Review: Indochino Essential Navy via the Travelling Tailor
Post and photos by Arts & Culture correspondent Ben Madeska, who as an Indochino Newbie, was kind enough to head to Chicago for their travelling tailor event held a few weeks back. Head here for his initial impressions.
I received my Indochino suit and while it wasn’t a perfect fit, I am happy with it. Alternations need to be made, but these will be coveredby the $75 tailoring credit.
The fabric is 100% wool and a very dark navy. The lining is a pale pink and I really like how the two look together. Putting it on the first time it seemed to fit pretty well. It was noticeably snug but not uncomfortable in any place.
Jacket needs to be let out 1.5″ in stomach & hips.
The biggest problem was that the jacket was too tight when buttoned and would need to be let out. It was also noticeably shorter than my other suit jackets. I know that the style is swinging back towards more traditional length jackets, but I decided that this was fine by me and I like the way it looks. It’s about an inch shorter than a grey DKNY suit from Macy’s that has become my standard formal outfit. I wore this grey suit to a gallery opening recently and was told I looked like a banker, so apparently I could use something a bit trendier in my wardrobe. I think once the jacket is let out a bit it will wear the way I want it to.
Indochino continues to make short jackets. Top Navy: Indochino. Bottom Grey: DKNY.
I took the suit to my tailor and, after scolding me for getting a custom suit from a place where I couldn’t do multiple fittings, she noted the jacket needed to be let out in the stomach and hips 1 1/2″ each, the waist of the pants brought in, and the rise lengthened. The only adjustment she wasn’t sure she could make was the rise: she wanted to add ¾” but thought she only had enough fabric to add ½”. Even though Indochino offers the chance to have your suit remade, I’m not going to have this remade over ¼”, but I will have future suits add the full ¾”. As my tailor said, better to bring in suits that are too big than too small.
I like how this suit feels when I wear it, and where it fits well, it fits really well. It’s distinctive but not loud, and can be worn more casually than my other suits. I don’t feel like I’m getting ready for a job interview or a wedding when I put it on since it’s not very conservative. Yet it’s not completely off-the-wall either. It hits that nice sweet spot for me. As for the custom shirt, it fits very well. I didn’t even consider taking it to my tailor. It fits slim around my torso without being tight, and the sleeve length is actually good for me, unlike most off-the-rack dress shirts.
As Joe pointed out before, the real genius is not in your first suit from Indochino, but your second, third, and so on. I believe it was too much to hope for that the Traveling Tailor would result in a perfect fit right out of the box. Others may disagree. The adjustments that I need are along the lines with the off the rack suits I own, and when I order from Indochino in the future I hope there will be even fewer adjustments needed.
Rigorous testing has shown that cats approve of the fabric.
Feline needs to be let out on the sides,and haunches tapered…nice fabric though…
BRAVO.
Child please. Don’t be a pill.
“the jacket needed to be let out in the stomach and hips 1 1/2″ each” Which is why Ben is getting it let out with the $75 re-tailoring credit.
I know, I know I sound like an Indochino apologist, but I’ve had really good luck with them. And their essential suits don’t run $400. They run $379 – up to $75 in alterations, so really, around $300.
What I’d love to see, and I know this isn’t a possibility, is I’d like to see Indochino launch a ready to wear line. Same fabric, half canvas/hybrid that they use, minimal shoulders & higher armholes, all in standard 36, 38, 40, 42, etc… sizing. Without chopped jackets (even though Ben liked his in the end. More power to him, but I prefer something longer)… But this ready-to-wear strategy isn’t going to happen, because from Indochino’s perspective they might think this admits that there’s a fault in the process which is what their business is built on.
They can still make custom suits for guys with odd proportions. But to have access to their fabrics, shoulders, finish, etc… for a say, $300 price point seems hugely reasonable to me. Buyer would pop for the extra tailoring, and in the end they get an off the rack suit for around the same price as a Hilfiger / Banana Republic. And head to head, I personally prefer my Indochino suits (wearing the navy today) over BR and especially Hilfiger.
Bummer. I was hoping for a more exact fit from the traveling tailor. But i totally see Joe’s point. Order once, use the credit, update your numbers, and future purchases will be closer to if not spot on. Great deal for odd shaped guys like me!
I wonder how many of you have looked on eBay as an alternative? There are a great many Canali, Brioni, Armani, Zegna suits for sale for crazy low prices.
As long as you go for a seller with over 1,000 feedback and over 99% positive rating you know you’re not going to be stiffed.
I kicked myself for missing this auction before it ended:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OUTSTANDING-CANALI-PROPOSTA-NAVY-BLUE-DECONSTRUCTED-3BT-JACKET-SPORTCOAT-48-L-/170915553205?ru=http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=170915553205&_rdc=1&nma=true&si=6K6o8w%2Bg4j5oY2pELHLiX0mzurg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
24 bucks for a Canali jacket is just ridiculous.
For those of you who can’t afford a custom suit, but don’t want regular off the rack stuff it might be worth looking at.
So, the jacket’s too short? That sounds like a real problem.
Not impressed, especially since the original measurements were taken in person.
IMHO the idea that you’ll have your measurements dialed in by your 2nd or 3rd suit is a false economy. By that point you’ve spent $800-1200. At that price point you can go to a Nordstrom’s, Neiman Marcus, or Brooks Bros and try on before you buy.
Sorry but I have to say the reason why its a lot cheaper is the cut and lapel are still in the 80s. If its possible to trim a little bit on the lapel. And 3 button suit seems to be disappearing, I think 2 button suit generally looks more modern.
I wouldn’t disagree with your comments. I do have a couple of 3 button jackets, but my suits tend to have just two.
Your point about checking on the style of the suit to make sure it’s what you want before pulling the trigger is a good one.
I’m surprised that the in person tailor didn’t nail it. I’ve had problems with Indochino’s suits but blamed myself for poor measuring (the shirts fit great though). For me it’s worth the extra money to go with JCrew Ludlow, which in my case, tailoring is optional (My tailor makes a living on LEC, just shakes his head at JCrew). I’m keenly interested in Suit Supply too.
I agree with Joe that regular sizing would be a nice alternative.
Ron
38R
To me, if it’s way off, I send it back. And yes there is a cost there. But if they get it reasonably close, and that $75 re-tailoring does the trick, then you still get a well fitting half-canvas-hybrid-thingy suit for $300ish out the door.
So I don’t think we agree on what the 2nd-3rd suit strategy is. I see what you’re sayin’, but that’s not what I’m sayin’. Eh?
Agree with you that the end result here was a disappointment being that they took the measurements in person. Having the jacket let out that much shouldn’t be happening if their trained person (even if it’s just a quick training session) is taking the measurements.
I went to the SFO event myself and can’t wait to get my suit. I picked the three-piece Prince of Wales myself. Overall I enjoyed the whole experience of it – from getting measured, to picking pretty much EVERY detail of the suit and the “free” shirt. I did go with a shorter jacket so I could wear it without the rest of the suit and it (should) still look good.
I’ll have to post pictures of the everything when it gets in.
My first Indo suit turned out fantastic. For the price point, way better than purchasing an off the rack and going to the tailor. Not perfect. But what is in life? You can look AMAZING in not-exactly-perfect. For the “problems” with my Indo suit or any otr suit for that matter, I’m confident I still rock a suit better than 95% of the other men I come across.
Yup. This.
They’ve worked for me. Doesn’t mean I think they work for everyone and I’ve made that crystal clear in the past. As stated in comments above, I wasn’t thrilled with what Ben got back for all the in-person-ness.
I think the jacket length is fine. I prefer the shorter look.
Overall, it just seems like an awful lot to go through to get a suit you have to have altered anyway.
Interested to find out. I have two pretty damn good tailors right by my apartment in River North.
Just got my first Indochino suit and am pretty happy with it. Fit was perfect except for the waist needed to be taken in .5″ and the lower pant leg taken in 1.5″. It did have a busted seam which I think is a fluke because I’ve never heard anyone else have that problem, but anyway my tailor was able to easily fix that as well. A perfect fitting suit for $380 all in is a steal to me.
Unfortunately, I don’t live in Chicago anymore. Made a special trip for this.
Allen Edmonds Hale
Interesting. I think the key with Indochino is to know that the measurements are geared towards the fit they show on their models, and the fit of your unaltered suit – terrific shoulders/arms/chest, very tight around the midsection, and a short rise/tight leg.
I ended up having to add to my crotch and leg width measurements, and add a small amount to the stomach. Even after a remake, my tailor still had to straighten out the sides of the jacket – they had a fairly prominent curved taper – and remake the crotch, as it was almost tilted backwards so that the bottom of the crotch was facing more forward. I believe this may have been due to building standard-fitting paints on a slim-fit fit mold, if that makes sense.
Anyway, I’m overall fairly impressed with my suit, and enjoy wearing it more than several other suits from similar price points a year later; I just wish they’d tone down the trendiness of the fit a little bit. Still, if you have the time (and don’t mind a little scolding from your tailor!), it’s a fun and worthwhile project.
Suit Supply is amazing. Bought a suit there, and the experience was great. Though I will admit all the alterations pushed it over $500, it’s worth it IMO. Applying to B-school and needed an interview suit I could wear to weddings too, so went for the traditional navy. Looks great at both and has tons of little details I appreciate in addition to fit and fabric
I do agree it is a bad tailor that misses the mark that bad, assuming the people back in China are making the suit to the tailor’s measurements. But you are getting 3 suits for the price of one suit at Nordstrom’s (although they do offer free tailoring for everything, including their jeans).
It’s not the first time I read about sub-par results from Travelling Tailor events. Not only is the jacket too tight, the sleeves are WAY too short.
I have 2 Indochino suits, a coat and 2 shirts and I am generally very happy with them (considering the price and the still favourable Euro/Dollar conversion).
I would ask for a remake in this case.
Agree to disagree.
Several years ago I bought a MTM H. Freeman from a local fine menswear shop. The resulting suit was good, but not great. Then later I bought a Brooks Bros Milano, which is perfect for my body type. Guess which one I wear with regularity, and which one rarely comes out of the closet? Point is, I’d much rather spend my money on one great suit than one great suit and two mediocre suits that I probably won’t wear. However, that’s more a function of how I think of money than how I think of menswear.
This is about what I expected from their traveling tailor, and is on par with other reviews I have read about Indochino. If they are measuring you in person, I really don’t know why they can’t nail it. It’s disappointing, but then again, it’s a $300 suit.
I got the Essential Navy 3 Piece with Shirt and Tie through that Daily Hook-up deal (I paid extra for the waistcoat.) I have to say there was minimal work done to bring the jacket in, vest, and the shirt. They hit the pants perfectly. I’m kind of sad that I can’t give my seamstress more business on my next suit considering that I’ll have the measurements dialed in just right.
Body type is a big factor when choosing a suit style. H. Freeman used to be my suit of choice, but after a couple of years of endurance sports my body has lost a lot of bulk and European ultra slim suits (Boss, Burberry) now fit and look a lot better than American. I have a Hickey tweed sport coat that is still one of my favorites because it is timeless, but I can’t pull the waist in enough on their suits.
lol @ the rigorous testing. I went with the Prince of Wales three piece when they stopped by SF and am excited to see how it turns out. I went with the functional buttons so I’m hoping it’s not something I’m going to regret. If anyone can recommend a reasonable suit tailor in SF, I’m all ears.
Tried Indochino and believe it is a scam. I have unique measurements and suits do not even come close to off the shelf. I believe they have a bunch of off the rack suits in China that they try to pick one that might come close to fitting you and then claim you can go get it altered at a tailor and get credit. Such a waste of time. Get better results with “off the rack” suits.