Indochino suits?

[LorenzL]

Thank you all for the positive feedback!

@Amice: I will eventually release that article I prepared about suit construction/Indochino suits, but I wanted to give Indochino a chance to respond to the problems, before I go out with it. I have based it on both JeffreyD's website and the email conversation I had with him.

I am personally quite impressed how quickly they react to both the construction and the shoulder question. It also shows how powerful a community, in this case the knowledgeable Style Forum community can be.

I said that before, they don't make miracle suits and we all know that, but they really want to get it right and I like that. Of course, they will never satisfy everyone's needs and expectations, especially at that price point.

 

[coltboy75]

Originally Posted by Redwoood

This has NOT been my experience.
I contacted their customer several times asking them about their canvas, shoulders etc., or even before I bought my suit.
Of course, I don't have a web site or a blog with the Indochino name on it.
Whenever I asked them a question or made a suggestion that went beyond their cookie-cutter approach, their reply was something along the lines of "we make well-fitting suits for the majority of people, if you are more discerning, you may be better served by going to a bespoke tailor"
If you are too discerning, I don't think they even want your business. They know it's unlikely they will get it right, so they just won't risk it.

Don't mistake marketing/PR for customer service. Their customer service is very one-dimensional. They can give you a discount here or there, but care very little about what you have to say about the product or production process, and I am not sure they even read everything you write them.

I would have to agree with the above comments. After 22 e-mails they are willing to solve my problem, by meeting me half way. I am still not sure if I wil do business with them or not.

LorenzL, thank you for all the work that you have done on your blog. I do find it a little disturbing that you asked me to give a review, but since I posted about my negative experience I have not heard from you. Are you will to have a post on your blog that is completely opposite of your experience? If so let me know and I will put a review together. I am not angry at indochino, and again, I am trying to find a way to do business with them. I am going to try to find time today to do the burn test on the sample swatches in the Tailor's Kit

 

[senseiireland]

Originally Posted by zenbot

The shoulders, as expected, are too wide, by maybe a couple of inches. It's a little weird through the waist, also — my wife said that "It makes you look portly, and you're not portly." That's a contentious point, but the jacket shouldn't be making me look more portly than I am.
This was my experience too -- and I'm 5'11" 150lbs! From the interview

You are providing great, detailed videos on how to measure yourself. Still, many people seem to be unsure about how to do it correctly. Many people claim that for getting a slim suit as seen on your models, you have to take a few inches off each measurement. What do you recommend doing? Taking the time to measure is key when following our videos on Indochino.com. And also be as precise as possible with your height and weight.

I really take issue with this statement. It was BECAUSE I followed the videos precisely that I got incorrect measurements. I had my tailor measure me, I measured myself, and I had a friend measure me too. By following indochino's instructions, my measurements were slightly larger than my tailor's - and even though I entered my tailor's measurements for some of suit's specifications, the suit was far too large. I should not have to subtract 4 inches or so to get a slim fit. There is something extremely wrong with this process; I wouldn't be surprised if they gave me a suit someone else returned. I even tried asking Angie to send a note along to follow my measurements as closely as possible. Ugh. If that 25% off + free accessory + free shirt deal had not come along, I would not have bought a suit from indochino, and it appears my hesitance was well-deserved. I honestly had no clue what to do with my measurements when asking for a remake. My suit was at least 4 inches too large in the hips, but I can guarantee you that I do not have 34" hips. I can ask for 18.25" shoulders, but my other well-fitting shirts are 18.5 - 19". See what I'm getting at? It's absurd. Will my next suit have 34" hips and be too small, or will it be grossly vanity sized and fit perfectly? It's like taking random shots in the dark. I have no idea what I'm going to get. I don't want to go through this remake process more than once. It shouldn't be necessary. The suit should've been in the $75 alteration credit range. Indochino seems to follow some people's specifications relatively closely. For others, they assume we're 70lbs heavier than we specify and in denial about it. I would've gladly sent them a pic if they so desired. Maybe then they'd give me a 30 inch waist, 39 inch chest, and 38 inch hips.

There are a number of companies on the Internet, offering similar products as Indochino. How is Indochino different from these companies and what is your unique selling point?

Besides Thick as Thieves what other sites offer similar products and pricing as Indochino?

 

[LorenzL]

Originally Posted by coltboy75

I would have to agree with the above comments. After 22 e-mails they are willing to solve my problem, by meeting me half way. I am still not sure if I wil do business with them or not.

LorenzL, thank you for all the work that you have done on your blog. I do find it a little disturbing that you asked me to give a review, but since I posted about my negative experience I have not heard from you. Are you will to have a post on your blog that is completely opposite of your experience? If so let me know and I will put a review together. I am not angry at indochino, and again, I am trying to find a way to do business with them. I am going to try to find time today to do the burn test on the sample swatches in the Tailor's Kit

Hi Coltboy! When you posted your review here, I didn't want anyone to get the impression that I artificially fill up my blog with reviews taken from Style Forum. Of course, if you put a review together I will be happy to put it on the blog! Curious about the burn test! will send you a pm in a min, pls check

 

[LorenzL]

Originally Posted by senseiireland

This was my experience too -- and I'm 5'11" 150lbs!

Besides Thick as Thieves what other sites offer similar products and pricing as Indochino?

I'm sorry it turned out so bad for you!
Other providers that come to my mind right away are Modern Tailor, Tailor4Less and YouTailor.

 

[mjc]

Originally Posted by LorenzL

I'm sorry it turned out so bad for you! Other providers that come to my mind right away are Modern Tailor, Tailor4Less and YouTailor.
And, to be fair, none of them have a really great set of reviews, if you search the forums. I ordered a suit from Baron Boutique. It was ghastly. I ordered a suit from Cad and the Dandy. It was lovely, except the pants don't fit, even after alterations. To be honest, I think Indochino is the best of the do-it-entirely-online tailors. You just can't get really great suits online. You have to aim for adequate! Anybody know a great bespoke tailor who will travel to the sartorial wasteland of Ottawa, Canada? - Mike

 

[Redwoood]

I wonder what "canvas throughout the lapels" actually means. Maybe they'll glue a piece canvas to the lapel fusible so they can check that box as well.
We won't know for sure until somebody actually gets such a suit and disects it.

I know it won't be me. When I asked them about padded lapels, they basically told me to go f*** myself... in other words, of course.
It's good that they start to listen to the 'community'. It would be nicer if they listened to the individual customer who doesn't have a forum or a web site behind him, and thus, is member of the (silent) majority.

 

[sharkw]

Hey mjc, I see you're a fellow Ottawan! Jefferyd who posted earlier in this thread, and who did the dissection of the Indochino suit which pretty much established that they're not "fully canvassed" in the normal meaning of the phrase, mentioned being in Toronto and Montreal. I haven't contacted him but I'm guessing he's based in Montreal, which wouldn't be too far out of the way for great bespoke tailoring.

 

[Amice]

What bothers me is they continue to use the word 'Full Canvas' even though it turns out it is basically a fused suit to which they attached a seperate canvas layer. To me, it sounds like the only logical reason to do so is to be able to sell it as a ('special kind' ?) of "full canvas" suit...

So indeed, jus like Redwood, I would not be surprised if they just stick in an extra layer of canvas and call it "canvas throughout the lapels".

It really would not surprise me, especially after reading reports of polyesther suits possibly being sold as 100% wool.

Just be honest about what you are selling. The majority of folks who do not know anything about suits will just believe anything you tell them... And abusing that fact is just the Thailand-tourist-trap-tailoring way of doing things, not something you want to be related to, especially not as a young entrepreneur.

 

[Makeshift_Robot]

Originally Posted by Amice

What bothers me is they continue to use the word 'Full Canvas' even though it turns out it is basically a fused suit to which they attached a seperate canvas layer. To me, it sounds like the only logical reason to do so is to be able to sell it as a ('special kind' ?) of "full canvas" suit...

So indeed, jus like Redwood, I would not be surprised if they just stick in an extra layer of canvas and call it "canvas throughout the lapels".

It really would not surprise me, especially after reading reports of polyesther suits possibly being sold as 100% wool.

Just be honest about what you are selling. The majority of folks who do not know anything about suits will just believe anything you tell them... And abusing that fact is just the Thailand-tourist-trap-tailoring way of doing things, not something you want to be related to, especially not as a young entrepreneur.

I feel like you're pretending that a lot of things are facts which aren't facts right now.
1) Assuming the worst about canvas lapels, and then being mad about that instead of targeting anything Indochino actually does... you're yelling at your own imagination.
2) It isn't a separate canvas layer as I understand it, it's that the interlining is fused throughout, and that fusing is reinforced with stitching in some places. It is disingenuous of them to call that "fully canvassed", but they aren't doing weird-ass double-layer construction like you're saying.
3) There may be poly in the blend, but their may not be. It's just one guy's opinion and, given that we've never heard anything like this before, he could be wrong. I'd want 3 or 4 people to report this experience before I gave it any real weight.
4) I think it's pretty ridiculous to assume that the average schlub would go buy a suit from Indochino instead of a department store. Its primary audience seems to be people who are actually interested in suits (like, for instance, us); otherwise, would they even mention the interlining, buttons, etc.?

Not that I think Indochino is a great company; it makes made-to-measure suits for low prices, and that doesn't happen without someone getting screwed. I just think you're mad that Indochino isn't making you bespoke or something.

 

[Makeshift_Robot]

Also, does anyone else think it's weird that LorenzL has a site where all he does is review this one company? I don't know why you would do that as opposed to making a made-to-measure review site or writing for consumerreports, and it seems a little suspicious. It's like if I had a web site where all I did was look at every new J Crew piece and told you what I thought of it.

 

[jefferyd]

Originally Posted by Makeshift_Robot

but they aren't doing weird-ass double-layer construction like you're saying.

Actually, that is exactly what they are doing- fusing everywhere, plus canvas everywhere except in the lapel. Weird-ass is right.

 

[LorenzL]

Originally Posted by Makeshift_Robot

Also, does anyone else think it's weird that LorenzL has a site where all he does is review this one company? I don't know why you would do that as opposed to making a made-to-measure review site or writing for consumerreports, and it seems a little suspicious. It's like if I had a web site where all I did was look at every new J Crew piece and told you what I thought of it.

Makeshift_Robot, people have wondered about it before. To be honest, I didn't and still don't think it is weird. I got interested in Indochino a while ago and found fragmented information everywhere. So I thought about just making a blog where it all comes together - articles, links, reviews, etc. Surely, it's a small niche, but why not. I can assure you I don't get paid by Indochino, it's "just" an interesting project for me.

 

[LorenzL]

Originally Posted by jefferyd

Actually, that is exactly what they are doing- fusing everywhere, plus canvas everywhere except in the lapel. Weird-ass is right.

Jeffrey, can it be a cost issue? I tend to think it's not, because why would fusing + canvassing be cheaper than just canvassing or half-canvassing. It's more material involved and thus it's more working time. I would really like to get behind the reasoning of this...A pity that you are so far away, because it would be interesting to give you one of their improved suits andsee how the construction looks like.

 

[mjc]

Originally Posted by Makeshift_Robot

4)Its primary audience seems to be people who are actually interested in suits (like, for instance, us); otherwise, would they even mention the interlining, buttons, etc.?

I wonder who their primary audience is. Given the early preponderance of black suits (poly, cotton, wool, black, black, black), I would guess they originally targeted the hospitality industry - hotels, waiters, musicians, etc. Perhaps they are shifting slow towards the people-who-care-about-suits demographic (us).

Not that I think Indochino is a great company; it makes made-to-measure suits for low prices, and that doesn't happen without someone getting screwed. I just think you're mad that Indochino isn't making you bespoke or something.

Indeed. They are clearly selling "packaged" suit designs with some tweaking. They don't claim to design anything you want.

- Mike