Question for men who wear suits dancing. (reg. alterations)

Most guys I know are terrified of looking like a metrosexual or an a-hole that things he is a rock star, and think the only other alternative is to know absolutely nothing about everything when it comes to being fashionable. If you aren't getting fitted for a tux, then all you have to worry about is whether you are small, medium, or large. At least around here, I would get looked at funny for wanting to know about any of this stuff.

Well, some of us have a little more sophistication. I ask for 2XLT.

If any guy here is interested, I was looking online for some alternative to a bespoke suit, because I really want some well fitting suits that I can dance around in, and frankly I can't really afford to go and get an all bespoke wardrobe, and I found Indochino and Studiosuits.

I looked at all the reviews I could find, and Studio suits sounds like the far cheaper option at 99 dollars for a made to measure suit. It's just that anyone familiar enough with suits is going to be able to tell that it isn't a 1500 dollar suit, which for 99 dollars is to be expected.

Indochino however, at 400-700 dollars, is about as much as I would be spending at some name brand store in New York for an off the rack suit. I'm still looking up as many reviews as I can, but it actually sounds and looks entirely legitimate and pretty professional. They even give you a credit for the first suit you order if you end up having to do any additional alterations, and ask for the information so they can update your measurements for any additional suits you might get.

I am still a little skeptical, but I see a lot of good reviews from professional style blogs and I am very seriously considering getting my next suit from here to test the waters. Granted, I'm sure it isn't the same thing as going to say a Brooks Brothers and getting the real thing done, but for the price I might be willing to give it a shot. We'll see how it goes.

I'm very skeptical about Indochino - there's a huge thread in the forums at 'styleforum dot net' (sorry, can't post links) with many examples of suits people purchased from them. Some are decent, many are terrible, and it seems people frequently have to request a remake, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get it right.

Another place you might also consider is 'Thick as Thieves' - it's a small company basically run by one guy who contracts with a factory in China to make MtM suits to his specifications. Price is in the same ballpark as Indochino, but from what I've seen seem to yield better results. I haven't personally tried them yet, but I'm tempted.

I am a very, very cautious buyer, especially with things like this. I read up on that too and was worried for a bit, however upon further research two things are going to make me go ahead and try it anyway.

The first is that they give you a credit to do the alterations, or will completely remake the whole suit over as many times as you need to get it right (they donate the suits you send back). While this is a pain in the butt to do for the first suit you get, they treat this as a trial and save all of the changes they are doing until they have the measurements to make a template for your perfect fit. Raise the armhole, tighten around the hips, whatever you need. They will work with you to get the fit just right.

The second thing is, it seems like the company is kind of blowing up. They got a 4 million dollar grant earlier in the year and they released an announcement in October concerning the complaints about the inconsistencies. Apparently they have switched over to a digital cutting procedure with all of their suits. Meaning once you get the numbers right with the first suit you get from them, they save those numbers and every suit you get after that is digitally cut exactly the same.

Like I said, I am very cautious when it comes to making purchases. But I think I'm willing to give it a try and deal with the initial trial and error if it means I can have a personalized template for anything I get in the future.

My practice is to be prepared for all the usual contingencies and be ready to adapt to them.

At the beginning oftentimes the air conditioner has cooled the room down a lot and there are few people, and those haven't been moving much. As the evening progresses the air, and I, warm up.

So I start off with a three-piece suit and tie and long-sleeved shirt, no undershirt. After a while I'll unbutton my jacket, later remove the vest. The tie goes next - though some men don't mind how they look of a tie loosened at the throat and with the top shirt unbuttoned I feel sloppy rather than casual with such a look.

Depending on the milonga, I may instead remove my jacket and dance in a vest. In most Buenos Aires milongas this would be frowned upon, so I'd remove the vest itself and keep the jacket.

The idea is stay dry and comfortable and shed clothing as needed to stay that way. I may be concerned how others would think about my appearance, but I'm there to enjoy myself and my comfort is more important to me. I'm also there to dance with people I care about, and I want my lady to be happy with having my arms about here and our bodies touching. I am NOT going to give her a free body bath on the dance floor.

About halfway through the evening I'll typically take a short-sleeved shirt and go to the restroom, wash my armpits with soap, dry them well, and change my shirt. I can still wear a jacket or vest and be dressy.

Later still I'll take off the jacket or vest and dance in my short sleeves. Again, that depends on the milonga and the milieu. In BsAs in more traditional milongas I'd sit out enough dances that I never get too hot for a jacket.

Adapt to the situation, and have fun - that's my practice.