J. Crew Ludlow Fine Stripe Cotton Suit Jacket & matching pant
– $366.00
Light colored summer suits have a limited use. No matter how well tailored, they just don’t look right in December. But while Medium Gray, Charcoal, and Navy suits are the foundation, light & breathable summer suits look & feel pretty damn good from April – early September. Our search for the best affordable summer suiting options is on, and you can send in your suggestions via styletip.
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J. Crew’s style sense commands a premium. And credit to them since their Ludlow Suiting Fit was one of the first mass market European cuts to hit the market. Thinner lapels, trimmer waistlines, less shoulder padding… the only thing bigger about J Crew’s Ludlow suit options is the price. Their wool suits run almost $600 (and in all fairness, do well in tests against real expensive competition), but their cotton summer ready Ludlows start in the mid $300s.
Not exactly cheap and a stretch for many. But they look incredible on-line and on the rack. They’re also hardly ever on sale. So $366 for a cotton 2.5 season suit is a pretty high bar. Okay, a really high bar.
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The Pros
- The Lapels: They’re noticeably slimmed down, but not Ryan Seacrest razor thin. Not too trendy and should hold up for years.
. - The Shoulders: Not much padding here, and thanks to sizing that offers S,R,L and even a 39, we should all find a good fit.
. - The Details: The buttons feel great, the lining is a deep blue at the body, and the sleeve lining is a light blue stripe. Nice work.
. - The Pattern: It’s not a white suit, nor is it a solid pale grey. It’s a super fine faded black stripe that makes it grey with some depth.
The Cons
- The Overall Fit: It’s not that the fit is bad, it’s just that it’s not as trim as you’d think it would be. I’m between a 38-40, and with a 39 available I ordered that. It fits close in the shoulders and jacket drop, but the waist really has to come in. Plus the armholes could be higher. They’re not low, but… could be higher.
. - The Fabric: It’s a summer suit so you want it to be lighter weight, but this is maybe too thin. Certainly not flimsy, but heading in that direction. It also doesn’t move the best. Nowhere near as well as the thicker cotton (but still plenty cool) L.L. Bean Signature.
. - The Price: For $366 it better knock some socks off. And my man hosiery didn’t move a centimeter. When compared to other non J. Crew brands, you almost wonder if they’re trading on their name here..
The Bottom Line
It ain’t gonna blow you away. I want to like this suit a lot more than I do. The pattern is great, and many who’ve purchased it probably love it. But after recently spending all Derby Day in the L. L. Bean Signature New Traditional Twill, which was purchased on sale for $130 TOTAL… the J. Crew Ludlow Cotton Stripe has a long way to go. Even when compared to the equally as dressed up (but always on sale) Banana Republic Italian Cotton.
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Current Best Summer Suit Standings
Best Dressed Up: Banana Republic Italian Cotton
Best Dressed Down: L.L. Bean Signature New Traditional Twill
Best Ultra Cheap Option: INC Grey Cotton linen blend
For the growing archive of the 2011 Dappered Summer Suit Search, click here.
Judging from the pics, this is a spot-on review, Joe. I’ve always read/heard that the Ludlow was a European cut, but that looks like your typical American box cut jacket to me, with maybe slight waist suppression built in. And those armholes…lower than I would have expected.
Joe, I’ve been waiting a long time to ask you this.
Can you please do a “before and after” tailoring feature? It seems like we almost always see your garments before they’ve been altered (Slim shirt palooza, slim pants palooza, suit reviews) at which point you explain where they need to be tweaked. What they actually end up looking like after is anybody’s guess.
So can we fix this? I want to see your tailor work her magic and what the fit should look like *post-alterations* – atleast in the eyes of Joe from Dappered and his wonderful seamstress. Thanks!
I’ve been eyeing the Ludlow for several months now, as I’m in need of a new suit or two. What’s your take on the worsted wool vs. the other Ludlow options? And does anyone know how well it stands up next to the Hilfiger Trim Fits?
I’ve been eyeing the Ludlow for several months now, as I’m in need of a new suit or two. What’s your take on the worsted wool vs. the other Ludlow options? And does anyone know how well it stands up next to the Hilfiger Trim Fits?
Been actually prepping for somethign along those lines. Should have something in the coming weeks. Problem is a ton of guys like their stuff altered to a different level, y’know? I don’t want to lead anyone astray either with my own personal tastes.
Been actually prepping for somethign along those lines. Should have something in the coming weeks. Problem is a ton of guys like their stuff altered to a different level, y’know? I don’t want to lead anyone astray either with my own personal tastes.
In the pics it looks as wrinkled as something Columbo would wear. I have a pair of BR pants that are similar, and wrinkle as badly. My Jos. A. Banks cotton suit doesn’t fit as good, but doesn’t wrinkle as bad. Any happy medium for similar price?
I suppose. But your personal taste (at least on fit) seems to be pretty close to the rest of us here. You know, there IS a reason why we all check out this site every day. 🙂
What I’d like to know: what do you tell the tailor when you go in? I just took my first set of stuff to the tailor this week; and while I was there I realized I had no freakin’ idea HOW slim to get things, how long to make my sleeves, etc. I pretty much ended up just telling them I wanted the jackets slimmed up more (INC’s unlined jackets, as featured here on dappered), and shirtsleeves shortened, but I pretty much went with what they suggested.
I feel like there’s “what the general public wants from a tailor”, and then there’s “a more modern, slimmer fit that the blogophiliac wants.”
I’ll put something together on this. But basically you’re on the right track. You want an athletic V shape with the waist of your jacket darting in. But you still want to be able to move. Thanks Shawn!
I bought this exact suit two months ago and did not get to wear it till this past weekend(wedding) All in all I was very impressed with the fitting. The only tailoring I did was to get the pants tapered up a bit from the knee down. What I love about this suit is you can wear the separates a million different ways throughout the summer. Everytime I have worn the suit as a whole or as separates (also bought the vest) I receive tons of compliments. All in all, I give it an A+ due to it’s versatility and the color. Pictures do not give the pattern justice. In person, the color/pattern is amazing.
I have the chino sportcoat and I can confirm, the Ludlow cut is nowhere near as trim as it shows on the models. The killer for me is the armholes. I got my jacket tailored but there’s really nothing that can be done about the slightly-too-low armholes.
I guess I should put my money where my mouth is and finish my review of the 3-piece version, but I feel like I come to a very different conclusion about the suit. I recently wore the suit to Las Vegas in 95 degree weather and I feel like the thinness is a great attribute. It kept me cool and didn’t get heavy like the BR khaki suit I tried. As far as the armholes, it didn’t bother me and to confirm I tried my Hugo, Calvin, and Isaia suits, as well as all my blazers and I didn’t notice the armholes being particularly low. I understand that there are going to be differences in expectations and fit (I’m 5’10” and 180lbs), so the point of this post is to read the reviews here and try it out with those criticisms in mind!
Sorry to resurrect a dead thread.. But I just bought the pants and vest to this suit in Newport blue for $47(!). Can Joe or anyone give me an idea of shirt and shoe options? Black or brown? Loafer or wingtip? Is the Veblin clone from a couple days ago too clunky for this?
Thanks guys