THE STORE WARS FINAL: Lands’ End Canvas vs. Indochino

STORE WARS FINAL: Lands’ End Canvas 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.
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Strengths: Another well executed J. Crewification of a normally bulky and older brand.  Trimmed down (but not actually all that slim) fits. B+ basics at A+++ prices. Terrific sales.  Not afraid to branch out into blazers, ties, and shoes.   Their incredible return policy, which reads: “…return anything at anytime for any reason for a full refund of its purchase price” Simple enough…

Weaknesses: You do have to pay shipping ($6.95 flat fee) to return items.  The fit isn’t as athletic as you think it’d be… it’s slimmer, but it’s not slim.  While they excel at good to very good, there aren’t many items that you’ll be drooling over.

How They Got Here: Absolutely destroyed Endless and their two-day free shipping in round one.  Rode a wave of support in the comments section (and some campaigning by LEC online) to a huge upset over Nordstrom in the second round.  Continued to build momentum as they dumped Goliath GAP in the semis.

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.

How They Got Here: Speed and youth helped the relatively new Indochino get the win against heritage Brooks Brothers in the first round.  Round #2 saw Indochino barely pull off the upset against Macy’s.  J. Crew was the next to fall to Indochino (with some solid support via Twitter) in the semi finals.

Your votes determine who becomes the 2011 Store Wars Champion.  Cast your ballot below.
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