Indochino Suits, Shoulders, Help/Advice needed,

[dynamicron]

it would be great to hear the opinion of individuals that are more versed in the world of mtm, bespoke, and hand sewing.

i ordered a suit from indochino (charcoal 3-piece). the fit of the first one was horrible and i had to ask for a remake after talking to my tailor. the bad fit was most likely (at least partially) due to some lax measurements.

the second suit turned out to be ok (compared to the first). pants, vest, and shirt are fine. the jacket on the second suit is still off in the shoulders and seems to be around the shoulders very similar to the first. indochino states that each suit jacket follows a "classic European slim style (...) and has hand-constructed minimally padded shoulders." well, i interpreted european slim cut as italian cut and minimally padded shoulders as natural shoulders. with my limited knowledge of suit cuts and my experience with indochino so far, i would think that their cut seems to be tending towards english cut, that is, slightly overhanging shoulders and (relatively heavy) shoulder padding--towards a straight line from the shoulder down the sleeve. or maybe they just didn't get my jackets right at all.

apart from that shoulder padding 'issue,' on both jackets i realized that the outer shoulder seam and padding construction is somewhat wavy (as opposed to straight). the padding seems to lump together in places and the shoulder line/silhouette down to the sleeve attachment is interrupted. if i am not delusional, i see the same thing in many of their product pictures on their web site. for instance, the morning suit jacket (http://www.indochino.com/product/Morning_Coat_Suit.html) shows many of these 'indentations.' shouldn't it be neat and straight?

i guess these are my main questions: would you expect such an 'interrupted' shoulder line as a consequence of the fact that the indochino tailors are hand sewing the shoulders (as opposed to machine sewing)? or is it sloppy work? or both? i would like to provide pictures of the fit of my jacket but won't be able to do so until i get the suit back from my tailor (on wednesday). she wanted to check if the sleeve can be let out at the sleeve attachment seam to give me a bit more room for my deltoids (which are not very big to begin with).

so, currently, the shoulder pads extend about a half inch beyond my shoulder on both sides and my deltoids press against the inside of the sleeve. even if the sleeves can be let out i will still have to decide what to do/think about the shoulder line. after seeing the same phenomenon in the indochino pictures i do not know what to think. i won't be able to return the suit if i make any alterations.

i would very much appreciate any insight into this shoulder sewing matter by any of you. i pretty much feel like this right now:

.

 

[dynamicron]

hmm, anybody?

 

[dynamicron]

well, i suppose that i have to correct myself. i just talked to my tailor on the phone and she told me that not much but the lining on the indochino jacket is hand sewn. the outer shoulder seam is definitely machine sewn.

she also told me that the shoulder line of the jacket is basically fine when hanging on the hanger.

i will touch base with the indochino costumer service and see what they have to say. as soon as i get the jacket back tomorrow i will take pictures and post them here. maybe somebody here is going to be able/willing to comment on the fit.

 

[wysiwyg]

I'd be very interested to see those pictures, I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one for a while.

Good luck.

 

[dynamicron]

Originally Posted by wysiwyg

I'd be very interested to see those pictures, I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one for a while.

Good luck.

ahh, a sign of life. thank you, my friend. thought i was writing a diary entry. i will certainly take those pictures tomorrow and post them here. i need them for the indochino costumer service as well.

for now, have a look at this link: http://madetomeasureny.com/2009/05/1...hino-review-4/. it is a blog by a lad called dennis cahlo. he posted pictures of his fourth indochino suit. i just commented on those and am looking forward to hearing his thoughts on the shoulder fit.

looking at the pictures, i can't help myself. is it just me or is the fit and flow less than desirable? what about a neat and clean silhouette?

 

[dynamicron]

just as a follow-up: i finally decided to return the suit to indochino. i went to two bespoke tailors yesterday (out of three available in the area) and they both were advising me to return the suit. i will stick to the more traditional route then and try my luck in-store. the whole process was riddled with problems that resulted from loose measurements, loose cuts, bad choices and advice, limited experience and knowledge, etc.. above all, the untidy, wavy shoulder line is the deal-breaker for me in combination with the fact that i am not willing anymore to invest even more time and efforts in trying to correct everything--there might not be a happy ending at all. i have written endless e-mails and took numerous trips to local tailors. surely a great learning opportunity but a very poor and rather dissapointing way of searching for a nicely fitting suit. the costumer service was very accommodating, though. i was always under the impression that they were trying to work it out with me. i also think that my experience with indochino is rather unique and might not be representative of other peoples' experiences, may these be in the future or the past. if you give them a try, i would suggest that you consider the measurement tips that were posted on dennis cahlo's blog: http://madetomeasureny.com/indochino-measurement-tips/. i did not have the chance to try his suggestions myself but the fit of his suits is miles beyond mine so i suppose they should be fine. who knows, i might have been able to live with the wavy shoulder line if the overall fit would have been flattering.