I'm no suit expert, but I've spent years wearing them everyday. To give some perspective on my "personal experience" with this topic here's a close representation to what I currently own (it looks like a list a knife collector might make). I have 9 suits, 10 sport coat/blazers (basically suit jackets where one mixes-and-matches with dress slacks), 13 pair slacks, 50-some dress shirts, 6 silk sweaters, about 150-200 ties, 18 pair of dress shoes, 2 overcoats (1 rain, 1 top coat), and so many pairs of socks, I can't fit them in my sock drawer. My wife hates that I have shoes than her (by a significant margin...that 18 number is just my dress shoes!). All is dress clothes...no casual wear.
In my suit/sport jackets, not one has a false pocket. Each one came with several pockets that have loose stitching, temporarily closing the pocket, which can be removed to open the pocket for use.
As will most things, from my experience, you get what you pay for (mostly, I wouldn't go out and pay $1,000-2,000 per suit...unless I was in a different tax bracket). Most all my suits are wool, with a few others being made of silk, mohair, and a couple other fabrics...most are wool or silk. I will not wear any suits made of polyester/rayon, as well as poly/wool blends. Besides the way they look, I don't like the way they feel and wear.
From my experience, no suit is made as sturdy as a rugged pair of Levis. And I have ruined one pair of slacks by tripping and falling knee/hand first (bloodied up my palm and scraped up my knee through the fabric). The wool fabric at the knee did not tear, but did "scuff" enough to make it "shine." That is a testament to the durability (rather than the fragility) of quality fabrics. I have yet to have any stitching come out (even when I've gained a little too much weight for the waistband)....OK, there was this once where several stitches pulled just a little (not more than 1mm) where the tailor had altered the length and turned up the cuff. Easy to fix.
I have gotten some stains on my suits/slacks, but not one that has yet to come out through dry cleaning.
Suits are not necessarily "happy" to be rained on, thus the rain coat. And though there are "winter" suits (thicker fabric and can be lined.....I love fully lined slacks!), a dress top coat (similar to a rain coat, but wool to keep you warm) is a necessary addition in cold climates.
I've bought most of my suits a several of the main national retailers. You don't have to pay a lot for a suit, but they don't come inexpensively, either. Many people who don't wear suits regularly, will have one or two in their closet for those special occasions. In a case like this, the "accessories" do assist in adding up the cost (such as shoes, ties, shirts, cuff links, belts, etc.) and often, one will have several shirts and ties per suit (to do the mix-and-match thing.....so they don't always look the same). So if someone is just starting out, they need to not only look just at the price of a suit; these other items need to be added into your budget. Additionally, not many "off the shelf" suits will just fit; they need to be altered. Expect anything from $20-50+ for simple alterations. Looking for sales are also beneficial to not paying an arm and a leg. With few exceptions, I rarely pay full price for shirts or ties.
Though
Nordstrom,
Macys, etc. offer some really nice suits, the sticker shock will be severe for most (expect prices like $700-1,000 for just the suit). There are several "wearhouse" stores worth considering. In the Seattle area, there is
Men's Wearhouse (which has 500 stores around the US) that sell suits for less than department stores and still offers a relatively good looking suit (I've heard suits there go for around $400-600).
I hope this has helped and most importantly that you got the feeling from me that suits are really meant to be functional; not just some fragile apparel that "isn't mean to be worn."
Being at work, I don't have access to my photos, but I did find one of me in a dress-casual look. This was a photo used for a corporate ID card...you know, one of those quick and dirty "stand by that wall and smile" photos (I don't even know if I smiled all that well). Jacket by Ralph Lauren with silk sweater.
