SuitSupply’s Roma Cut—Is It Any Good?

SuitSupply introduced a roomier, more dramatic tailoring cut called Roma earlier this year. I first caught sight of it on a watch dude I follow on Instagram, and felt that it punched way above its weight considering how great it looked on him.

So I ordered a Roma-cut tobacco linen suit to see how I liked it myself and whether I would recommend it.

The short answer is: yes, this is a great-looking suit, and the Roma cut itself is a win for Italian tailoring aficionados. The wider lapels, roomier fit and longer body length are a boon; the trousers are high-rise and roomier as well, making them more comfortable (and more stylish—get some more drape in your clothing!).

The fit is a little more generous than their normal fit but not enough that you should size down. I ordered a 42R based on their measurements, and probably would take 44R then get alterations if I were buying this for real. I take 44R in SuitSupply’s other cuts. I’d want the little extra room in the chest, and the trouser waist was very snug on me.

One thing I do not like on this Roma cut are the armholes—they are lower, which I do not like. Most likely an attempt to make it more “comfortable,” and of course it depends on your physiology, but lower armholes just ruin a jacket’s range of motion without making it more comfortable.

The key question to answer is whether the price is worth it in the marketplace that exists today.

This suit is half-canvas. It’s made in China*. It’s $799.

Consider the key competition with a similar Italian design:

Spier & Mackay’s Neapolitan cut cigar linen suit, made from Irish linen by mill Spence Bryson, is $598. Also half-canvas, also made in China.

Natalino’s linen suit separates (they have no direct cigar/tobacco comparative product this season) come to $652. Also half-canvas, but made in Naples.

Cavour’s Model 2 suit retails for $1140, but is on sale for basically the same price of $798. It’s full-canvas, and also made in China.

Considering the quality—half-canvas, machine-made in China—the full retail of SuitSupply’s Roma suit is hard to justify in my mind.  The fully-cut sleeve buttonholes on their jackets are also a potential problem depending on your own sleeve length.

My conclusion: Spier & Mackay’s Neapolitan cut is the better choice. The quality is the same, the visual aesthetic is nearly the same, it’s cheaper, they use the same or similar great fabrics from world-renowned mills, and I like the fit better.

Equally good, or a little better is Natalino, which is made in Italy to the same quality and has a design that’s a bit more serious.

Read my reviews of tailored clothings—including these three, plus many more—here.

Read my guide to tobacco linen here.

*Made in China is not a negative nor a positive for me. Some of the best tailoring in the world is made in China. You cannot ignore the cost of a garment compared to its origin of make and the relative cost of labor, however. Assuming good wages and working conditions—something I think SuitSupply does well—I have no problems with Chinese-made clothing.

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