Indochino suits?

Originally Posted by HPress

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@Crash Override:

Hate to be negative, but it seems like something weird is going on with the sleeves of the gray suit. I could be wrong, but I think they should drage smoothly and not bunch up like an accordion. Also, I think the jacket might be a bit short. My rule of thumb is that the bottom of the jacket should be no higher than the crotchal seam when you look at it from the front or back.

Don't worry about "being negative". That's the reason I posted the pics, to get people's opinions.
I didn't notice the sleeves bunching like that when I first slipped the jacket on. It could have been a combination of the jacket needing a good pressing, and maybe being caught on the french cuffs of the onyx shirt. We were snapping the pics pretty quickly, as my 92 pound Malamute kept trying to get me to play with him, and taking over the scene.
I'll have to look at the sleeves on both jackets more closely tomorrow.

I like the sheen of the Metallic, it's just enough for my taste, without being overpowering like the Flashback. Not for everyone, but it suits my needs and tastes.
Overall, I feel pretty fortunate with the fit, especially considering I was fully expecting something to need a remake, or at least some tailoring.

BTW, my pet peeve: why do people put their arms in unnatural positions when they take pictures of their suits? Like seriously, I have never seen someone in a suit in real life do Crash Override's hand positions.

Originally Posted by HPress

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@Crash Override:

Hate to be negative, but it seems like something weird is going on with the sleeves of the gray suit. I could be wrong, but I think they should drage smoothly and not bunch up like an accordion. Also, I think the jacket might be a bit short. My rule of thumb is that the bottom of the jacket should be no higher than the crotchal seam when you look at it from the front or back.

A lot of older style suits actually bunch up in the arms and are a lot more roomy so maybe it was what he was looking for.


Also, I agree the suit length should fall down to cover all of your butt from the back, but if your a shorter gentleman, you may want a jacket that is a couple inches shorter, allowing you to appear taller.

If you are short and the jacket is too long, then you'll look much shorter and awkward.


I think overall the fit is great on him, not perfect, but he can go to a tailor to get an expert's opinion.

The hand positions in the pictures makes sense if it is relating to armholes. Mine tends to snag very easily telling me that I definitely need higher armholes. Showing how far the suit moves with your arms going up demonstrates how the armhole functions.

I myself didn't get the fit I was looking for, but everyone's idea of the perfect fit is different, hence the tailoring credit. Crash's suit would be too boxy for me as I do not have an athletic build like he does. Oddly enough, the waisted part of my suit starts too high up and tends to bunch around my ribs. For me, the perfect fit is something along the lines of Neil Patrick Harris' suits in these pictures:

NPH is such a smooth mother ******. If I was gay, I'd be all over that.

NPH's suits are one of the inspirations for me finally seeking out better fitting suits, as are the suits Joel McHale often sports on "The Soup". Mainly though, it's been the clothing from the USA Network show "White Collar". The character Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) is supposedly wearing the vintage clothing of an acquaintances late husband, who was a customer of Sy Devore.

My awkward hand positions were indeed to show the armholes as well as possible, and how movement affected the drape. Like I said, I won't be playing any sports in the suits, but you do occasionally have to reach for something in a public setting.
I really do wish my jackets were less boxy and more tapered at the waist, but that may just be a result of my body type, more than the tailoring. I have an old Black velvet blazer (OTR), that is more tapered in at the waist, but the bottom flares out almost comically.
Plus, freeing the vents may make these jackets a little less boxy.

Being shorter, I don't mind the length too bad. It's also why I tried leaving the flaps off the black jacket pockets. I really like the hacking pockets on the grey though, and would probably go with those, were I to have the jacket remade.
Anyone in the states shipped items back after a remake? Do they go to China or Canada?
About what did it cost you for return shipping?

This thread is making me hate ultra slim suits with narrow lapels. I think I'm at the backlash stage.

Originally Posted by musicguy

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This thread is making me hate ultra slim suits with narrow lapels. I think I'm at the backlash stage.

Agree. Those suits are great in theory, difficult in practice. To start, they only ever look decently in a narrow height/weight range. And even though I'm 6'1 165, I still think I look better in pleated suit pants.

Originally Posted by Crash Override

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Mainly though, it's been the clothing from the USA Network show "White Collar". The character Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) is supposedly wearing the vintage clothing of an acquaintances late husband, who was a customer of Sy Devore.

Most of Caffrey's suits are actually by Paul Smith, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, John Varvatos, etc.

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

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Most of Caffrey's suits are actually by Paul Smith, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, John Varvatos, etc.

Thanks, was actually wondering about that - love the clothing in the series!

@CrashOveride - pretty good start out of the box. I'd personally lengthen the arms just a bit on the gray suit, at least if that shirt is indicative of other shirts you own. If you can decrease the waist/stomach measurement on a future order then it will create less of a boxy look. Are those both 1 button jackets?

@raphael - I remember that NPH shoot in GQ and thought they all looked pretty good. I'm built like he (and some people randomly call me Doogie, don't know if that is good or bad) so my eye was drawn to this spread. There is a lot to learn from how he wears these suits. But one thing we should all keep in mind is that these shoots have onsite tailors who can make quick tweaks, and oftentimes they will pin items in place. It's like looking at a model; yeah, they're hot in general, but there is a ton of makeup and airbrushing, so you can't get mad when your wife doesn't look ridiculously hot in the same outfit.

The first Indochino suit I bought was a 2button, where the top button hit right at my belly button. For those of you who have ordered multiple, have you been able to request a slightly higher stance?

()

Crash - you could probably have it taken in at the waist if you want. If you put in athletic build, they probably assumed you had a boxy frame, which is hardly ever the case with athletic people. I think they might have mixed it up with husky.

For the slim suit haters, it's a matter of preference. I think pleats can work on someone who is very tall & skinny and wants to add a bit of width to their frame. The same goes for choosing boxier suits. Slim suits aren't made for everyone. NPH is fairly tall and he pulls them off well. While the majority of the older population (post 1960's) prefer a boxier cut (e.g. my dad), I don't expect people who are out of shape to put on a slim suit that will give them a very strange silhouette. I don't expect to be my weight when I'm older, so I'll likely change direction as well. Fitted clothing is made to accentuate your build, so the cut of the suit is not to blame. A good example of this can be seen in Mad Men; Campbell, Draper and Sterling wear slimmer cuts, whereas Cooper opts for a boxier cut.


I also thought I should post a picture to show just how exaggerated the pick stitching came out on my suit. Like many, I prefer a subtle pick stitching that holds the lapel together, and shows the sign of custom work if one were to peek closely. This is a whole other thing.

The Black Day at the Office is a two-button jacket (with a 7-button vest). I tried out the one button with the Metallic as many people say go one button if you are shorter. (Of course, they also say eliminate the pocket flaps, which I chose not to do). Basically, I figured I'd try out different options on these two and learn a lot for the future. If I could change anything else on the black, it would be even slimmer, longer lapels, were that an option.
I slipped the Jackets on this morning, just over a T-shirt and the sleeves seem to drape quite naturally. I guess i had the lining bunched up in my haste when we took the pics.
I need to measure, but when hanging next to each other, the sleeves on the Grey look a tad shorter.
I actually thought the sleeves on the black might be a bit long, as they hardly show any cuff when I'm not "Posing". Both have working sleeve buttons, so any big sleeve change will mean a remake.
And those shirts are not indicative of any other shirt I own, as they are the only two I own that fit in Chest/shoulders, Neck AND sleeve length. Most of my shirts have sleeves that are too long.

I cut loose the vents this morning as well, and that seemed to disspell some of the boxiness, in the mirror at least. There's not a lot of play in the waist of the jackets as is, but could maybe go a tad smaller measurement. The pants are not at all snug in the waist, but I figure that leaves a little room to eat!
I'm wearing a 30" waist currently in pants bought at retail, so I don't think I can trim my waist down much to get a more tapered look. just the curse of the average size short guy, I guess.

USA's website for White Collar actually has a lot of info about the clothing used on the show. There's also a good interview out there with the costume designer, where she discusses mixing vintage pieces with the newer designs from the lines Sanguis mentioned. They also use a lot of Thomas Pink shirts, and even had a promotion with them where one location (New York, I think) was giving away custom shirts. There's one grey jacket Neal wore that had a black band accenting the lapels. It's my favorite, but the closest I could find was a Ben Sherman Hesher blazer, which of course had sleeves that were too long with functional buttons. I ordered it from a UK shop, but it was marked down below $50.00, so not bad.

And for the record, I look clownish in pleated pants.
I wish Indochino would branch out into a sweater line. I'd love a dark cashmere turtleneck that fit and didn't cost a fortune.