The Middle Class Luxury Suit: Indochino
Above: The Indochino De Rigeur Navy Suit – $399.00
For the sake of the argument, let’s just assume that most of us would consider a suit under $300 to fall into the “easily attainable” (okay, cheap) category. Anything above $600 or $700 is considered expensive. And really, there’s not a lot to choose from in-between.
So where do most of us go when we want to reach a little bit, spend a little bit, and get a suit that’s got a modern shape, classic details, and is made from real honest to God non-synthetic fabric?
If you haven’t already, you might now want to consider Indochino. Maybe.
I’ll admit it. I wasn’t convinced at first. $300 – $400 for a made to measure suit just seemed like it was too good to be true. Their marketing was tight, the website almost too slick, and there had to be some kind of downside I wasn’t catching. But fast forward six months and they look better than ever. Their website has been redesigned, they’ve expanded their suit selection, and they’re offering more add-ons like cuff-links, ties, and even outerwear.
Suits with peak lapels, patterns like herringbone, and rich fabrics like velvet (not for me, no thanks) are now an option. They’ve got multiple tuxedos to choose from, an incredible lineup of coats, and their basics like the classic Navy Blue suit are still running just $350. If Indochino really is too good to be true, wouldn’t they be gone by now?
You get your tailor to take your measurements, (or do it yourself, but I highly suggest your tailor do it) plug in the numbers at the Indochino Website, and pick your suit. A few weeks later it’s on your doorstep with a $75 re-tailoring credit if it doesn’t fit the way you want it to fit. Plus they discount. Thanks to Ken who mentioned over here that the promotional code couponsnapshotfall will get you 11% off a suit, a free shirt, plus a free tie. And it doesn’t expire until the end of November.
I don’t have any personal experience with them, so if you do and care to share, leave that in the comments section below. And like I said, I wasn’t convinced at first. But damn those suits look amazing.
So I might just be starting to change my mind.
.
I run a blog on them and have ordered 2 suits so far myself. I am myself very happy with the suits, but of course there are also people with negative experience. I think it’s always worth a try, especially as you can always get a full refund if you are not happy! There are always some good coupons around, in addition to the one mentioned in the article, I have some other ones on my blog.
I can speak for personal experience and guarantee you that online MTM rarely works out well for shirts, never mind suits. You will not be happy with the quality or fit of these suits. I would just stay with the cheap stuff (Alfani red, Jcrew, etc.) until you are able to afford something more substantial, as this will be nothing more than a large waste of time and money.
I’m really liking the look of this Belgian Pilot Jacket. Any thoughts on that?
I really disagree with Patrick Bateman. Anyway, most online MTM makers have a no risk policy – you don’t like what you get, you send it back and get a full refund – no questions asked.
So they’ll make you a custom suit, and if you don’t like it you can just send it back? That’s how real MTM works, but how in the world would an online MTM suit company make any money that way? I’m (not really) sorry, but I think you’re just trying to promote the company. Why don’t you post pictures of yourself wearing the suits or even a link to your blog post if you’re “very happy with the suits”.
@Patrick Bateman
I’m sorry if you have had bad experiences, but many people report good things about this, so there’s no need for your sarcastic implications of them making it up, or accusing them of just singing praises.
“why don’t you post pictures of yourself wearing the suits or even a link to your blog post if you’re “very happy with the suits.””
That’s really not what this website is about.
What’s more, unless we’re assuming companies full-out lie on their website, a 30 second browse of Indochino’s came up with the following:
What if my suit does not fit?
“Indochino is the only online retail company to offer a 100% Perfect Fit Promise. We will pay for alterations at a local tailor, remake the suit if needed, or give you a full refund. Because all our products are custom made exactly to your measurement profile, we have the unique ability to make the products you buy in exactly the way that fits you best. We encourage you to take advantage of our fit guarantee to enable every piece of clothing you wear to be styled and fitted in exactly the way you want.”
Sorry for the long post, but try researching before you spit your high-and-mighty attitude on here and talk down to people.
@ Joe:
The new site looks great. I might have to give this a go…
Cheers,
Ben
“That’s really not what this website is about.” I’m confused as to what this website’s about. You post this article about a brand, someone says they are satisfied with the product, I ask them to post pictures of said product, and… I’m told that’s not what the site’s about? I’d just like to see pictures of the product on a customer.
Dont know what the chip on Patricks shoulder is, but I can tell from personal experience that Indochino lives by their Perfect Fit promise.
I ordered a customized suit after doing the measurements myself. Turns out my measurements were slightly off and the suit didnt fit – even with the intervention of a tailor. Not only did was I able to return it, but Indochino actually remade a second suit to different measurements and sent it back to me.
And yes, the fit of a custom suit is unbelievable. If I had more cash, I’d get a second suit from them…
Geeze, I step away for a few hours and look what happens. First, I think Patrick was referencing Lorenz’s website, not Dappered, but I appreciate the defense Ben. Also, Patrick? Gotta agree with Ben about your attitude. I know this is the internet and extreme opinions are the norm, but… let’s keep the unnecessary bristling to a minimum on this particular website. Patrick, have you ever purchased a suit from Indochino? Because if you haven’t, you can’t guarantee anything about purchasing a suit from indochino. Just like me, which I don’t. And won’t. Until I do. Which, as I state, I’m leaning towards doing but I’m still not quite sure. I’m not in the market for a suit right now, but the next time I am, I seriously might try their ultimate gray. If/when I do, you’ll hear about the experience, start to finish here. Because I think it’d be of interest to most of you guys. Just pointing out they’ve made some changes to their site, their new suits look tremendous, they’re still the really only mid-grade option, and they’re still around and still going strong. That has to say something, doesn’t it?
I’ve had experiences with a few online MTM services (however you are right, no Indochino), and none of them have ended particularly well. I just think with online MTM, you REALLY need to know what you’re getting yourself into.
Also, both Lorenz and Romesh have now posted about their suits; is there any way we could get fit / quality pictures? I am genuinely interested in some sample images.
This picture isn’t of my or anyone I know, but of a guy I follow on Tumblr. He bought the Indochino Tux. This picture is apparently right out of the box.
http://suitsandboots.tumblr.com/post/1112491655/indochino-classic-tuxedo-pants-need-to-be-let
He says the pants need to be let out and sleeves taken up. But then again Indochino pays to have that done.
All the shoulders on their suits look way off, especially in that tuxedo picture
Patrick Bateman, click on Lorenz’s name and you’ll find a link to his blog (with pictures).
Admittedly he seems a little bot-like (unless he’s just REALLY pro-Indochino). But it’s not fair to accuse him of secrecy when he did provide a link to his site: http://indochino-review.blogspot.com/
^ I am Joe, who posted above. Wanted to specify that I’m not the Joe affiliated with Dappered; rather a non-partial web surfer with the same name.
@ Joe G: Too many Joes! No need for the clarification, but thank you…
I’ve heard a lot of things about Indochino, both good and bad. MTM websites are notorious for making ill-fitting clothing (very ironic, I know), and I’ve heard that Indochino is no different in many cases. That being said, I have heard/seen quite a few people that have had good experiences with Indochino. Overall, it’s a pretty risky purchase; either you’ll end up with a really ill-fitting suit that will give you a lot of trouble trying to tailor/refund/etc., or you’ll have a cheap and good-looking suit.
Just to clarify, my statement that “That’s not what this website is about” was in reference to the tone and attitude, not to posting pictures or links to some genuine pictures. I am also quite curious to see some pictures, Patrick, as I’m sure we all are (as Joe says, hence the whole post in the first place). I merely objected to the tone and assumption that experience with one was experience with all.
Cheers,
Ben
Gonna jump in here for a bit :). I haven’t bought one of these yet, but I was very interested in it and did a bit of research a month or so ago. I found a lot of pictures of people online wearing the suits, and they all looked pretty good (though yea kin makes a point the shoulder is a little off in that one above). Nothing deterred me from buying from them, I just found that I no longer needed the suit for now so postponed.
All of that said, their company seems really cool and forward-thinking. I like their awesome return policy, their website design, and the process of submitting measurements and such. I get a really good feeling from them when browsing and reading up on the company. I have looked into other online MTM services before too and didn’t get quite the same feeling at all. It isn’t fair for Patrick to put down this blanket statement that encompasses all online MTM companies from his experience with 1 or 2 individual ones… Stereotype much?
My next suit will almost certainly be Indochino, just not sure when that will be. When it does end up happening I’ll be sure to post pictures here.
Also, one last note, in all my time of browsing this site I think I have only once seen a reader post pictures of himself in the comments and that happens to have just been recently with Sabir P posting a torso shot of a shirt he got. We are all busy guys with lives, and I know I don’t really have the time to put on a full suit, take pictures (or have someone take pictures), edit the pictures for size/anonymity, etc, upload to an image site, and post a comment explaining them. If the opportunity arose that you had to get dressed up and take pictures, though, I’m sure most of us would be happy to do so. I just don’t know how often everyone gets in a suit; I know for me it is very rare :).
Im going to guess we will see this in the weekly round up.
@Ben: Ahhhh. Got it now. And… seriously, thanks. Trying to keep it more civil than most websites y’know? So I appreciate that comment.
@Faiz: Yeah, I think you’ll see it there!
Absolutely, Joe! That is absolutely one of the best parts of Dappered, as I’m sure anyone who’s ever been on styleforum.net can attest. Keep it up Joe!
Cheers,
Ben
hi guys, I’m not a bot, not an indochino employee either. I’m an indochino fan, but a critical one. I didn’t want to abuse the comment section here to promote my blog, but there are 2 personal reviews up, the latest one here:
http://indochino-review.blogspot.com/2010/09/indochino-blueprint-windowpane-suit.html
Not everyone is happy with Indochino, I want to say that very clearly (like with every company I guess). There has been discussions about the fabric quality, the shoulder construction, etc.
There are many more photos and reviews on this thread on Style Forum too:
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=52943&page=55
My brother and I both ordered from Indochino back when they still had “performance” suits made out of polyester for cheap. I couldn’t afford anything else. My suit didn’t fit well at all, the shoulders were too small and all of that. Just not working, not fixable, not worth it. So I returned it, and they were very accommodating.
My brother’s suit, on the other hand, fit like a charm. It’s polyester, but every time he wears it he sticks out. A few friends of mine put together a cocktail party and about 30 people attended, Marcus had the best fitting suit there. At one point several people gathered around him while he explained how he got it. A friend was impressed and ordered one, which was also perfect. It looks like I’m the only one that didn’t come away happy! I’m a little more athletic build, while my brother and friend are thinner.
I’d have to disagree with Patrick Bateman. I have owned expensive european suits and also own (and now LOVE) my indochino suits. The quality is far from low-grade, and the fit is absolutely 100% unmatched. A European cut with a perfect fit your body, how can you argue with that? Seems every time I check back with this company and order a new suit the quality has stepped up ten fold but the price stays the same.
Keep it up Indochino! You’re putting money back in mens’ pockets round the world.
If the return policy is so flexible it’s definitely worth a try! the prices are great…
There’s a full article on Primer about indochino and the writer goes through the process and posts pictures of him wearing his suit. Looks very impressive, though I’m not sure if that was a paid advert by indochino. If it was it’s misleading and primer will get docked some points in my book.
I’m dieting and losing weight now and as soon as I hit my target I plan to order a suit from indochino.
@Mickyo… this is the one you’re talking about, right?
I’ve seen several good looking Indochino suits in the area I live in. My only issue was that the low level managers I’ve seen wearing their executive style black suits look better than their superiors.
I just purchased my first suit from the site and will let you know how I like it when it arrives.
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