My Review - Moda Republic Suit & Shirts

To start with a bit of a disclaimer, I am fairly new to the classic menswear scene. I'm finally about to finish my education, and my future career will require me to dress like a civilized human being most of the time, so I figure now is a good time to jump in, and get some of the kinks worked out...

The main purpose for ordering this suit was for my wedding, which is coming up at the end of May. Rather than rent a suit/tux like the masses, I figured my money would be better spent on something I can wear more than once, and would last. I'm blessed with an oddly proportioned body, with a rather large upper body, and legs which resemble popsicle sticks, which has made it difficult to find something that fits well OTR.

My first foray into a M2M suit was from (ghasp!) Indochino... yes, they're good at marketing, and happened to have their travelling tailor event in my city, so I decided to give it a shot... and returned the suit as quick as I possibly could. But, this isn't a review of them.

After coming across this forum, I saw Moda's introduction thread, and decided I would give them a shot. They seemed to know what they were talking about, and was willing to commit some back-and-forth time to get the order right for my needs. An added bonus was that they had an affiliate locally who could come by to help pick out material and perform the necessary measurements.

So, after a couple visits with their affiliate, and somewhere in the neighbourhood of 600 emails (i'm exaggerating.. i hope..), I placed my order for a 3 piece Vitale Barbaris Canonico suit. We chose a nice lightweight super 120's wool, as my wedding is in Greece, and its probably going to be pretty toasty. One thing I should note, is that based on my previous experience with M2M suiting, I asked Moda to ensure there was some additional fabric left at the seams, just in case measurements were off and I needed significant alterations.

The suit took approximately 1 month in production. This fell over Chinese new year, so there was a week added on due to that. Shipping was extremely quick - 3 days total from HK to Vancouver. I was really impressed!

Upon receiving the suit, I was struck by the quality of construction. Lots of great, fine details that were missing from my first try with Indochino. It really made the suit look like it was made by tailors, rather than machines, which was exactly what I was hoping for.


Ooo... fancy italian name and everything!


Love the pick stitching detail


Really like the functional pocket flap. Not used to carrying a money clip, so the security of knowing it won't fall out is nice


Great quality buttons, as far as i'm concerned. Absolutely loved the texture of the fabric, and it's super soft and light.


Heel guard... I had no idea that these even existed. That's kind of sad, actually.

As for fit, out of the box, the jacket and shirt were dead on. I had to take the vest and pants in a bit (probably due to losing some weight after being measured), and let out the hem as I have freakishly long legs. My tailor was actually really impressed with the quality of instruction. He is an old school eastern european tailor who was trained in Italy, and used to make suits for diplomats, KGB, etc. (so he has some pretty cool stories.. haha), and noted that the suit looked like it was made by a real tailor from the "old country", not some machines in China.

I felt like I had no restrictions on movement at all, everything fit and sat very comfortably, and overall I was very pleased with how everything fit. Now, as I said before, this is my first "real" suit, so its possible that I may still need a couple more alterations here and there (so please feel free to chime in on anything you think needs to be touched up).

Here's the fit...




And, in my classic style, I forgot to button the bottom of the vest... le sigh.


Bunching is partially my fault... I took these photos after a 4 hour dinner function, and another 45 minutes sitting on the train, so the pants were in pretty rough shape.


Pardon the cuffs.. have some custom links on order, but they haven't arrived yet.




I also received a second shirt with this order, which I just snapped some photos of this morning...









Recommendations on some ties to go with this bad boy?

Anyway, thanks for putting up with my somewhat long winded review. Hopefully I can continue to learn more from this community, and contribute where I can!

I won't burst your balloon.

Welcome.

My $.02, w/r/t fit - jacket is too long, (should end at the crook between your thumb and forefinger, give or take), sleeves could use slimming and are also slightly long, and pants are just way too tight and too tapered in style to be congruent with the jacket and your build. To my eye, the shoulders are fine, though - which is the most important part, as the rest can be altered (can only let out pants so much though, might need to ask for a replacement pair in a larger size or fuller cut if possible). Waistcoat probably shouldn't ripple on the sides like that; unsure what the cause would be (not a tailor here). Also, you're not supposed to button the bottom button of the waistcoat - for reasons of comfort, style and tradition, etc.

Shirt appears to be a royal oxford cloth with some sheen, which won't have many fans here, and the contrast inner collar, buttons and stitching won't either. That said, if it fits well and you like it, rock on. Any tie that goes well with light blue - which is as broad as you can get, selection wise - will go well with it.

Every $.02 adds up

I requested that there was extra material left in the pants for this reason, so there is lots of room for alterations. I'll take this into consideration, and might look at having them let out a little bit.

The jacket is unaltered, so I was figuring there might be a bit to be done there - I noticed the sleeves, but was unaware a bit with the length. Duely noted.

As for the waistcoat, it was brought in a bit by my tailor, so maybe it could have something to do with it...

Appreciate the suggestions, and feedback!

neachdainn said:

[...]

As for fit, out of the box, the jacket and shirt were dead on. I had to take the vest and pants in a bit (probably due to losing some weight after being measured), and let out the hem as I have freakishly long legs. My tailor was actually really impressed with the quality of instruction. He is an old school eastern european tailor who was trained in Italy, and used to make suits for diplomats, KGB, etc. (so he has some pretty cool stories.. haha), and noted that the suit looked like it was made by a real tailor from the "old country", not some machines in China.

I felt like I had no restrictions on movement at all, everything fit and sat very comfortably, and overall I was very pleased with how everything fit. Now, as I said before, this is my first "real" suit, so its possible that I may still need a couple more alterations here and there (so please feel free to chime in on anything you think needs to be touched up).

Here's the fit...
[...]

Click to expand...

You'll be better off posting to the tailors thread:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/265924/the-tailors-thread-fit-feedback-and-alteration-suggestions/4680

Cheers,

Ac

+1 the tailor's thread, but aside from that, I've been trying to think of a diplomatic way to say this, but are you a somewhat, ahem, rotund gentleman? The jacket (to my eye) looks very boxy and shapeless, but if you are a certain shape, no tailor however miraculous will be able to put a nice hourglass shape on your jacket, I guess.

For me there's much too much vest showing behind the suit jacket when buttoned, but this is a personal taste thing to a degree. I'd second the note on the pants, too. It's not the *waist* you need to adjust (though the picture with your hand in your pocket suggests it might be a bit tight up there too). They're far too fitted around your legs for the general style of the suit, as Andrew said.

The vest definitely looks too tight, but never overlook the simplest explanation: do you just have it cinched too tight with the rear adjuster? I'm assuming it has one.

Yes... Unfortunately, I've got a bit too much going on upstairs, so it's difficult to find something that balances me out.

I think the consensus on the pants makes sense, and I already felt like the jacket could use a bit of shortening, so I think I'll get that attended to.

Thanks again for the feedback

neachdainn said:

Yes... Unfortunately, I've got a bit too much going on upstairs, so it's difficult to find something that balances me out.

I think the consensus on the pants makes sense, and I already felt like the jacket could use a bit of shortening, so I think I'll get that attended to.

Thanks again for the feedback

Click to expand...

Don't do anything until you post to the tailoring thread.

Cheers,

Ac

Academic2 said:

Don't do anything until you post to the tailoring thread.

Cheers,

Ac

Click to expand...

+1, should have thought of the ask a tailor thread.

Academic2 said:

Don't do anything until you post to the tailoring thread.

Cheers,

Ac

Click to expand...

Done and done

Thanks!

yup, take it to the experts

who are you using for alterations? there's a thread here on Vancouver tailors: http://www.styleforum.net/t/21066/good-tailor-in-vancouver/ . Consensus opinion is Oakridge Tailors, just down Cambie from the mall - I get most of my stuff done there.