Off the rack good suits run $300 and up. The high end off the rack suits start at $800. Custom suits start at $1200 unless the seamstress is family. I can’t see the difference. I’ve used the same suit for 4 seasons and I bought it used. My mentor used it for one season then lost weight so he sold it to me. I will buy a replacement before the 2019 season and it will run a little over $300. The old suit will be used exclusively for Pet Pictures with Santa. My belt, buckle, and buttons aren’t original. If I’m making an appearance where I’m gonna be a while and might take off the coat, I wear a pirate style shirt and a vest. Both custom made. I’m upgrading my boots this year from the good costume boots to AdTec 16” engineer boots. To assemble a complete outfit as I normally appear, it would cost at least $1500 to buy it all again. I haven’t ruled out the possibility that those high end off the rack suits might be sufficiently superior to my $300 suit. It might require wearing on to appreciate the difference. I have 2 vests from 2 different seamstresses and very different prices. I about choked when I saw the higher price of one vest. But once I saw the quality of her work, I knew it was a bargain.
I’m very traditional in how I try to look. But what’s tradition in the US isn’t tradition for everyone. I use the Coca-Cola ads from the 30’s as my guide as well as the poem “T’was the Night Before Christmas”, the original “Miracle on 34th St”, and the 1970 “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” I prefer the Coca-Cola look; fur at the bottom of the coat and on the cuff. None up the middle and no fur collar. I can go with or without fur on my boots. In the UK, I’m told a Father Christmas look is pretty common with a long robe over a vest.
Some guys use a lot of extra stuff like canes with bells on them, bells hanging from their belt, jeweled keys, and any number of extra stuff I consider junk and not true to the fable of Santa. But clients aren’t the perfectionist I try to be. They just want to be entertained. While I’ll never use bells, I will be adding some things in to my performance for entertainment purposes.
