How to Buy a Suit Online

The image of the tailor with his tape measure draped around his neck is synonymous with gentlemen’s bespoke clothing. It’s the classic way to get a perfectly fitted suit, and it’s a trade that remains important in men’s formal wear. 

But all that attention and personalisation comes at a price. Off-the-peg suits have been a viable option for decades, mainly because of this cost saving. You can find great quality suits on the high street, try them on and buy them the same day. It’s how most men buy their suits nowadays, be it for work, weddings or just to look dapper when they’re out and about. 

But have you ever considered buying a suit online? We’re convinced it’s the way forward for quality, well-fitting men’s formal wear on a budget. Since it’s a new concept to many men, we’ll walk you through the pros and cons, and give some tips on choosing your suit.

Benefits of buying a suit online

With off-the-peg so convenient, why would you buy your next suit online? We can think of six compelling reasons:

• Cost: Shops are expensive to run, with the staffing, rent and rates, power, security, utilities and so on. Guess who ends up paying for all that? Yes, it’s you, the customer. And that’s just prêt-à-porter suits. If we’re comparing with bespoke, they’re worlds apart.
• Choice: There might be a decent selection in any given city, but what if you want something a little different to a basic charcoal grey suit? Online, you’re not limited by geography, so you can buy from anywhere. Obviously, we’d love you to get your suit from Xposed London, but if we don’t stock what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it elsewhere.
• Time: No need to travel into town, find parking or walk from the station – all that travel time can be spent looking for the ideal suit.
• Availability: Can you even be sure the shop will stock the matching trousers, jacket and waistcoat in your size? Shoppers are often left frustrated when one part isn’t in stock.
• Filtering: Because you can search by colour, style, fabric and anything else that helps you zero in on the perfect suit, you get to your final selection quickly. This also helps if you only have a vague idea what you want.
• No hard sell: Finally, there’s no one breathing down your neck, suggesting suits that you’re not interested in. It’s altogether less pressurised and more relaxing.

Drawbacks?

We’re not saying there are no disadvantages to buying online. But as we’ll see below, they’re all solvable.

• Trying the suit on: The main disincentive to buying a suit online is that you can’t try it on, like you can in a shop. That can make it tricky to find the perfect fit.
• Exact colour match: Computer and phone screens, as well as digital cameras, don’t always faithfully reproduce colour. If you’re looking for a subtle shade, using a screen might not be sufficiently precise.
• Fabric quality: Part of the allure of a suit is the fabric it’s made of. It affects its look and feel, and how it hangs on the body. Photos can be deceiving, and quality might not be as good as expected.
• Same day service: If you need a suit this afternoon, online probably isn’t for you.

We’ve got the solutions

At Xposed London, we think there’s a solution to each of those potential drawbacks:

• Perfect fit: It isn’t difficult to measure up properly before you order. That way, you know exactly what you’re buying. We’ve written an extensive guide to measuring for a suit, and we’d urge you to get your vital statistics down on paper before you order. Also, make sure your online retailer has a customer-friendly returns and refunds policy. That should give you all the peace of mind you need.
• Colour match: If you’ve got a decent quality device, you should have a fairly faithful colour correction. You can normally tell if there’s a noticeable colour on a computer screen cast by looking at a neutral grey screen. If it looks too warm or cool, you use your monitor’s settings, or those of the operating system, to get it neutral. And again, remember that returns policy.
• Fabric quality: The only guarantee here is that you use a reputable online retailer that’s committed to quality. You can also inspect the fabric properties in the Details section of any suit. That’s useful if you have a particular fabric or blend in mind.
• Fast delivery: Let’s be honest – next-day delivery is fast enough 99% of the time. If you need a suit in the next few hours, you’re taking a huge gamble even if you’re buying from a brick and mortar store. There’s a good chance your perfect suit won’t be in stock.

Finding the suit

There are two approaches to finding a suit online. First, you know exactly what you want down to the last button, and you scour the retailers trying to find it. Second, you just need a suit, but aren’t sure what type or even what colour you’re looking for. Both ways work online, and probably better than traipsing around the stores in your city centre or shopping mall.

If you’re confident that you know what you’re looking for, you should start by finding a suit retailer with a wide selection, then using the menus and filters to narrow down your search. So if you want a blue pinstripe suit, hover over “suits” at the top of the page (or on a phone, go to the menu and select Suits > Styles > Pinstripe suits). You’ll see pinstripe suits in all colours, so now use the filters to select the colour blue. You can also use filters to narrow down the search in other ways, such as price or style.

Alternatively, you might just want a suit but don’t really know where to start. Our website helps there too. If you know the event (e.g. wedding, black tie, business, races), use the menus to deliver just those results. No more etiquette faux pas for you!

Finally, if you’re none the wiser, take a look through our “how to style” section. It’s full of useful tips on pairing, styling, choosing and wearing suits for any occasion. Check out the images and read the insightful copy, and before long a picture will emerge in your mind of the perfect suit for your occasion.