I have always been a guy that loved a good suit. As a matter of fact, at one point, I was only comfortable in suits, and I had to get out of my comfort zone to elevate my streetwear and casual looks. I recognize that is the opposite of most people; welcome to my world. Virtually everything I do is the opposite of the rest of the population. So, when I needed to buy a new suit, I started researching, and one place kept coming up in the recommendations and the Google searches: Men’s Wearhouse. I wanted something upscale, something with a little more punch. And if I am being honest, I always felt like Men’s Wearhouse was that place you went to if you needed to rent a tux for prom or a wedding or if you needed a suit really quick. But now that I have spent over a decade in the industry, I gave it another chance and decided to wear the brand every day for a week to discover once and for all if Men’s Wearhouse is worth it.
Tailored clothing
When considering , you almost always go right to their tailored offerings. Of course, as a man who loves suits, I love to wear them as often as possible, so I am going to wear a suit or some kind of tailored garment every day to work. Something about them simply makes me feel better. Here is how they looked during my week.
Custom Monday
If you buy a new suit, you may ask yourself one question: Made-to-Measure/Custom or off-the-rack? For me, I will always lean towards custom because, while some will run you a pretty penny and cost a couple thousand dollars easily, other options will only be a few hundred dollars more than something off-the-rack. Most of us always struggle on Mondays, so I usually reserve my best suits for the first day of the work week. They are perfect for giving you that kick of motivation.
This custom suit is from Men’s Wearhouse’s flagship brand, Joseph Abboud. Made in America and made of the highest quality the company offers, there is no better suit you can get from the store. It is also one of the best suit brands on the market. Sitting at the crossroads of quality and accessibility, if you get only one suit, this is the one you should be picking up.
I wore mine with a blue check dress shirt from Joseph Abboud and a blue floral tie for a soft start to the week. For a pop of color and a little personality, I added a burgundy pocket square to pull out the details of my suit. And if you end up with a Joseph Abboud custom, then you can never forget the complimentary American Flag pin as a symbol of their dedication to keeping the manufacturing stateside.
Tuesday blues
Tuesday is a rough day for me as it is not deep enough into the week that I can start looking forward to the weekend and not early enough not to have anything done for the week. This is usually when most work gets done before it starts tapering off through the end of the week. I love a good blue suit; it is the get-s***-done suit, the business suit, the man that means business.
This Kenneth Cole Awareness suit works as hard as I do on Tuesdays. It isn’t quite as high-quality and doesn’t have the same fit as the Abboud custom, but regardless of the high bar set by Monday’s suit, this still stands above many of the others you can grab for the same price point.
For Tuesday, I decided to add one of my favorite colors, green, into the ensemble. The light blue shirt is a classic, but the green pattern on the tie and the green paisley pocket square give it the classic look on its end in the best way. I topped the look off (figuratively speaking) with a pair of Stacey Adams cap-toe dress shoes that keep the entire look working.
Humpday shake-up
Hump Day is the peak of the mountain; it feels like it is all downhill from there. So, I like to shake everything up on Wednesday, get rid of the classics, and do something with a little more personality. Enter the blazer look. This is the best way to break up the suit grind to give yourself a little variety, and Men’s Wearhouse had plenty to offer in that pursuit.
I went to the trusty Joseph Abboud to land this classic navy blazer I used for a base. I then chose a St. Isle gingham shirt with an attractive blue and pink colorway, which worked well off the blue v-neck sweater (also from Joseph Abboud) and striking blue and pink pocket square. I swapped out the dress shoes and went for comfort, perfect for my walk to lunch, in some Cole Haan hybrid shoes. While this is a great elevated look, it also gave comfort and mobility for my mid-week hustle and bustle.
Thirsty Thursday
Thursday calls for something particular when getting dressed. There is a widespread thing that people in the office can’t seem to resist: Thirsty Thursday. Once the clock hits five, it is a rush to whatever happy hour you frequent. That calls for a bit of a crossover outfit that works just as well for the office as it does for the bar, restaurant, or speakeasy.
I elected to go with this burgundy suit from Kenneth Cole Awareness. It plays well as burgundy because I wore a pink Awareness dress shirt and an elevated floral tie. The trick with this suit is it can also play as a brown suit when you swap out the pink for a white dress shirt and more conservative tie. I also doubled down on the burgundy with a great air of Stacy Adams cordovans to elevate the whole look for the after-work environment.
TGIF
When Friday shows up, I have the same conundrum as Thursday. While I have to dress appropriately for the office, I must also think about the big Friday festivities on the docket. Whether going to dinner with friends, heading to a movie, or sampling the local nightlife, you need something simple to bridge that gap from the office to the event.
I elected to go with an all-black base with a black dress shirt from Kenneth Cole and Joseph Abboud Jeans. Then there is the always dependable hybrid Zerogrands from Cole Haan. While the all-black look may look great when living it up after hours, the look can feel a little off in the office. I turned to Calvin Klein for this green plaid sport coat. It was the perfect jacket to take me from the office to a nice dinner date.
Casual clothing
The suits did a lot of good for me during the week. Men’s Wearhouse is one of the leaders for the working man who needs to wear a suit every day, but I was a little hesitant about what they could do for me when I clocked out and went out for my free time. Here is what I came up with and how I spent my weekend.
Weekend fun
Saturday is the day when most of us get things done with some errands, but we also have to take some time to relax. When I went out for my free day, I decided to take in a movie and dressed in something casual and comfortable. Joseph Abboud came through again with a comfy pair of slim chinos and a great green quarter-zip sweater.
The green button-up from St. Isle is one of the softest shirts I’ve ever owned and will be a mainstay in my summer wardrobe for years to come. The spandex, polyester, and nylon blend felt so good it was surprising that anything could outdo Joseph Abboud in any outfit, but St. Isle pulled it off with this shirt.
Sunday dinner
Finally, Sunday is a day for family. Whether you are a churchgoer or someone who likes to get together with the family for a traditional Sunday dinner, the day calls for something moderately elevated but still casual and comfortable. Luckily, this is where Men’s Wearhouse excels.
I again turned to trusty Joseph Abboud for an attractive gray and orange flannel with a complimenting orange quarter-zip. While the colors played well off each other, I picked up some navy chinos because nothing goes with orange the way a navy does. Finally, this look is brought together with the Lacoste sneakers in a deep navy that kept me moving all day long.
Pros and cons of Men’s Wearhouse
Men’s Wearhouse is one of the biggest names in men’s retail for a reason. They know what they are doing and have some of the best in the industry in certain areas. After sampling some stuff from different departments, I found some phenomenal pieces and things to remember.
The con of Men’s Wearhouse is that while they excel in tailored wardrobes, you may have difficulty finding outfits for your dressed-down moments. Even the casual looks I wore were still more elevated than the rest of the people I was around. If that is your look, then Men’s Wearhouse is the place for you. The only other aspect I struggled with in the outfits was the Cole Haan Zerogrand hybrids, which were a little too clunky for my liking.
The pro of Men’s Wearhouse is the presence of one of the best brands in the business. Joseph Abboud has enough to offer to keep you returning to MW and checking to see if they have what you need before shopping at other places. While the other brands in the store are great and high-quality, Joseph Abboud is the main draw to the company, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
