STORE WARS: Suitsupply vs. Lands’ End Canvas
Starting March 19th and running through April 8th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2013. For a full introduction see this post. The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses. Click on it for the full size. Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown:
Strengths: While $469 is a lot of money, it gets you a LOT of suit (and their more expensive suits get you even more). One of the more exciting new companies to enter into the U.S. retail market in awhile. Half canvassed, great construction, fabrics are terrific, and the off the rack fit of the Napoli jacket hits that sweet spot of neither too tight nor too big. Jacket tails aren’t chopped, the lapels aren’t too skinny, the cuts are sharp, the armholes are high, and the shoulders are lightly padded. In short, everything a suit should be and all for under half a grand. It’s a stretch on the budget for a lot of us, but every time someone asks “I’ve got $400 for a suit, what should I buy?” the answer is almost always: “Can you scrape together another $69 plus tailoring?” They’re that good. Lots of linen, linen blend, and cotton options for summer. The few brick & mortar stores that they’ve opened in the U.S. are impressive (expect an in person coming next week), and they’re opening a few more in April. Returns are free, but shipping is $10 for orders under $500. They obviously focus on suits, but they also have blazers, outerwear, accessories, shoes, etc… Started a partnership with the Italian shoemaker Antonio Maurizi for a capsule collection. They also outfitted the Dutch Olympic team in London.
Weaknesses: $469 is still a lot of money. While they do have a foundation of basics like solid navy, charcoal, and lighter grey… they seem to spend a lot of effort on… risky designs. They seem to be in love with large peak lapels. Jackets come with functional sleeve buttons, and while they offer a wide variety of short and long sizes, tailoring the sleeve length will be a pain if need be. Non suit offerings seem expensive (like their shirts, and… $300 for a quilted jacket?)
Strengths: Great customer service. An upgraded fit that’s solid for guys who aren’t hefty, but aren’t super slim either. A wide variety of stuff that spans casual basics like tees and polos, to surprising blazers in boiled wool or madras. Their Made in the USA jeans, when on sale, are a terrific value for the guy who doesn’t really care about selvage and just wants a good looking pair of jeans that were actually crafted here in the states. Plenty of us have one or more items from L.E.C. that we love, has held up extremely well, and we got for dirt cheap.
Weaknesses: Lots of variety (from t-shirts to Chambray Suits
) but the total number of things they have to pick from just isn’t that great. Seems like they’ve taken their foot off the gas a bit? Or is that just perception? Doesn’t it seem like L.E.C. is starting to fade some? Sales are great, but usually their stuff starts out at a retail price that’s super high (plus we’re now conditioned to wait for sales). Fits, while closer, are still way too big on some. Every season they seem good for at least one or more “the hell is that?” items
. Starting to get squeezed by jcp on basics like OCBDs.
Your votes determine who goes on to the next round. Cast your ballot below. Voting closes at midnight ET.
UPDATE: That was a photo finish. Checked the voting logs just to be sure. Final score Suitsupply 889, L.E.C. 874. Suitsupply at the buzzer, with the cold blooded squeaker of a victory.
Store Wars: Suitsupply vs. Lands' End Canvas
- Suitsupply (50%, 889 Votes)
- Lands' End Canvas (50%, 874 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,763
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Never been happy with anything I bought from LEC.
But so far I’m like 0 for 3 on my pics. I probably just slapped Suit Supply with the kiss of death.
LEC takes it for me- their slim cords fit me perfect, sit right at the top of my shoes, nice and slim through the leg- no tailoring needed. Thei sweaters and vests are also good quality and the prices are not bad.
Same here, Joe. 80% of my LEC orders were a bust. Pants made for guys without a butt, major inconsistency in shirts, etc.
Suit Supply, on the other hand, delivered a perfectly-fitting suit for my wedding. Pricey, perhaps, but remarkable all the same. I don’t imagine they will win with this audience, but they’re the clear winner in my heart.
LEC for me. My three favorite OTR pants are all LEC. Three of my favorite dress shirts are LE. I had to get the shirts tailored, but I have yet to find any shirt that fits just right OTR.
The LEC hoodie I have is great, gotten nothing but compliments on it. That thing has a better OTR fit than any shirt I’ve ever bought. Their rugby socks are comfy and look good. The LEC cardigan I have is also very nice.
I’ve wanted to try SS for a while and they are getting a brick and mortar store in Philly which opens in April so i’ll have to check it out. I dont think $500 for a suit is expensive, suits to me are an investment so if you make it a point to wear them on a regular basis and they are made to last then youll easily get your moneys worth. I prefer BB Fitz & Milano but i hear good things about SS
Suit Supply- LEC is ok- their prices are good- but this for me this competition is about affordability and quality. Suit Supply is all that and then a whole lot more for suits. If we compared them to all the other MTMs – this is the 800# gorrila amongst the MTMs. Get them while they’re essentials are still below $500 because as their popularity goes up, so too will their prices!
Agree with both of you guys. Here is my best guess. If you are the type of guy who loves the fit of Bonobos you will conversely be the guy who can’t find anything that fits at LEC. They skew towards very skinny on both shirts and pants as mentioned above.
Love my LEC Shawl Toggle Cardigan & Chambray Shirt, but I do agree that their pants sizing is crazy. The Made in USA denim is a fantastic but even the “straight” version is cut very very very slim and I am a slim guy myself.
First off I would never buy a suit from Lands End Canvas (not even sure if they sell suits). I’ve got 1 or 2 things in my rotation from LEC. They’re okay…just okay.
I own a suit from Suit Supply and it is by far my best suit. I have 4 different Ludlows from J. Crew, which are great, but the Suit Supply suit is still better. Out of all the suits I own (about 6) the Suit Supply suit will probably be the one that I will continue wearing into old age. That says a lot. Their classically styled suits may be slightly pricier than others but they are timeless and will live on long after your cropped, slim lapel suits go the way of the dodo.
If you want one excellent and timeless suit to invest in I would definitely start here. Customer service is excellent. Plus the in-store experience is great (Soho-NYC). They give you a bomb-proof suit bag with every purchase.
LEC on the other hand, will likely be gone soon.
EFFFF!! This match-up is the hardest one yet as I shop at both places frequently but for different reasons. In the Chicago burbs there is a Lands End Inlet (Outlet?) where you can find some incredible items at a discount like ties and sweaters from LEC. Some of the stuff I bought from LEC even says it was made in Italy. Pretty cool! However…because finding a quality suit to fit my athletic build is more rare than a $20 knit tie which I can find anywhere, my vote goes to Suit Supply.
SuitSupply does suits very, very well. For me it’a a go to if you want something solid, that will fit well and make you look good with minimal effort and stress (I bought their Jort model recently). An LEC suit v. a SS suit – can you even compare? On just about everything else, I choose LEC. I’ve purchased a Chambray shirt and jeans from LEC and they are solid.
SS is way overpriced on everything else. That quilted navy jacket is a copy of a Belstaff that you can get for cheaper or for about the same price. http://www.mrporter.com/product/301081 Makes me wonder what else they are hosing us on.
I’ve gotta abstain from this one. I’ve never bought a SS suit, but I plan on it. Here’s a WSJ piece about how a $700 SS suit is comparable to a $3k+ Armani suit. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703385404576258671135584478.html
Exactly! I’ve ordered about 5 things from LEC because I like the look of some of their stuff, but the fit was way too narrow and small and I ultimately have returned all but 1 of the items. Now, I’m gun shy to buy anything from them.
I was about to post against Suit Supply due to their wonky pant sizes on “short” suits, but then I figured I’d double check and they’ve actually fixed it! No more size 37 pants on a 40S suit – I guess I’m going to have to finally give them a try.
Lots of regrets with LEC, but no regrets with anything from SuitSupply
No compliments with anything from LEC, but lots of compliments on everything from SuitSupply
SuitSupply is just in a totally different league of quality IMO (at least for the things I wear regularly)
!!!!!!!!!!!suit supply all day !!!!!!!! LEC is for random goodies
Figures that LEC would be leading. Suitsupply is far superior, but I can imagine everyone voting for LEC on a price-basis only.
LEC has some great style, but I’ve had a ton of quality issues with them. I bought three different colors of a chambray work shirt from them in medium, every single one of them is sized noticeably differently. The threading on the buttons is terrible and wear super easily. The Moc toe boots that Joe was all about are beautifully styled, but terribly built. Mine are delaminating from the sole on both shoes, I’ve had problems with the insoles falling off, and I’ve already had to replace them once. Even at $45, I’m planning on sending them back.
Good to know about the switch. Thanks for the update.
Thinking about wearing that awful turtle neck with that stupid “San Diego Cut” extra-wide lapel suit. Thoughts? Ideas? Perceptions?
Is there anyone out there who has experience with both Suit Supply and Indochino? It appears the overwhelming sentiment is that Suit Supply is superior in quality, but just wondering how great a gap that is.
My LEC vote may not be fair since I have no experience with SS (my suit closet is bursting for chump change thanks to annual visits to my favorite tailor in China during business trips). I’ve had great luck with all my LEC purchases including the chambray shirt, crew tees and my personal favorite: the waxed canvas road trip bag…that thing is a beast and has earned more than a few compliments.
Yep. Great article. Linked to it up above as well.
Oops! Missed that. Good show!
last weekend I went to suitsupply to try their sienna suits and they fit so well. Very light but the drape is great. Might have voted for LEC if this was done last week (really like their linen shorts). Suitsupply would win easily if everyone tried their suits (IMO).
LEC. The jeans win.
LEC doesn’t do tall sizing or longer sleeves at all. Suit Supply has 42L’s, so they’ve also got my vote.
I’ve made several orders for LEC items, and only kept 1-2 things. I also haven’t really seen anything I’ve wanted to by from them since last winter, which has been pretty disappointing and is why I’ll be voting for Suitsupply.
I’m similarly waiting for the Philly store to open. Cheers!
Some of my LEC purchases (button-down shirts) have literally shredded in my hands after 6 months of regular wear (at least twice a month), so I’d have to go with SS — even if they’re not due to open their Philly branch until the end of April.
Still rocking OCBD’s I bought from LEC two years ago. Love the pants I bought from them as well. On that basis, they get my vote. But I haven’t bought anything from them in a long time. LOOOOOONG time. Joe’s totally right that they’ve taken their foot off the gas. Rather than being a more affordable version of J. Crew and doing it well, they jacked up prices. The selection is so-so. Hopefully, they’ll up their game. Btw, Joe, why aren’t you using their new logo?
LEC customer service is great.
That’s the weird thing. I’m fairly skinny – many of my numbers are close to Joe’s. However, when I try on anything but straight fit pants, they’re too tight for me. Dockers D1 and Alphas? No way. Even straight fit Dockers are borderline around my backside and magic bits. Maybe my weight distribution is just unusual.
My LEC shirt experience started and ended with two cotton basics (long and short sleeved) that were at least a size larger than indicated. Only two items from LEC ever fit remotely right – a straight fit pair of jeans and some boots. Even though I can return their things, and they were great about returns, it’s just too much of a hassle to endure.
My suit from Suit Supply is a stunner, though. I only had to hem the pants for a perfect fit.
Agreed. It’s a strange matchup.
Great customer service deserves to be praised – and my LEC customer experiences were outstanding. On the other hand, I’d rather not have a reason to interact with them in the first place.
A bit of a dangerous game for Suitsupply if you compare them with J. Crew in terms of price. If you are going for a $469 suit from SS, you might be better off “settling” for J.Crew’s $496 suit here http://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/TheLudlowShop/PRDOVR~35730/35730.jsp . It gets worse for SS when you factor in J.Crew’s free shipping against SS’s 10$ shipping. Is $20 more worth a bona fide J.Crew suit?
I give LEC my vote based off of this. Thus is the awesome power of J.Crew.
For those who have had exposure to suitsupply, how would you compare their Nappoli/Washington wool to jcrews ludlow in Italian wool? Unfortunatley the closest shop to where I live (Buffalo) is in NYC which is keeping me from trying it on before ordering.
I am looking for a suit that I can not only wear at my wedding in September but will get use out of after.Including a vest the ludlow set me back $850 and I see the Nappoli wool goes for almost half the price at suit supply
I know there is a high likelihood that these two will face off soon enough but I have less than 30 days to return my newly purchased ludlow so please excuse me for straying from the topic at hand.
I am so torn on this one. I love both equally, but i think Suit Supply offers something more unique in the market than LEC. Suit Supply it is, for my vote.
Muhahaha, I now hold the power to tie it or pull it ahead. LEC too skinny most of the time. Forget us bigger men LEC?! Suit supply it is!
What are your dimensions? People complain about the lack of separates at SuitSupply, but I find their drop/fit off the rack is quite good.
I own both Ludlow (JCrew) and Sienna (SS). The Sienna blows the Ludlow out of the water in terms of quality and fit.. it just moves so much better.
LEC stuff (at least their shirts and jackets – haven’t bought any pants from them) fit me great – they’re slightly more fitted, in my experience, than even J Crew slim fit. I’ve never noticed that anything I’ve purchased from them was off size-wise. That said, I haven’t purchased much from them in the past couple years, because their design team is doing some kind of strange stuff. The first rule is the stuff has to look good to me or I won’t buy it, and too much LEC stuff has been failing that test lately.
Suitsupply only really does one thing, but they do it very well.