When I set out The Great Suit journey, I knew the chances of finding a decent suit for $100 were slim. I also knew that most of the stores in Joplin at which I shop fairly regularly do not carry suits. My town of 50,000 has little to offer—Macy’s, JCPenny, New York and Company, Sears, and closeout merchandise stores like T.J. Maxx and Name Brand Clothing. What few boutiques we have are mostly “fun” middle-aged women’s clothing.

Then there’s Talbots.

I place Talbots in a separate category because I think Joplin is undeserving of this specialty retailer. When companies consider opening new stores, their main focus is on specific income based demographics. Thus, many stores pass up Joplin because it is on the low side for high incomes. But if people in my income bracket consider buying from there, maybe there is a market.

I know that I can get The Great Suit there. To make sure I was not spending needless money on name brand, though, I shopped everywhere else first.

I am suitless. Meanwhile, I am saving to buy a suit at Talbots.

Buying a suit is not technically an investment. A suit depreciates in monetary value. The benefits of buying The Great Suit far outweigh the cost. Not only does The Great Suit make you look smart, successful, beautiful, and classy, but you also know you look smart, successful, and classy. Samuel Johnson, I am told, said, “Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” Without self-confidence, there’s nowhere to go.

Before I get too far, I need to define what I mean by The Great Suit. The Great Suit includes matching jacket, pants, skirt and stellar accessories tailored to your coloring, shape, and personality. I might even include make-up and hair, but I think I will refrain from that topic in this blog series.

This investment is not only the suit pieces themselves but also accessories not bought at Target. I love Target! But cheap accessories make a Great Suit just a suit. If you’re “investing” that much money anyway, why not add a little extra to make it Great?

So, to give myself a goal, I browsed Talbots. Here is an estimate of what The Great Suit would cost (at the very least) based on their full prices.


Seamless wool-blend suit
Jacket $199
Pants $109
Skirt $ 99
Point collar shirt $ 69
Dot pantyhose $ 10
Plaid/rosette sash $ 34
Vachetta leather belt $ 39
Classic pumps $129
Faux-pearl earrings $ 29
Faux-pearl illusion necklace $ 44

The Great Suit total $761


Almost $1,000 for The Great Suit?!?! Is it worth it?

We wear suits to important events that are usually tied to money: interviews, television appearances, presentations, etc. If wearing The Great Suit means a job, a promotion, or receiving community support for future service events at MSSU, then I believe The Great Suit is worth $761 (plus tax). I guarantee that if I have The Great Suit on, it’ll be like marrying my husband—I’ll never doubt it was worth it.