A Tale of Two Navy Blue Suits......

When you work in upscale retail menswear sales or in men's shoe sales, it would seem as if you can never have enough suits.   

I started out my career by ordering the first suit that you see, pictured on the left. 

This navy blue suit had been marketed under the brand name "Ralph" and this brand was also known as the
Ralph by Ralph Lauren.     It's my understanding the suit by "Ralph" is no longer available.

In this line of work, over time, you wear these suits, most every week. 

For example, every time there is a visit from corporate, you reach for that navy blue suit. Meanwhile, you are doing serious work that involves unloading trucks, stocking, and merchandising product from giant plastic containers and from cardboard cartons, all while wearing that wooly suit.    Keep in mind,  these suits are real wool — not polyester.   Eventually, the wool suits simply wear out — as most any suit would.  

Now,  I suppose you could argue about the durability of wool, versus polyester. 

When it comes to a suit you want to look good in and wear for years, I believe wool is hard to beat.  This is especially true if you are going to invest in a good, navy blue suit that you can wear to a job interview or wear to a client meeting.
  If you're going to invest in a good suit, why compromise on the fabric? 

Look....  Wool just lays better across the torso.   I could show you why, in real life.   There's a demonstration I can do where you crinkle the jacket — and you crinkle it up into a ball — as if you had stuffed it into the overhead carry-on luggage area of a jetliner.   Wait a moment.  Lay the suit coat flat on the table.  Certain brands of suit jackets with some percentage of wool in the jacket will remain presentable, even after all of that.    How do I know this?  I've seen it myself.  

So, again, over time and with brushing-up against sharp edges, or with sweating, the wool eventually does wear out.   Cuffs become worn.  Parts of the wool fabric will become — what I would describe as "weirdly shiny" in texture.   Then, there will become points of friction.  The blue parts of the suit turn to white.  This happens as the material underneath (usually the cuffs and lapels)  become dog-eared and worn.       

That was the case with the Ralph on the left.   That, and at the same time, I simply outgrew the jacket.   In other words, I got fat.

It was around year three (3) when my own eating habits started to catch up with me. Those late-night meals after work, combined with my fondness for good food, eventually led to some weight gain.

Regardless, after that big meal at home, it's off to bed  — with a full tummy.    Then, you do it all over again.  Day after day.

Look.   I'm not complaining.  This was the life that I had chosen.  It's what I agreed to in June 2021 and I also can't blame the job for the weight I gained.    I was the one making those food choices. 

And I guess you could say — I'm a bit of a "foodie."

In conclusion.     Alongside all of the wear and tear, mentioned above, the pants of suit one (1) became somewhat "snug" on the first suit I had bought that had been made by "Ralph."   

It was therefore, due to my own weight gain, that my second suit, that is suit two (2), would be that navy blue Hart Schaffner Marx, tailored in the Chicago fit.    The Hart is the suit that you see in the second photo, above.   The cut on a Chicago fit is simply more "roomie" and it's designed for men with a larger frame.