives the suit wearer a very elegant look and I expect this style of suit to be the trend for at least a couple of years.

“Three-button jackets with a single vent are as dead as a dodo, as are pleated trousers.

“Slim fit is also the order of the day, for suits and for shirts – preferably with double cuffs and no pocket on the chest where the shirts are concerned.

“As for ties, they should be no wider than 8cm at their widest point.”

And colours...? “This autumn the big colours are blue, brown and silver as they are not too austere and they complement the Irish complexion – particularly brown.”

At Suitable Company, they’re always looking to provide the perfect suit for the Irish market which means that when they get a quiet moment, the tailors start tinkering.

“We’re planning a new fit for the autumn that will give a slim appearance but which will be perfect for the man with a bit of a paunch,” Donal explains of the latest challenge that the team at Suitable Company have set themselves.

“ He’ll be able to button up his jacket without looking as if he’s been stuffed into it, and he won’t need a jacket that, in order to accommodate his paunch, ends up being too wide at the shoulders.

“We’ve tested this new fit and it’s gone down very well with customers who’ve tried it.

So should every self-respecting Irish man own a suit?

“Outside of business wear, it’s not particularly important for a man to own a suit. There will be times, however, that he will need a suit in a hurry, such as for a funeral (in which case he may wish to wear a plain black suit with a plain black tie and a white shirt.

“Most professional men wear suits by choice for work as it instils confidence in the people they come into contact with. Other guys tend to wear suits either because they appreciate that they look good in a suit or because they realise that the public engage differently with a man in a suit – usually in a much more positive way.”

Just owning any old suit isn’t good enough, however, it’s got to be the right suit. Get it wrong and it’ll work against you.

“It’s vital to remember that if a suit is ill-fitting, if it’s in an out of date style, if it’s badly co-ordinated with whatever else is being worn or if it’s made from a cheap poly/viscose material then it will have a negative effect. In my opinion it’s better to have one decent suit or no suits at all rather than go out in a bad suit.”

Suitable Company, 43 Lower Stephen's Street (on the corner of Drury St car park), Dublin 2. Tel: 01 633 7318. They are currently running a half-price sale. More details at www.suitablecompany.ie