Articles of Style shop?

[hrefab]

I am currently trying out the process myself with the dark chocolate double breasted two piece suit. I will keep the thread posted and share photos upon arrival.

 

[cabinwood]

I really liked that and the Cherrywood flannel. Decisions decisions...

 

[fieldofdreams]

Well I sent Dan a copy of this thread. He may chime in himself. It's his business so I assume he could explain it much better than I could.

did he respond?

 

[cabinwood]

He did not. I don't know if I'd respond to this either if I were in his shoes. He usually answers me rather quickly, but I wouldn't blame him for not participating in this.

If it were my company- I would be more straightforward and make the processes more transparent to the customers. But I just sell hose for a living.

 

[suitandboot]

I thought i'd jump in on this as I've spent 1200 on a three piece suit from AOS. I don't regret it, but my tailor could have made something of similar quality and truly bespoke for about 900, and saved time in the process.

The process:

Initially you put in some generic info about your size and body type in the profile section. It includes things like what size neck and waist, etc. Nothing very specific.

Next you spend 1200 on a suit, based purely on a picture on their site. Then you wait 4-6 six weeks.

Then a sample garment arrives in the mail. Mine was a black worsted wool unconstructed, unfinished jacket with a vest and trousers. It was too tight in all areas. You take several pictures in this sample garment, from all angles, and send them back to AOS where Dan (who is great) personally reviews the pics. You also give any feedback you have about the garments fit at that time.

4-6 weeks later your suit arrives in the mail. It is tailored to your body and posture based on the pictures and feedback you provide Dan with. My suit fit well, but still required additional alterations. One sleeve was 1/2" longer than the other. The vest needed taken in, the jacket needed some material adjusted slightly.

You take pictures in the final garment as well, and Dan will take notes and save your final measurements in their system for future orders.


Any work you need to have done to the suit is done by a tailor of your choosing. After you pay for the alterations AOS will credit your account, if you provide a receipt form your tailor.


---------------

With all that said, I love my suit. It's gorgeous. But the process is a bit of a hassle. The garment isn't really bespoke and you have absolutely 0 input when it comes to features of the garment. You cannot change lapels, or cuffs or anything about the suit at all. Dan told me personally that this was because he wanted the suits to have a timeless appeal and he personally chose things like lapel width and placement based on the individuals body type.

All-in-all I bought the suit because of Dan. The guy knows his stuff, and must've answered 20 emails from during the process. Also I respect people who are ambitious enough to pursue their dreams and wanted to support his venture.

I'm open to any questions.

Any comment on the fabric? Its source, quality, etc? Thanks

 

[MDisciple87]

I haven't tried the suiting, but I just want to say I personally met Dan at an AOS event, referred to his new line as bespoke, and he cut me off saying they were custom, not bespoke and he wanted to make that clear because he "didn't want to bastardize the word [bespoke]."

 

[cabinwood]

Per AOS website

"This is authentic Shetland; an undyed wool sourced from sheep bred for the challenging climate of the Shetland islands. The wool was woven into a rugged 11 oz tweed in Italy."

Personally I'm no fabric expert but it feels high quality to me. I find it to be rugged and beautiful. A bit itchy but that to be expected with Shetland wool. I can take pictures if that would help.

 

[cabinwood]

Also I was browsing their new collection this morning, and the word Bespoke seems to be absent from the mix now. It's been replaced with the word custom.

https://shop.articlesofstyle.com/product/columbia-glenplaid-sportcoat

 

[cabinwood]

Me again- Some things must have changes since I ordered my garment. There is now a section presenting the different options you have when customization a garment. Those options werent available to me at the time.

http://articlesofstyle.com/design-options/

 

[fieldofdreams]

Me again- Some things must have changes since I ordered my garment. There is now a section presenting the different options you have when customization a garment. Those options werent available to me at the time.

http://articlesofstyle.com/design-options/

Now all he needs to do is add name brand mills and full canvas construction and he will be able to justify his price point. Also, looks like you have the choice for notch or peak lapel only. I don't know why he chose such skinny lapels.

 

[DanTrepanier]

Hey Guys,

Looks like I'm a little late to the party. Thanks Nick for sharing this thread with me - as one of our first clients, I'm really glad you love your suit and I wanted to thank you again for helping us refine our process. As a new business, we've been blessed with a great group of initial clients who've provided some very helpful feedback.

It looks like there are a lot of questions regarding our garments and fitting process. I will try to answer them here...if you have more specific questions, feel free to email me directly at [email protected]

1. Fabrics
An update: we've gone ahead and added the fabric mill information for our cloths. The majority of the fabrics in our collection are milled in Italy and England (VBC, Ethomas, DiPray, Botto Giuseppe, Trabaldo Togna) but we also have some from Scotland (Robert Noble, Harris Tweed) and a couple from Korea (KiYoung). Each cloth is hand-picked myself, and I personally stand behind the quality of each fabric.

2. Canvassing
Our garments are designed to be lightweight, unstructured, and versatile. Our goal is to make "lifestyle garments" with maximum wearability - that can transition from formal settings to casual occasions. In my opinion, a full canvas jacket doesn't work as well in a casual setting - nor does it really make sense with a natural shoulder or unlined jacket. Personally I've always preferred my lightweight half-canvas jackets, and as the designer of our collections, I think this creates the perfect balance for our clients.

3. Process
Our fitting process is meant to be quick and easy. We heard from so many guys struggling with self-measuring, feeling uncomfortable with home visits, or tired of making several trips to their local tailor shop... Our goal was to make our fitting process simple and stress-free (just fill out your physical profile and take a few photos in your fitting garments) so that we (myself and our team of expert tailors) could handle all of the fitting and tailoring work for you... The best part is, once you've been fit for your first garment, you have the convenience of ordering at the click of a button. In Nick's case, for example, he no longer needs to do fittings and can build a life-long wardrobe from his smartphone... The fact that it seems "cumbersome" means we have some work to do to better explain our value proposition...

4. Design
You can customize any of our garments to your design preferences. See here: http://articlesofstyle.com/design-options/ We also have access to additional fabrics, in case you're looking for something unique... I love working directly with our clients to advise them on design and help them create one-of-a-kind garments. We just did a off-white linen shawl collar tuxedo with cream grosgrain trim for a client's tropical wedding that I can't wait to see at his final fitting...

5. Pricing
Pricing ultimately comes down to fabric cost. As we continue to add new garments to our collection we will be offering a wider range of price points. Given that our garments are made in America and every order includes one-on-one attention from our tailoring team to ensure the proper fit, in my opinion, this is the best value in custom tailoring online or in person... As they say, the proof is in the pudding - and I look forward to showing you guys our value as online tailors.

I hope that helps clarify some things. I will try my best to check back in here and answer more questions...but if you have a specific inquiry, feel free to email me directly at [email protected] - I do my best to answer within the hour.

Your in Style,
Dan Trepanier
www.ArticlesofStyle.com

 

[cabinwood]

Thanks Dan. Like I said before, you're the reason I bought the suit. I love the suit, but you just have a true passion for what do you and that's priceless. Also "cumbersome" has more to do with the website's interface than the garment process. There are some hiccups here and there. You're aware of the issues I'm sure and are working to fix them.

I'm no expert on the inner workings of men's attire, fabric sourcing, etc. I do understand general business and value props however. In my career I sell a product that you can get just about anywhere. Ultimately what sets my product apart is me and my company. When you buy a hose from us you're getting our experience, expertise, services, connections and liability. It costs us more to maintain our level in interaction with the clients are therefore we're more pricey. But you get what you pay for.

And for a company to offer the best products, stay innovative and constantly improve, price has to come into play. I get it. When it comes to justifying a price point the only thing that really matters is customer satisfaction. If the customer thinks it was worth the money then it usually is. I can't speak for fairness when compared to other brands or full canvassing etc.. I'm not that knowledgeable.

The suit feels sturdy and rugged and I expect it to last years. If it wears out by the end of the month then I guess we'll be posting in a different thread!

 

[hillch12]

Sorry to be bringing this thread back from the dead, but with all the comments about wanting to ask Dan questions, I'm very surprised no one jumped on this opportunity when he showed up. I'd like to hear Dan answer some tough questions from some of the more knowledgeable forum members. Is this no longer of interest to folks?

 

[cabinwood]

Maybe they emailed him personally. Or, maybe they just don't care that much lol. All I know is that if I had an extra grand laying around I'd be buying another suit from AOS.

 

[jonathanS]

Honestly. I really don't care but I can't argue when someone says, "In my opinion, a full canvas jacket doesn't work as well in a casual setting - nor does it really make sense with a natural shoulder or unlined jacket. Personally I've always preferred my lightweight half-canvas jackets, and as the designer of our collections, I think this creates the perfect balance for our clients."

I'm sure..... I guess kiton, brioni, zegna all do it wrong, but you know, they've only been doing it for generations.