[PeanutButter]

Hi RS,

I just booked an appointment with Indochino downtown and this is my first time getting a custom suit or a suit from Indochino.

Has anyone gotten a suit from them before?

I was just wondering if there is anything I should know about before I go in.

The only issue I think i'll have is that my weight is fluctuating right now.
Currently, the last week i've been around 160lbs, but I was 167lbs a few weeks ago. I attribute this to not eating enough as I've been going to the gym three days a week. I just weighed myself now and i'm 163lbs now, this is due to consciously eating more and using protein to supplement my food intake.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice in regards to the suit fitting process or what to ask for specifically.

I don't have a suit that really fits me at the moment, so i'm probably going to go for a charcoal suit? Maybe even a dark blue or navy. I'm not sure.

Thanks

[SeanJohn]

Charcoal is nice, it's a colour that goes well with lots of things. I personally think its a versatile choice for your first custom suit.

Tell the person taking your measurements about your weight issues. They can add a little more room here or there to allow for weight fluctuations. I told them to add a little more because I like the fitted look without the suit being so damn tight like so many guys like nowadays.

There's not much else to say since it's a pretty straight forward process. Turnaround time is probably 4-5 weeks right now due to backlog from their Asian suit makers taking time off for Chinese New Years and because you're competing with grad season.

[Ch28]

You can't go wrong with charcoal, black, or navy blue.

Friend got a suit there and turnaround time for him was 4.5 weeks. It didn't fit as well as he hoped, so they gave him an alteration credit and he went and got it altered here locally.

[nabs]

If you go through with it, please give us feedback on your experience and results. I am really curious about this as well and have gotten a lot of mixed reviews.

[nns]

If you search the fashion forum you'll get some hits. I read those and went to Raffionatto instead. Some people voiced concern about indochino's quality.

[flagella]

Done that once with my co worker when they were doing this event in downtown renting a location with bunch of people to measure you and you get to see all the samples and select on the spot.

Long story short, the people they hired to measure were inexperienced kids and we both ended up returning out suits as they were way off. I do have some friends with positive experience so I guess it's a hit and miss largely depending on who you get. Certainly one of the cheapest custom suits out there but if you have higher budget, I'd go with more expensive options. Zegna in the pacific center sometimes have promotion events, and in my experience, their staff was way more experienced than some of those we met at indochino who probably received like 20 min training on how to measure prior to the event. You get what you pay.

[7seven]

I went with some of my coworkers when Indochino setup their first pop up shop event in Vancouver a couple years ago, mine and 2 others turned out pretty good, I'm still wearing mine to this day and I wear a suit every day to the office, so with the number of suits I have, I probably wear it once every 2-3 weeks.

One of my coworker's suit was really off, the jacket and sleeve lengths were really off, I think what happened was that for the pop up shop, they just hired a bunch of temp workers and gave them a brief training on how to take measurements, apparently the one my coworker got didn't really pay attention I guess, but he got his remade and it turned out fine, just annoying it took so long due to the remake. Given that you are going to their permanent location, I would imagine they would have someone experience there taking your measurements instead of the pop up shop inexperienced temp workers.

[highfive]

If you want a custom suit, try minichiello's in north vancouver.

They actually do multiple fittings and not just measure once and your suit is ready.

It's all tailored in Vancouver so it'll be more expensive than indochino.

[SkunkWorks]

I'm the Vancouver rep for EPH Apparel. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about made-to-measure :)

[Tone Loc]

IMO I would go to an actual tailor shop, simply because the person making your suit is usually the same person (or group of people) measuring it.

It won't cost much more than Indochino and you don't have to deal with the hassle of mailing things back and forth if it doesn't fit.

That being said, I have heard good things about them, but personally I also fluctuate in weight and like a little more room in my suits, so the best option for me would be a brick-and-mortar store rather than online.

[dat_steve]

they're definitely not bad, especially for the money.

Just expect that the first run will be off, and by the second adjustment it should be fine. the only setback is the turnaround. the whole process for me took about 7 weeks (from first order to receipt of final revised order).

[Derek_N84]

There are mixed reviews for sure, I've personally had very positive experiences with them from service to the suits. I currently own three and I like them more than other suits in my wardrobe. Go in there knowing the kind of fit you would like along with the available options, it'll make the experience quicker and the suit will be a reflection of you VS something that was made based on someone else's suggestions.

If this is your first suit, I suggest navy or charcoal (which I personally feel are your most versatile suits)

[PeanutButter]

I'm the Vancouver rep for EPH Apparel. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about made-to-measure :)

Thanks, you got PM.

[Gh0stRider]

interested in this as well. Wouldn't mind a grey or navy blue suit.

[busdriverman]

bought a custom suit from Indochina quite a few years back. Price was good but you can see some threads on the insides that are loose and showing through different layers of the materials. For the price, I cant complain.

[Hondaracer]

What's the pricing like? I was thinking of checking it out later in the summer

[Tim Budong]

interested to know, I usually get suits/shirts made when I travel to HK.

[lowside67]

I received a MTM suit as a graduation gift and visited all the tailors in Vancouver before settling on Blair Shapera. The price point is not the same as Indochino so it's probably not a fair comparison, but if you sat down with all the "reputable" tailors in town, I would be surprised if you chose anybody other than him. He is fantastically knowledgeable, a real perfectionist with an eye for detail, and extremely accommodating - all the characteristics I was looking for.

You only need to spend a short bit of time with him to understand that he really loves what he does and is very proud of his work. He can do anything under the sun but really works hard to educate you and help you make smart decisions about things that are versatile and really work for you, rather than just fitting the image that you think you want.

His suits start at $695, which I appreciate is a lot more than Indochino. I have had a few friends who have ordered from Indochino and honestly their experience was enough to reinforce that they were not an option that I was considering. It's not that they can't make a nice suit, but a made to measure suit is AT LEAST 50% all about good measuring and that's where I think they really fall down.

The best testament I can say is that I am not a rich guy and my suit at $945 is the most expensive suit I have ever bought by a big margin because the wool I chose was much more expensive. However, I wear a suit every day and already in my time with this suit, I am already saving for the next suit because I am so impressed with the caliber of work that Blair does. I also ordered some custom shirts and think they are very good at $145 but if I had to choose wearing off the rack shirts at $60 + $25 to tailor the sleeves to afford another suit, I would do that as I think the suit is really where he shines.

Just my $0.02, hope it's helpful.

Mark

[tiger_handheld]

Bought a grey suit last year and couldn't be happier.

Sam was great to deal with.

Fit wise, the first try was absolute shit, too tight jacket, too short & tight pants. Sam noted all the adjustments (ie. re-make of suit) and in about 3.5 weeks I got my replacement.

Second time, fit was 98%, had a couple minor tweaks that was done at the local tailor.

I also bought a Ted Baker suit a year prior, and comparing the two I prefer the Indochino.

I will be going back - unless EPH Apparel can convince me otherwise ;)

[lowside67]

Bought a grey suit last year and couldn't be happier.

Sam was great to deal with.

Fit wise, the first try was absolute shit, too tight jacket, too short & tight pants. Sam noted all the adjustments (ie. re-make of suit) and in about 3.5 weeks I got my replacement.

Second time, fit was 98%, had a couple minor tweaks that was done at the local tailor.
My buddies have had similar experiences for sure, I will say Indochino is good at continuing to try to get it right. But at the end of the day, they seem to make at least 2 suits (they literally made 3 for one of my friends to get it right) for a lot of people. To me that suggests that we are overpaying a lot if you are only getting 1 since they seem to be able to afford/budget for producing 2.

Blair's suits are made in Montreal, I believe the same is true of Dunn's. I never ordered one from Dunn's but the one I ordered from Blair required 2 separate fittings to make it perfect, but the suit was incredibly close right out of the gate, I was amazed. The first fitting was literally hemming the pants and adjusting the jacket 1/4", the second fitting was a slight tweak to the hem and I was done.

Mark

[4444]

if you're getting a suit, you really should pay up a little more and get a decently made one. a suit should last you 5 years or so with moderate wear - spend a little more to get one that you actually enjoy wearing.

most people i've heard (i've bought one, never again) say they just fit a bit off.

[Tapioca]

If you're willing to spend $400 on something that doesn't fit right, then spend a little bit more and get something like Suitsupply. Better fabrics and half-canvas construction for about $600.

Or, you could just find something off-the-rack like Samuelsohn at the Bay for 600-700 which will be beyond anything you'll get at Indochino. Save 100-200 for tailoring and you'll get fully canvassed construction, Italian fabric which will last you for years.

[multicartual]

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo mainstream

[Farfetched]

If you're willing to spend $400 on something that doesn't fit right, then spend a little bit more and get something like Suitsupply. Better fabrics and half-canvas construction for about $600.

Or, you could just find something off-the-rack like Samuelsohn at the Bay for 600-700 which will be beyond anything you'll get at Indochino. Save 100-200 for tailoring and you'll get fully canvassed construction, Italian fabric which will last you for years.

Samuelsohn mtm goes on sale a couple times a year at Harry Rosen. If your price range is ~$1200, it's about the cheapest you'll find for fully canvassed suiting. I'm not even sure that there are too many places that will do fully canvassed suits locally.

[cowabunka]

i have many friends that had bad experience with indochino, most of them were complaining about the fitment of the suits and the fabric quality.

[4444]

If you're willing to spend $400 on something that doesn't fit right, then spend a little bit more and get something like Suitsupply. Better fabrics and half-canvas construction for about $600.

Or, you could just find something off-the-rack like Samuelsohn at the Bay for 600-700 which will be beyond anything you'll get at Indochino. Save 100-200 for tailoring and you'll get fully canvassed construction, Italian fabric which will last you for years.

THIS

personally, i've never found the right fit at suit supply, but their quality of materials is day and night above indochino.

their off the rack is the best quality, as they buy in such bulk from high end suppliers (I know ppl that work with suit supply)

[ancient_510]

I usually get suits/shirts made when I travel to HK.

+1

I have a HK tailor recommendation if anybody wants it.

[Tapioca]

Samuelsohn mtm goes on sale a couple times a year at Harry Rosen. If your price range is ~$1200, it's about the cheapest you'll find for fully canvassed suiting. I'm not even sure that there are too many places that will do fully canvassed suits locally.

I bought a Samuelsohn suit at the Bay on sale for $350ish. During sales, full off-the-rack suits are routinely available for 600-700 at the Bay. People overlook the Bay downtown, but deals can be had if you're willing to hunt.

I've had a few suits over the years - Modernize, one from an HK tailor, and some off-the-rack suits. I wore Suitsupply on my wedding day (Washington fit), but I would probably invest in something like Samuelsohn for everyday wear.

I had a shirt done once by Indochino and it wasn't bad. But, I wasn't impressed by their fabrics for their suits. They have a very good thing going, but there are other options out there - whether you want to go made-to-measure or off-the-rack.

Back to the OP: the colour you should get for your first proper suit is Navy. Navy is a classic colour that takes you from weddings, job interviews, formal functions and everything in between. Navy is versatile too as you can wear your jacket with grey or beige pants if you need to attend a business casual function.

[gars]

I got an Indochino suit a few months ago for my wedding. Quite happy with it, would do it again. I also got one a few years ago when they first started out.

I would say I'm happy that someone at the store was able to measure me out - and also help me out during the alteration part. Getting the alterations done was easy because the girl there knew where to take it in, and which part to let out, etc - and I didn't have to find my own tailor. Their in house tailors did all the work, I didn't have to get reimbursed, etc.

I'm a bit on the shorter side - so buying an off the rack suit just won't really work for me. The selection of suits that have a shorter size is much smaller to begin with, but the pockets would all still be in the wrong place even if I were to get it altered.

The other option is to go with a tailor like Maxwells Clothiers (http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/) - but they only some by a few times a year - plus they're still quite a bit more expensive than Indochino - and their lead time is usually a few months (plus there are no returns).


In the end, yes you pay for what you get - but for me, I wear a suit maybe 5 times a year, I'm happy not having to pay $1000 for it.

[!e.lo_]

glad this thread is here.
I'll be looking for a couple suits really soon.

agreed with gars, short people have it rough when it comes to off the rack options.

[ForbiddenX]

My groomsmen and I got our suits off Indochino and they were all pretty good. No complaints here. I'm planning on getting a navy suit from them as well but will checkout Suitsupply as well.

[Infinitii]

Anyone have recommendations on good place that tailors dress shirts/sells them to your fit?

[van_city23]

Indochino is having a promo right now, 2 premium suits for just under $1000 CAD. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger after reading that if after their alterations at the showroom it's still not up to par, you can return for a full refund.

[multicartual]

Guys, if you want to check out some cool alternatives to suits, check out yoox.com!


Seriously they have a crazy selection and sales all the time...


http://i.imgur.com/VJosmxU.png


http://i.imgur.com/YA7JzR2.png


Lots of unique clothing you'll never find in Vancouver, and often you can find things like a new blazer for $60, or some sweet shoes for under $100.


My friend was on here at like 4 AM and he got like 4-5 Emperio Armani items for under $500! Also you can get Prada stuff for like 80% off if you're into the high end. :smug:

[PeanutButter]

Just figured I would update the thread with my experience with Indochino.

I ended up getting their classic charcoal suit. I thought the fabrics were pretty good, and if you wanted the more expensive ones, they had them.

The overall process was a 6/10.

The first fitting was interesting, everyone who works there is pretty young. I would say under 30. So experience wise, they don't have it. I didn't feel like the employees are particularly knowledgeable about their product or even cared about it.

I chose all my customizations, which was a plus because they had quite a few. The input from the rep wasn't very much, they always just said it was up to me. Yeah, I know it's up to me, but it would be nice if they could guide me a little bit or give me suggestions.

I received my suit in the mail in about three weeks. Initially, the pants fit pretty well, I had to alter the pockets a little as they stuck out a bit. The jacket needed some alterations for sure.

The "Second fitting". Make sure you book multiple second fittings after you send your suit in. The second fitting appointments are back up to at least one month. It was rather disappointing I had to wait so long to alter the suit.

Now this is where the lack of experience started to show. So, I have about four suits, but I don't particularly know much about how a suit should look or fit. I went in and the girl didn't give me any significant suggestions. I knew a couple things that I wanted altered for sure, but I wanted to test her a little bit to see what her suggestions were.

She pretty much asked me what I thought. I asked her what she thought and she said, it looks pretty good on you. Thanks, but I need feedback Jodie. FFS. The major issue was the fabric around the should was creasing a little bit, so I asked her if that was normal. No, she said, and she pinned it to get it altered. Then I asked about my silhouette and wanted to get the right tapered a little bit. It just didn't look right to me and I told her to evenly match the other side. After she pinned both, I still looked at the suit and felt something was off. I didn't know what it was, but I felt something was off. I asked her again what other suggestions she had and she said I nailed everything and it looked great. FFS. I agreed and left.

I got back the suit and I still felt something was off, so I did some research online and figured it was the circumference of my arms. They were too boxy and baggy. So I made an appointment for my third fitting and mentioned this to this new girl that was helping me. She pinned the bottom of my jacket and it looked better. I again asked what this girl thoght, and she said it looked great. I still thought it looked off, better, but still off. Then I mentioned maybe to take some fabric off on the top of the sleeve closer to the shoulder, she said oh yeah, I think that would help. FFS.

So I just left indochino today and hopefully it'll look perfect. I get that for the price, I shouldn't be complaining this much, but I feel if you're a noobie suit guy like I am, you may not get that perfect custom suit you imagined. It'll take some work and the staff at Indochino aren't very helpful.


TLDR: The staff at Indochino is not very knowledgeable and they fail to give proper suggestions on fit. You are pretty much left to make suggestions to them for alterations. Which, makes getting that perfect suit difficult.

[winson604]

All I could think about when I read the initial post by OP was this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTzEybULzRg

[wingies]

TLDR: The staff at Indochino is not very knowledgeable and they fail to give proper suggestions on fit. You are pretty much left to make suggestions to them for alterations. Which, makes getting that perfect suit difficult.

Sucks that it didnt work out well for you at all, but thanks for taking the time to update the rest of us and giving a review

[van_city23]

Peanutbutter is dead on. I ordered a couple of the premium ones when they had a promo going a couple of months ago. If you know what you're doing and know how a suit should fit and look, then it's not a bad suit. Just book 3 2nd fittings. I took me 3 in total to get both how I wanted them to be. The people doing the fittings don't know shit. I have a couple of suits from Blair who was mentioned by others and the process isn't even close to Blair. The quality was decent but you have to be patient and keeping going back till it's exactly what you want. I only did it because of the full refund so thought I would give it a go. I wouldn't recommend them if you don't know how a suit should look on your body. Or rather, take it to a proper tailor and get them to reimburse you. I personally will never get another suit from them. Yes it was a good price for the quality but not worth it to have to keep going back to get it how it should be. They actually had to remake one of my jackets. Anyways, made me appreciate Blair much more. Take my comment about the quality as preliminary, I shouldn't comment on it till I wear it a few times and put it through a dry cleaning.

[skyxx]

Skip Indochino and go to suitsupply, Order all the suits you think you'll like, then return the ones you don't. Bring the suit you picked for alterations and BAM you'll have a pretty damn good fitted suit. Or, you can just go to Blair and completely get a MTM suit. At the end of the day, the price difference between getting a suit from Suitsupply w/alterations and one directly from Blair isn't that much of a difference. But with suitsupply, you'll get quality material that you "might" not find at Blair (Not saying Blair's quality isn't good with their basic MTM suit selection"). If you want a more exact fitting suit, just go the MTM route with Blair.

[Chronix]

I remember going to a tailor at metrotown to get my measurements because i wanted to get a suit from indochino and she told me to stay the fuck away. People always come to her for alterations from indochino. I ended up going to harry rosen to buy my suit and the staff were knowledgeable enough to alter them to fit properly on me.

[fsy82]

Whats the point of going back multiple times getting alterations done. The first measurement should be the right. I went to Moores and bough a nice CK suite for $600. The quality is great, the staff were very knowledgeable and the measurement was spot on.

If your buying a suit spend the extra money to get something that will last. Also time is money and I wouldn't want to go get a the suit fixed 3 times. Also 7 week turnaround? That is messed up. I got mine back after one day.

[van_city23]

Also 7 week turnaround? That is messed up. I got mine back after one day.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Difference between getting a MTM suit and one off the rack and altered.

I've been under the impression it generally takes 4-6 weeks for a mtm. Indochino took longer, Blair took 6 the first time, about 4 the 2nd time i used him.

[gars]

If you're the right height and approximate size of the average guy - then I would skip Indochino.

I'm short though, and even the short suits off the rack will be too long on me. You can only shorten a jacket so much before it starts looking funny.

I guess I'm lucky - the girl I had at Indochino actually knew what she was doing. I put the suit on, and she just started putting in pins.

[SpartanAir]

Other options for people buying suits on a budget are vintage or second-hand stores. You can get lucky if you shop around, and then take them to a tailor.

Or, keep an eye out for wardrobe sales in the film industry. Sometimes they are advertised. I have 3 suits, all of them from wardrobe sales, including an $1100 Hugo Boss suit that fits me like a glove I got for $100 :fuckyea:

But it helps that I work in the industry. If you have friends in film get them to keep an ear out for sales!

[CRS]

Other options for people buying suits on a budget are vintage or second-hand stores. You can get lucky if you shop around, and then take them to a tailor.

Or, keep an eye out for wardrobe sales in the film industry. Sometimes they are advertised. I have 3 suits, all of them from wardrobe sales, including an $1100 Hugo Boss suit that fits me like a glove I got for $100 :fuckyeah:

But it helps that I work in the industry. If you have friends in film get them to keep an ear out for sales!

Advance thanks for the hook-up, bro!

[murd0c]

Other options for people buying suits on a budget are vintage or second-hand stores. You can get lucky if you shop around, and then take them to a tailor.

Or, keep an eye out for wardrobe sales in the film industry. Sometimes they are advertised. I have 3 suits, all of them from wardrobe sales, including an $1100 Hugo Boss suit that fits me like a glove I got for $100 :fuckyeah:

But it helps that I work in the industry. If you have friends in film get them to keep an ear out for sales!

WOW talk about a steal


I haven't owned a suit in 15 years and have been looking to get another one but since I'm a bigger guy I can't find anything that fits decent and I have been everywhere

[Majestic12]

Indochino suits can look "ok" on the outside, but they have shit construction. You get what you pay for -- mediocre fabrics, mediocre tailoring.

Granted, not everyone can afford a local, highly skilled tailor. However, if you do your research, it's actually not too difficult to find options in Asia that will manufacture a suit based upon provided measurements. Of course, it's not the same as being in the shop and having 2-3 fittings, but if you find a good tailor it'll still be miles ahead of Indochino.

On top of that you can customize everything, not just what Indochino allows you to change.

I also second Suitsupply as an excellent choice for off-the-rack. Just bring it to a tailor afterwards to fix it up. The chances of any clothing fitting you perfectly off the rack are quite low, and tailoring a $200 Moore's suit will make it look better than a $700 untailored suit.

I wear suits for work all the freaking time, and I was also responsible for researching and procuring the suits for my buddy's wedding a few years back, and my own upcoming wedding next month, so yeah.

[godwin]

There are plenty of factories in Asia. I think in this case, it is the relationship between the person doing the measurements (which to me sounds unskilled) and the person doing the cutting, that seems to be missing.

Traditional tailors, the relationship is often 1 and 1.. the person in the front take the measurements and the foremen knows how the person measures and get the orders out / modification accordingly. Sounds like that's where an important corner had been cut in the IndoChino's process. It takes experience and of course hiring any green young staff doesn't help.

These days cutting / manufacturing are done on CNC cutters. However there still need a person to correctly interpret the numbers.

Sounds like IndoChino's customers are mostly new and don't care.. and I guess IndoChino's supply chain and business model can absorb the screw ups.

Indochino suits can look "ok" on the outside, but they have shit construction. You get what you pay for -- mediocre fabrics, mediocre tailoring.

Granted, not everyone can afford a local, highly skilled tailor. However, if you do your research, it's actually not too difficult to find options in Asia that will manufacture a suit based upon provided measurements. Of course, it's not the same as being in the shop and having 2-3 fittings, but if you find a good tailor it'll still be miles ahead of Indochino.

On top of that you can customize everything, not just what Indochino allows you to change.

I also second Suitsupply as an excellent choice for off-the-rack. Just bring it to a tailor afterwards to fix it up. The chances of any clothing fitting you perfectly off the rack are quite low, and tailoring a $200 Moore's suit will make it look better than a $700 untailored suit.

I wear suits for work all the freaking time, and I was also responsible for researching and procuring the suits for my buddy's wedding a few years back, and my own upcoming wedding next month, so yeah.

[Majestic12]

I agree. It's basically an assembly line.