My Burton Review
Burton as a whole is a good company.
The above statement is generally what most people would say about Burton, it’s also my opinion. It is a good company that sell good clothes at a good price. Once upon a time, 80% of my wardrobe was Burton branded, that’s now declined to 2%. To sum up my Burton review simply, as mentioned, Burton sell good clothes but after awhile good just doesn’t cut it.
History
I can’t say this is my Burton review without mentioning it’s history. The company has some amazing history, ever heard the phrase, “the full monty”?
Montague Burton founded Burton in 1904. After World War II, Montague Burton was one of the suppliers of suits to the British government. They supplied the jackets, trousers, waistcoats, shirt and underwear. Thus the phrase, “the full monty” was born.
As nice as that is, history is history and nowadays Burton are known as the little brother to Topman. I mean that in the un-cute way. Burton is cheaper than Topman with very similar quality and lightly chubbier. Topman is generally marketed towards skinny fit men while Burton is aimed more generally towards everyone. The issue then falls onto Quality – which both brothers lack unfortunately.
Burton is one of the cheapest options on the high street to buy a suit, usually ranging from £79 to £150. They fit the description of “off the rack” perfectly. Generally all are polyester or a polyblend with wool and usually come out quite thin. Their suits are not designed for an active man who enjoys walking or occasionally messing around. Try jumping onto a bench and it’s very likely you’ll rip the trousers at the crotch.
Collections
They have a few collections designed for everyone. I must admit, the difference between them is not much. I myself have owned a suit from every collection, as you can guess the best suits are the most expensive. The difference between the best and worse suits is very minimal.
£79 Machine Washable Suits
Supposedly Burton’s worst suit, this machine washable suit comes as a two piece suit, a jacket & trouser for £79. I’d never recommend machine washing your suits, even if they are machine washable. Out of all their collections, this suit is by far my favourite. All of the £79 suits come in default colours, black, grey & navy with no patterns or designs. They are simple, with very small lapels, usually forcing you into wearing a slim tie. They’re all a mix of polyester and viscose, which will often give them that shiny look to the suit, usually quite visible in the bright sun light. They way I see it, a suit for £79 – you can’t go wrong. Definitely the perfect suit for those starting out and building up their wardrobe.
For an extra £30 you can grab a waistcoat to spice things up, totalling to £109.
Wool Suits
Wool suits from anywhere are pretty much guaranteed to be a good buy. The fabric wool is very reliable and comfortable. All their suits in their wool collection are 100% Italian wool. The quality is impressive, it feels good and looks better. The fit isn’t bad either.
The wool suits have been created with work in mind. Designed in five colours you could wear to work, all year round. Black, Blue, Navy, Dark Grey & Grey.
For some strange reason, they only do wool suits in slim fit. If you happen to fit into a slim fitted suit, enjoy. Everybody else, jog on.
Standard Skinny/Slim/Tailored Fit
Burton design their suits in three different fits. They’re most successful line is their slim fitted suit. I wore Burton’s skinny fit suits for awhile but I found they just didn’t fit me comfortably enough and I ripped too many suits at the crotch. Slim fit was definitely my favourite fit in their suits, I found their slim fit suits the most comfortable and best quality. The tailored suits just felt a bit.. slim fit.
Conclusion
Burton is without a doubt one of the best hight street retailers in the UK. Unfortunately that doesn’t say much for the high street retailers. Burton is really good for price but the honest truth is, there are cheaper options with similar quality. As 75% of Burton’s suits are made from polyester and viscose, literally the cheapest option possible – you can get similar suits everywhere. Matalan is a great cheaper alternative to Burton if you’re on a low budget. Obviously it’s much more reputable to have Burton on the inside of your suit jacket than Matalan.
Overall a good company for anyone just starting to buy suits. I’d definitely avoid Burton if you don’t wear slim fitted suits. Tailored just aren’t there thing.
Hope you enjoyed my Burton Review.
