Suits are coming back. True, they’ve technically never gone anywhere, but more and more we’ve been seeing lines of affordable, good looking suits become available to the casual gentleman. Of these lines I’d have to say that my all time favorite is Bertolini. Though they’re not by any means famous (or for that matter, well known), Bertolini makes a hell of a suit for the price. Just this weekend, I picked up a beautiful three-piece in a slate blue with charcoal pinstripes for under $250. Now let me tell you, I have a hard time finding a suit that fits how I want it to; everything seems either boxy or incredibly tight. This suit, however, fit perfectly off the rack and all that was needed was to hem the pants. It tapers in the right places, it hangs well off the shoulders, and the kicker is that I have three other friends who bought the same suit (different sizes of course), and despite our wildly varying body shapes they fit each of us perfectly.

Bertolini is an Italian suit manufacturer, meaning the fit is going to be almost unbeatable; so why doesn’t it break the bank? Well while the materials come from Italy, and the designs are put together by professionals, the suits themselves are hand-made overseas. This gives one the feel and look of a high end Italian suit at a fraction of the cost, meaning it is affordable for almost everyone – even students like yours truly. This is the best wardrobe investment I’ve made in a long time, and encourage you to follow my example. Whether you’re on a budget, or just looking for a great suit at any price range, do yourself a favor and get into a Bertolini.

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In the past I’ve gotten my suits at stores where an older gentleman has been able to look me over and know instantly what size to throw on me, so I’ve never really taken note. This presented a problem when trying to order on Combatant Gentlemen, but they have a “Fit Tech” system in place to help. Some basic details: height, weight, neck size, and jean size are all it takes to suggest a size. When the moment of truth arrived the jacket fit great. Having had a bit of a gut my whole life I default to a looser fit around the stomach and may end up having it let out a bit, but the fit would be spot on if not for my confidence issue. The pants too were perfect at the waist and come un-hemmed so you will have to have that done to the proper length. Additionally, the two dress shirts were spot on all around.

My order consisted of a suit, two dress shirts and two ties and came out to just under $250 shipped. I know, too good to be true, right? Wrong. Granted I haven’t combed over the stitching with a magnifying glass, but suit and shirts hang in my closet next to some recently purchased Brooks Brothers ones and you’d be hard pressed to spot a difference. And if you were able to to notice I don’t think you’d ever know the Combatant Gentlemen clothing was 80% less.

While I do love the convenience of buying online it’s the look you get for the price that excites me most about Combatant Gentlemen. Short of a funeral, suiting up and looking good should be fun and I have a hard time doing that wrapped up in a grand worth of clothing. Give me the style of Combatant Gent with the peace of mind that if I spill on it or snag it on something it’s not a large part of my paycheck to replace.

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