J. Crew vs. Indochino – Store Wars Semi-Finals

STORE WARS: J. Crew vs. Indochino

Starting March 15th and running through April 4th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2011. For a full introduction see this post. To see the updated bracket, click on the image to the right. Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown.
.
.

Strengths: The top of the non department store food chain. Their run of success over the past few years has been remarkable. Their Ludlow fit, their suits in general, and their sportcoats/blazers are certainly something. They get subtle patterns. They’ve partnered up with some heritage brands to offer unique, almost always incredibly good looking items. Their “Factory” line gives those of us without a huge bankroll an opportunity to get the look at a reasonable price.

Weaknesses: Can get a little too big for their britches sometimes (see the patent pending Muyjens-ometer for examples). Selling a Timex for $175 is ridiculous. Those damn “final sales” when you can’t return items. The high shipping costs from Jcrew.com. Overall, pretty expensive.

Strengths: One of the few places to find a well designed athletic cut suit because they’re actually custom made. Unique in their scope. Incredible customer service. Good to great sales, plus a $75 re-tailoring credit to guarantee your suit fits precisely the way you want it. Natural shoulders available on their suits. Incredibly customizable. Working their way into other avenues like accessories and outerwear.

Weaknesses: Those over the top website images. Sometimes if your second suit is made by a different tailor, it won’t fit precisely the same as the first (but the $75 credit should take care of that.) Their over-stacked sleeve buttons are strange. Shirts seem oddly expensive at $100.

Your votes determine who goes on to the Store Wars Finals. Cast your ballot below.
UPDATE: Indochino rides a twitter wave of support and knocks off J. Crew.
.