Spier and Mackay Red Label Half Canvas Suits – $248 ($298)
Note: No code needed for the fifty bucks off. Discount should happen in your cart. Sale expires Tuesday, 1/2/24.
Good luck finding the following combination, anywhere, for under $300:
- Half canvas construction.
- 100% merino wool.
- Lightly padded shoulders.
- Tailored but not tight fit.
- Easy to tailor, non functioning sleeve cuff buttons.
- Eleven colors/fabrics to pick from.
Right? That’s a lot of desirable suit characteristics for under three-hundred bucks.
So to see Spier chop fifty bucks off the usual $298 price point of their new Red Label line is something.
They bought fabric in bulk for the expected solid wheelhouse colors,
and they’ve also recently added some sharkskin and birdseye options too.
Okay so what’s the catch? The catch is (cracks open boring textbook)… economies of scale.
Translation: They made a lot of these suits with the intent on fitting the most people possible (most common body type chest-to-waist ratios). Also, when compared to their other, nicer suits, the Red Label takes a slight step back on the fabric as well as some of the bits and pieces like buttons, interior lining, etc.
TL;DR: They’re nice, and a great choice for someone with a not too out-of-the-ordinary body type, who also doesn’t wear suits all the time.
“Would you like to discuss economies of scale?”
Flat front trousers. Standard “drop-6” sizing. (trouser waist = jacket size -6)
Therefor a 40R jacket comes w/ a 34″ waist trouser (shown).
A tailor can bring in or let out within 1.5″. You’ll need the legs hemmed anyway.
The Breakdown
100% Worsted Wool fabric – It’s smooth and 4-season weight, but it’s not the nicer Australian merino they use in their core line suits. Nor is it one of their more expensive Italian wool suits. And to save more money, they bought bulk batches of the basic colors most would want.
4-season weight worsted wool fabric.
Still comes with non functioning sleeve cuff buttons, which are much easier to tailor.
Just one fit = Tailored Fit – No option between slim fit or contemporary fit here. They went with something in-between. The jacket should fit similarly to their Contemporary fit jackets (review here), and the trousers will fit somewhere between their Contemporary and Slim cut (Slim suit review here). And like most “nested” suits across all brands, these come with a standard “drop-6” sizing. Trouser waist = jacket size -6. Therefor a 40R jacket comes w/ a 34″ waist trouser (shown in the post you’re reading now). A tailor can bring in or let out within 1.5″. You’ll need the legs hemmed anyway.
Shown = an unaltered 40R jacket (and therefor 34″ trouser) on 5’10″/185
The Details – Their other suits use some imported (from Germany and Japan) bits and pieces that these Red Label lines don’t. For example, while their other suits come with a Bemberg Cupro lining, the Red Label line comes with a less expensive 55% poly / 45% viscose lining. It won’t breathe quite as well as the Bemberg lining on their other suits, but it’s far from some cheap, scratchy, all poly lining you’d find on a crummy bargain store suit. The rest of the details on the Red Label suits feel more than fine. Buttons still feel and look good, shoulder pads aren’t bulky or stiff, etc.
55% poly / 45% viscose lining = a bit cheaper than the Bemberg Cupro used for their other suits.
That’s part of the cost savings. Although it feels fine and shouldn’t suffocate you.
What about Shipping/Returns?
Spier’s not Nordstrom. Sorry. They don’t do free shipping/free returns on all things all the time. BUT…
…free outbound shipping does kick in at $100 (contiguous US), and returns are FREE if it’s your first suit purchase with them. So outbound shipping is free for all customers on these Red Label Suits, and if it’s your first suit purchase with them (which the Red Label line is geared towards first-time-suit buyers,) then they’ll cover return shipping if it shows up and it’s not to your liking. They’ll also cover free returns if it’s your first sportcoat, shoes, dress/casual trouser, outerwear, knitwear, or dress/casual shirt purchase with them.
Here’s their returns policy, which has shifted slightly for the holidays:
“Orders placed during the holiday season are eligible for return up until January 15th, 2024.”
Normally anything purchased with a promo code or on sale has a return eligibility window of 14 days from delivery. (All regular priced items are usually eligible for returns within 30 days of delivery.) But since it’s the holidays, they’re giving everyone a little extra leeway on the sale/promo front. Once they make and send you a return label, you’ll have 14 days to use it/get it back and scanned in at the carrier.
So set a reminder in your calendar if you must.
‘barrow…-of-the-bells
They want you to try their stuff.
They also don’t want to go broke in the process.
Seems reasonable.
Almost all sizes are in stock at post time. Full original review is here if you’d like to read it.
That’s all.
Carry on.
