Indochino’s Travelling Tailor – The Results

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.