BlackLapel.com - any experience with them?

[Cbus111]

I wanted to chime in on Black Lapel. I have never purchased from the other online MTM options, but recently made my first purchase at BP and couldn't be happier. I went with a 130 super wool and the fit, construction and feel represent an incredible value. As some have mentioned, I think I could tweak my measurements slightly, but overall I was astonished at how perfectly it fit right out of the box. It clearly looks and feels like a suit that cost two to three times as much. My only surprise was that the pants (I ordered the tailored fit) are fairly tapered. After speaking to one of a concierge, I was informed they could remake the pants with a straight leg fit. It was - hands down - the best customer experience I've had in years. I just wish I would have realized the option for a straight leg fit exists prior to ordering. However, true to their word BP was overly accommodating to ensure I he a flawless fit! I will definitely be purchasing more suits from BP!

 

[GloStiX]

Anyone who has been here less than 2 years auto-ban plz.

I'm sick of the spam advertisement viral fail-marketing.

 

[mingus2112]



Anyone who has been here less than 2 years auto-ban plz.
I'm sick of the spam advertisement viral fail-marketing.

While I agree that most of the posters in this thread have a low post count (myself included), I don't believe that they're shills for the company. I'm certainly not. In fact, i've tried not to respond to much of the posts in the thread because a) i'm not as experienced as some here in mensware and b) because I believe i'm biased towards this company. As I mentioned on the first page in this thread, I met Warren (one of the founders) before the site was launched when he was first starting out with the company. I have nothing else to compare their suits with as this has been my ONLY made to measure suit experience, but I'm very happy with my basic navy suit from them.

What I CAN say with confidence is that their MTM shirts are absolutely on the level with the MTM shirts that I get from my tailor. I can also say that, if the entire company is as straight forward as Warren has been with me, they have top notch customer service. Anything on my suit that I am not happy with I can 100% blame on my own inexperience and not being exactly sure what I wanted. For example, when I order my next suit, i'll get the jacket a little bit longer and a little bit larger in the chest. I'm 100% sure that, had I realized that's what I wanted at the time, they would have remade it - no questions asked.

I think the whole thing comes down to this - online made to measure can be fantastic or it could be a let down. I know that Black Lapel's goal is to provide an affordable and EASY option - and that's great. The problem is that I don't believe online made to measure CAN be as easy as we all want it to be. Going to a tailor for in-person Made to Measure, he can take your body type in, show you samples, etc. Online, you have to know and understand all this yourself. If you just submit your measurements, choose some options and pay, you can't expect it to be perfect.

Bottom line is that I don't think you'd see any reviews here from forum veterans unless they were given a suit to review from the company. They already have sources for suits and, as affordable as it may or may not be, they're not going to take a several hundred dollar chance on the unknown.

-James

 

[TRIALnERROR]

Anyone who has been here less than 2 years auto-ban plz.
I'm sick of the spam advertisement viral fail-marketing.

The company is less than a year old. Mind your business unless you have something constructive to add.

 

[emptym]

^Mind your language. It's a legitimate concern when many new members w/ low post counts come together to plug a company.

That said, the mods have been monitoring the thread, and no one here seems to be a stealth advertiser.

 

[TheWraith]

It's a mods job to monitor, nobody elses.

 

[TRIALnERROR]

It's a mods job to monitor, nobody elses.

+1

 

[dreamspace]

Well, it's kinda obvious that people will register to post here, as this is pretty much one of 2-3 threads on the web regarding blacklapel.

With that said, me and a buddy of mine will receive our suits sometime the next 1-3 days. I'm very excited (and nervous) on the slim fit...just how slim fitting it is. Hopefully it's not on the ridiculous side like some fashion suits tend to be.

 

[aljer490]

Hi all,

I've lurked around SF for quite some time but never really had a question or anything pressing to contribute but I feel I should post something on this thread since I recently purchased a Black Lapel suit. I won't go into a lengthy discussion, and if I can find someone to take pictures I'll do so at some point. But for now I just wanted to give some feedback regarding Black Lapel.

Prior to Black Lapel, I had a few Hugo Boss suits and some random ones I bought when I traveled internationally. However, I felt I was overpaying for what I was getting, and I also wanted to try something "custom" because of my proportions. I ended up stumbling across Indochino and gave it a shot. My first suit fit very well and was of decent quality for the price. However, long story short, the second suit was way off for some reason and after five remakes which only made it worse, I decided I had wasted too much time and got my money back. I did research into more online MTM companies, and while a bit hesitant, it seemed like every review on forums and blogs spoke very highly of Black Lapel.

I kept the measurements I had given to Indochino as I got to those measurements after three different people measured me. I went pretty standard on the suit as well -- Charcoal, notch lapels, two buttons, etc. and went for the slim cut. When I received my suit, I was very happy with not only the fit which was spot on, but also the quality. It was noticeably better than other suits I have, and even my tailor was impressed. I'm also a picky person when it comes to details, and every last small detail by Black Lapel was great. The box came with a suit bag, a few documents on suit care and alterations, and even features such as extra fabric at the hem of the pants so that it falls better. Finally, the delivery time was excellent as I was expecting the stated four weeks but I received it in just two weeks.

The only "complaint" I had was that it seemed like the fabric selection was limited (at least for me) as my current suits cover a good range, but based on their Facebook page, it seems like they've got some nice new fabrics on the way which I'm excited for. I already requested fabric swatches for them, and I'll probably be ordering some accessories with the $25 gift card I received from the Black Friday Twitter giveaway.

 

[dreamspace]

My only complaint so far, is that the customer service (right now at least) seems to be suffering the same waiting time as Indochino. 1 email pr. day...If you reply them 5 minutes after receiving an email, it still seems to take a whole day to get an answer on that email.

Not sure why this is, but it gets really annoying when a 5 minute "conversation" ends up taking 5 days. Could be that they're heavily undermanned, and that it's Christmas season right now.

 

[mingus2112]



Could be that they're heavily undermanned, and that it's Christmas season right now. 

Could be. . .is there a phone number you can call? If not, maybe include your number in your next email? Swamped is swamped. . .and if they're really busy, it still may take some time to get back to you. But if it's really a 5 minute conversation, perhaps it's best to have on the phone?

 

[taint it sweet]

I have a question about MTM shirts. I've never gone through this procedure yet and I was wondering about shirt length among other things. I've read that you should measure to the bottom of the butt for jacket length, but is there an exact spot that a shirt should comfortably fall? I don't want it too long, but I don't want it coming untucked either. I didn't know if there was a "sweet spot" to accomplish both. I've been reading good things about Black Lapel, but are there any other ideal places to pick up shirts of similar quality? I know Brooks Brothers had a custom shirt option a while back, but I haven't heard anything about it. Thanks in advance.

 

[cruxisfalcon]

Anyone else have any experience with them? Any comparisons with Suitsupply or other established companies (Brooks Brothers, RL, etc.?)

 

[MikeyObviously]

So I just ordered their basic navy suit. Long story short, they nailed everything except the shoulders are too big, and the sleeves are too long and wide. I am actually pretty happy as I'm an odd shape/size and they nailed the chest...no lapel Vs here.

...and unfortunately I opted for the surgeons cuffs so the sleeves may be harder to alter.

The pics aren't the best, but I think they illustrate my two main problems mentioned above.

Do I have a shot of salvaging with tailoring or is a remake necessary? Also, I live in San Francisco and will take tailor recommendations.

 

[nautikal]



So I just ordered their basic navy suit. Long story short, they nailed everything except the shoulders are too big, and the sleeves are too long and wide. I am actually pretty happy as I'm an odd shape/size and they nailed the chest...no lapel Vs here.

...and unfortunately I opted for the surgeons cuffs so the sleeves may be harder to alter. 

The pics aren't the best, but I think they illustrate my two main problems mentioned above.

Do I have a shot of salvaging with tailoring or is a remake necessary? Also, I live in San Francisco and will take tailor recommendations.

You can't alter the shoulders. You need to remake. They have excellent customer service though (way better than Indochino).