Indochino Ultimate Gray Three Piece Suit – $419.00
The Details: Regular notch lapel, center vent. Shirt by Alfani Red. Tie made in Italy.
Well I’m impressed. Eight months ago I was so full of skepticism that I claimed I’d likely stick with my favorite off the rack brands and my incredible tailor for the foreseeable future. Things have changed. I can say with confidence that my next suit will be from Indochino. Here’s why:
I don’t have to settle in one area to get what I want in another.
I don’t have to settle for some suit with flimsy construction because the shoulder padding is actually minimal. I don’t have to settle for low armholes because the price is too good to pass up. I don’t have to settle for a jacket that’s a little too short or a little too long because somehow I’m in between an R and an S, depending on brand.
This suit gets it all right. Especially the perfectly placed armholes and minimal shoulder padding. I could throw a curve ball in this thing and not tug at the torso. Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m completely in the bag for these guys, so here’s the few points I wasn’t totally impressed with:
1. My vest is too short. By about an inch, maybe inch and a half. Could be my torso is strangely long, or my lats are a little too wing-like, but it’s going back for a replacement. No issue though, customer service is fine with that.
2. The buttons on the jacket sleeve seem a little thin. They’re also layered really close on top of each other in what resembles a short flight of stairs. I prefer them not as stacked, which will streamline the sleeve. But that’s an easy fix via my tailor. (see an up-close of the buttons here)
Those are my only complaints. And they’re far outweighed by the advantages seen not just on this suit you see here, but also on the suits I have yet to order from Indochino. Here’s what I mean…
The real genius is not in your first suit from Indochino, but your second, third, and so on. Why? Because after you get that first suit out of the box and put it on, you can find what mistakes the tailors might have made (off the measurements you gave them mind you), and get them fixed with the $75 re-tailoring credit. Maybe the pants are a little snug or the jacket could come in just a touch. Indochino supplies you with a worksheet to record your new and improved measurements, and then you upload that adjusted data to their site.
That’s incredibly smart. Because as long as you keep your waistline in check, every suit after that one will be dead on perfect the first time you put it on. No extra tailoring necessary ever again. Load on top of that the brand’s unparalelled selection of fabrics and patterns, and Indochino succeeds in being incredibly unique.
Yes you do have to wait a few weeks for your suit to arrive. And yes you do have to weave your way through the slightly indulgent pics on their website. But there is one thing you won’t have to do with Indochino which you will have to do with almost all other affordable suits…
Settle.
.
Did you order an Indochino suit before, after, or during our $100 off coupon code promotion? Send us an email with your reaction, good, bad, or indifferent, and a compilation will be put together for an upcoming feature. Don’t want to hammer out an email? There’s always the comments section below too…
Are those pictures actually you in the suit, rather than some model off their website? I ask because the shoulder weirdness that shows up in a lot of pictures I see of their suits looks pretty minimal.
I just got one during the sale. I was really disappointed with the quality of the suit overall. Where the shoulder seams meet the material was rolled and bunched up underneath and could be felt. The pants fit horribly and the material was rather thin. I do agree the buttons felt flimsy and the sleeve buttons overlapped uneven. I went to get the suit tailored and remeasured for pants as they were way too tight around the tights. The tailor saw the name on the label and said just return it and get your money back. Apparently she has dealt with them before and had several bad experiences. So needless to say $20 something dollars later to return to Canada, I am still looking for a nice navy suit.
Looks great, and I’m especially happy to hear about the armholes, as stupidly low ones are my biggest pet peeve when it comes to suit jackets. My next suit will definitely be from there; maybe even the exact one you just bought.
From the up close shot of the buttons, it looks like the construction of the suit is questionable. The stitching at the suit cuff looks shoddy. Is that true, or did the picture not translate well?
I’m glad a blogger is actually USING these services and posting real pics for us to see 😀
That style of button is called stacked (English) or kissing (Italian). I have one nice suit with buttons like that and was told that they are a hallmark of a well-made suit, but I don’t know if that is true or if the salesman was just…selling. Are the buttons on your suit functional?
I wouldn’t want people to believe it gets better every time. I’ve ordered 5 suits from them and had to have 4 remade b/c the company lacks consistency. I spent a lot of time taking my measurements originally and did not get exactly what I ordered. For instance, they arbitrarily added 3″ to my sleeves which is not something that can be mistaken. I have made minor adjustments here and there to each subsequent order and have always had to send them back b/c it seems their QC is lacking or the same measurements used before are completely off base. That said, I will continue to be a customer b/c of the value.
addressing the sleeve buttons. there is an “advanced options” area where you can select higher armholes, natural shoulders (no padding) and some other features. among them is a working sleeve buttons option. which is a nice touch. plus, all of these options are free as they build the suit from scratch so it doesn’t matter to them really.
i’ve got two suits, and plan on getting more. i’ve definitely had some issues, but its been a learning process for me to get everything right, and every time i’ve had an issue they’ve been extremely willing to work with me.
i also have the 3 piece gray suit, and i love it. getting the pants tapered a little more. i also noticed the vest was a tad short, but i didn’t have them remake it, as they remade the jacket for me (which to be fair, was my own fault for not knowing about the advanced options the first time through).
@mk: That’s me. That’s the first and I’m guessing last time I’ll ever be confused with a model. But I’ll tell my wife she sure seems to know how to work a camera.
@andy: Construction seems far better than any Kenneth Cole NY / Alfani Red / DKNY / Calvin Klein I’ve ever tried on or have hanging in my closet. Maybe it’s the gray on gray backgroud?
@Charles: Buttons on my suit are not functional
@Jeff: So where are those advanced options you speak of? I missed those the first time around….
@Joe: Can you confirm whether the seams are stitched or glued? I’m not seeing the stitch marks on the lapel or the edge of the vest. That’s a bit disappointing if it’s not. I just got a j crew ludlow suit which I’ll review and the details on it are just outstanding. I will say the vest construction on the indochina is a cut above a normal vest, but the stitching is a must have, especially for $400 (which is what I paid for the j crew after the 25% off).
Sexy
After your past post about Indochino, I was still deciding about getting a new suit from Indochino or buy as always and take it to a tailor, I am tired of the off-the-rack suits that I currently own, low armholes, R too long or S too short, and always need to adjust sleeves, no matter R or S, just too short arms. I guess I am going to take the risk for Indochino. I have a question related to the “shoulder weirdness”, in the picture looks wrinkle a little bit, is that related to the construction padding? or you’re just a strong chest guy like me that usually almost every suit jacket makes those wrinkles in the top of shoulders?
@Ngoc-Huong: Looks stitched to me. There’s no pick stitching on this suit, but if you take each side of a seam and pull gently, you can start to see the stitching down in there. And remember, with the code we had going on, this suit was actually $319. Under $300 if you didn’t get the vest. Google Indochino and canvassed. It’s a moving target, but it seems like they’re improved their quality over time.
@Steven: Nah, THIS is sexy.
@Abiassaph: Correct. My traps do that with just about every suit. Doesn’t bother me a bit.
Looks very impressive Joe!
I must admit, I just spent a while going through the Style Forum on Indochino, and started getting a bit demoralized. Yours certainly looks much better than almost all I’ve seen on there to date, certainly for the first try.
My biggest concerns are like what Brad has mentioned… I’ve read they will arbitrarily add to your measurements? I don’t like the sounds of that. Do you feel that any of yours were added to?
I’m wondering if to avoid a potentially headachey return process it might be worth the extra money to spring for a J.Crew Ludlow and potentially any tailoring I might need. A big price jump, but so far I’ve heard nothing but very high praise for the Ludlows.
Eagerly awaiting your review Ngoc-Huong Nguyen!
Cheers,
Ben
Man, these guys must be making a killing. When I was living in Shanghai I could drop down to a fabric market and get a custom suit for anywhere from $50-80 and once you found a guy you liked you had no real quality issues.
I can imagine the operation they’ve got going on here, I’m sure they a bunch of different clothiers working for them, and quality isn’t always going to be consistent, its nice to hear that they have some good customer service though.
Those with experience ordering through Indochino, were your measurements self-made or did you get measured by a tailor? As an aside, has anyone had any experience with “Tailor Store” (link below) shirts, they were featured on Valetmag.com and seem to be reasonably priced. http://www.tailorstore.com/us/en
My suit did not fit just right. I had to take it to my tailor. Even then I’m not too happy with the sleeve holes. Too big. You know I did not figure out if it was my bad measurements or if they added anything. How would I do that? So it fits alright but not as slick as the suits I get from the Zara store where I live. I may buy again from Indochino if there is another great coupon like before.
@Ngoc-Huong Nguyen: where will you review the jcrew suit? i tried one on at their store, and is it just me or is the fabric really, really thin?
@Joe: how thick is the fabric on your new suit? that’s a big issue for me. a friend of mine has a burberry suit and it is luxuriously thick wool, but maybe you gotta pay a lot for that kind of fabric?
Joe- Did you go with the natural shoulder option, or standard? I ordered the Classic Navy, and will likely be going for a remake, as it is too small in nearly every dimension- maybe I was too optimistic in my measurements? I ordered natural shoulders and am trying to decide if I should do so again.
@Andy: When I ordered from Indochino, I did the measurements myself. I had to have the sides of the jacket taken in a bit, but that was covered by the $75 alteration credit. Otherwise, the suit fit quite well.
Ordered a black suit from them as my first try. Measurements were done with the assistance of another person and the videos. I tried to get the measurements a bit snugger because I wanted a slimmer fit suit and I chose natural shoulders and high armholes. It arrived well within the time frame.
Opened the box to find the quality of the fabric just acceptable rack but willing to work with it. Put the jacket on and felt like I was swimming despite my snugger measurements. The shoulder seams were all frumpy and not at all defined like your picture above. Arm holes still felt quite low. The stitching inside the jacket for the lining would also create unsightly bumps on the outside surface of the chest area. Needless to say it had to be returned.
The shirts on the other hand were great. Fabric and fit was quite good save for some adjustment would have been needed to take them in on the sides. But I returned them nonetheless as part of the package.
I didn’t want to bother with the hassle of the remake as well as I am uncertain how the return policy works on a remade suit if I am still dissatisfied.
Overall, I don’t know if I would try it again. The suit above looks really nice but I can’t say if I could receive the same. Maybe it’s a one off experience for me but I’ll wait for the reviews to get more consistent before I decide to try again.
@vizzle: The fabric is much thicker than the Kenneth Cole New York’s and DKNYs I have in my closet. I was instantly impressed in how it felt in my hands. Now, I can’t imagine that it’d stand toe to toe with a Burberry, but I paid around $300 for this suit during the promotion. I think the price point is a key thing to remember. Many will compare an Indochino to a $600 – $1000 suit. I don’t own a single suit in that price range, and to me, the one that I pulled out of the box from Indochino is far superior to the Alfani RED, Hilfiger Trim Fit, Banana Republic, etc… that I usually try on and purchase. That, and since I’ve got a shape that’s not “normal” the custom measurements (with tweaks of course) are an incredibly welcome option.
@Nate: I went with the standard option. My next suit from them will probably be a slim lapel natural shoulder though (just to mix it up). Interesting that yours was smaller, while most mention that theirs showed up too big?
oooo weeeeiiii Joe. Stitching here, hole there, tight somewhere, hey the suit looks good on you! haha My lady says you have a fan.
@Ben & @Vizzle: It will be on my blog, but I don’t want to be pimping my blog on someone else’s blog, especially Joe’s! If you’re very curious you can find my blog quite easily, but I’ll send Joe a link and if he thinks the material is useful, I will link it here.
@Joe: That was very informative information about canvassing and indochina suits. I did a quick roll check on my cashmere sport blazer and I’m pretty sure it’s 1/2 fused, although apparently that’s not a big deal on a blazer. I’ll try it out on the J Crew fine stripe ludlow when I get it back from my tailor (which apparently the suit of the year here! http://dappered.com/2010/01/j-crew-cotton-ludlow-suit/ )
You seem to be wearing the exact tie (even if a little wider than I envisioned) that I would like to wear in my wedding this summer. Details please?
Nice post, Joe. And the suit looks good. I just ordered, and returned, their black suit. The jacket fit perfectly, and construction and material was fine, but what bothered me was what I thought was the extreme cut of the pants: very shallow crotch — almost felt like a jean cut and not a suit-pant cut. And apparently this can’t really be fixed and, unlike the jacket, there is other option than this cut. It’s too bad, because I had a good experience otherwise (and kept the 2 shirts I got with it). Also great customer service.
But I wish they offered a slightly less extreme cut in the pants — something like the “Ludlow” cut of J. Crew is an example of a cut that’s modern, but which somebody over 30 can also where, which I don’t feel is possible with the Indochine cut they’re now using.
Anyway, would be interested in your thoughts on the pant cut, Joe. Those in your photo don’t look quite as extreme as the ones I got with the black suit.
I purchased this suit a month ago. I have purchased from a pretty wide range of places. From Brooks Brothers, Jcrew and others. I was happy with this suit and I’d purchase another one. The only problem I had was they messed up the waist. Luckily my tailor was able to fix that and I got a credit from Indochino to cover the alterations.
@nys: I didn’t notice the rise of the pants being especially low? Is it possible that you could change your measurements to compensate? I think some of their measurements can be a little confusing, one of which being the “crotch” measurement, of which you more or less give yourself a front to back tape measure wedgie for. Maybe you could increase that one?
@Joe, advanced options are in the upper right hand are of the page, right next to the “save” button. its a little white text that you can click on. if you go to the suit, then customize it, as its taking you through the standard options, you should see on the right above the descriptions.
@ Ngoc-Huong:
Just found your blog, and thanks for the reference!
Cheers,
Ben
@Ryan: It’s a brand callsed “Frangi” that was sold through Tie Rack stores. Not sure if they make it anymore. I actually purchased it during a layover a few years back in the San Francisco airport. Super thick, easy to tie any knot you want to tie in it… a little wide at the bottom but I’m thinking about having my tailor slim it down.
Ah, I had missed this! Looks pretty cool from the pictures you showed! I will put up my own review of an Ultimate Gray Suit on the weekend (had the one without the vest) and I am pretty happy with it myself.
Great post.
Just bought this – Polo Ralph Lauren Regency Repp Dot Silk Tie – in a desperate attempt to find the long lost twin to your tie pictured above. Wish me luck.
I would like to order, but I’m concerned about the sleeves and buttons. It appears that the seam is most of the length of the sleeve and doenst overlap like most suit jackets – ie there is no real folded cuff effect…
Does anyone else agree that this is a problem??
MJS, how did you ship back to Canada? Did you use USPS or one of the more expensive carriers? What did you declare as the value? I am worried that it will get stopped at customs. Any help would be appreciated.
Great job! Here, I just want to collect some ideas from the experienced that, how do you think about another similar site: http://www.upunique.com?
What did you end up declaring as the value? I’m also returning my suit and I have the same concerns as you did.