Mini Baron Boutique review and question about fit

[RossAdamBaker]

Hello StyleForum!

I've been reading this forum for a while now, learning from the advice within, and trying to enhance my wardrobe. As of now, my everyday wear is nice shoes, nice pants, nice long-sleeve button up shirt. Other than a few zoot suits and other obnoxiously colored and fashioned things I had during my prom days, I had no nice suits. That is, up until last week! I've recently picked up two suits:

First, I bravely marched into the cut-throat sales tactics of my local Men's Wearhouse, and walked out with a decent charcoal 2-piece 3-button suit, second blazer (more of a casual thing to wear with jeans,) shirt and tie for just under $400, incl tax and tailoring. I had it nipped in at the sides to give it a more slim look... I know it's probably fused together and is going to fall apart in a year - but at least I can see it happen with my own eyes and make my own judgement! (Note: They wanted me to walk out with over twice that including three suits - one of which was bright green, suspenders, a bag-o-ties, armful of shirts, etc, etc. Can't yell at them for doing their job though!)

The second suit is the one I come to you, asking your opinions today. I took a chance and purchased a MTM suit with our friends at BaronBoutique.com - I couldn't resist... it was a replica of the suit Daniel Craig wears in the final scene of 007 Casino Royale... I had to have it! I paid a bit more for full canvassing and a nice silk lining (I wanted to see the best they had to offer.) I also picked up a slim-fit shirt to see what that was all about.

My contact there, Raj, was extremely helpful all along the way, giving advice and helping me make sure my order was exactly what I wanted. He even took digital photos of the suit during construction per my request (I wanted to see if it was made in their shop, or outsourced. I may also do a mini-review of my experience with them, and use these.) He was always prompt in responding to my messages (I'd always get a response by the next morning - he's on the other side of the planet, making it hard to respond during normal business hours in my time zone.) Excellent, excellent customer service for sure. As promised, it all arrived in two weeks, tightly folded and packed into the tiny international-shipping box. I got it all out, sent the suit to get pressed and steamed, and washed the shirt at home myself.

I am extremely pleased with the shirt. It was $58 including shipping, very soft "Italian cotton", as good if not better than the rest of my shirts. Washing and hang-drying produced a very crisp shirt, so dry-cleaning is not required. All of the seams look very nice, and all of the design details matched my order exactly (removable collar stays, semi-spread collar, epaulettes, no pockets, French cuffs, side pleats, etc.) The fit was absolutely perfect except for the sleeves being too long - which I expected, the measurements I sent in had a few inches margin of error so that I could have it cut locally, once I actually saw it on my body. I particular enjoy how long the shirt is, giving ample tail material to tuck in. I am so pleased that I doubt I'll be purchasing any more "parachute" shirts off-the-rack from local stores, as I'm just too long and skinny for those to look decent on me.

Have a look at it here. (Please ignore how wrinkly it is... this photo was taken after a day of wearing it and a night of it in a pile on the floor... but that's another story altogether.)

[Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

Now, onto the suit.

The feel of the wool on the suit was very smooth and soft, and the silk inside felt heavenly. From what I can tell, everything is fully canvassed and the seems look perfect. A bit of rippling was seen along the seams of the lapels when I first pulled it from the box, but that went away as soon as I had it pressed. The buttons appear to be non-plastic, each one a bit different and no seams on them. The shoulder padding doesn't seem huge as some others have reported - though when I ordered, I specified minimal padding just to be sure. I sent in a JPG of my signature to have it embroidered onto the inside of the jacket (a free service) and it turned out wonderful! Again, my order details were all followed perfectly - plain lapels, three functional buttons on the sleeve cuffs, a few particular pockets inside the coat, no vent, plain front trouser, etc, etc.

The big question I have is - how tight fitting is too tight?

The vest seems to fit just fine, no pull marks near the button holes. Have a look: (Please ignore the black/gray shoes. Those are from when I was wearing my charcoal suit.)

[Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

Raj explained that if the vest fits, so should the coat, because they are made to compliment each others' measurements. I think the coat looks great unbuttoned: (Again, the sleeves are too long, so that I can have a local tailor trim them back.)

[Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

But once I button it, some pull marks appear near the fastened button. Is this how it is supposed to fall, being the new hip slim-silhouetted look, or is the coat a bit too tight? Note: the back appears fine to me, even when buttoned.

[Straight Shot] [Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

Lastly, and to me most importantly - the trousers. They seem tight to me, in the crotch/waist area. The pockets don't seem to flare out at all, and I can stick my hands in them with comfort... but it seems to hug my bum and hips pretty tightly. Is it supposed to? Note: I can sit and kneel without the fear of anything ripping, so it's not THAT tight.

[Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

What do you all think? About the fit? About the suit/shirt in general? Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated and valued!

For anyone wondering about the products Baron Boutique makes, I'd be happy to answer any questions, or take close-up photos for you to inspect yourselves!

Again, thank you for bearing this excessively long post and helping a guy out!

~Ross Adam Baker

 

[zalb916]

Congratulations on getting your suit. I like that you are going with a three-piece. Very classy. One of the most obvious things I noticed is that the coat appears to be several inches too long. The back should just cover your rear, and your fingers should generally curl to the bottom of the coat. While a coat can sometimes be shortened by a 1/2 inch or so, I think you're looking at a little too much shortening. Not only is shortening an expensive alteration, you'll probably need about two inches or so taken off. That would just throw the entire balance off the coat. I'd ask Raj about having a new coat made for you.

 

[Michael1981]

....I want to be positive but I cant find much to say.

Jacket looks excessively long which sort of throws off the balance of the entire silhouette.
Looks as if you'd do better by having the jacket taken in, as there looks to be alot of pooling fabric. I cant tell for sure unless I see a pic of it buttoned up.
The sleeves look too full in the bicep and opening, maybe requesting a higher armhole would have remedied this.
...it just looks off. For the $400 you paid you would have done better buying something off the rack that would have fit from the get go.

The shirt is fine if you like those epaulettes but probably not the best shirt to be worn with a suit. Sleeves look a bit baggy.

 

[gdl203]

My main question is why did you use an internet MTM tailor? Is your body very difficult to fit in typical RTW sizes?

 

[VMan]

West Allis, huh?

 

[RossAdamBaker]

Thanks for the replies so far! Didn't expect this fast of a response.

ZBrommer - Thanks for the compliment about the three-piece. This was one of the features that drew me to this suit. There were no three-piece suits at my local Men's Wearhouse or at the one other local suits place I checked.

I hadn't even noticed that the coat fit too long. Possibly being used to my old Zoot suits gave me a slanted concept! I'll definately need to ask Raj about this, I'm not sure if it was my measurements or his cutting that caused this. (Though I measured myself three times - twice by professional tailors, and once by good ol' Mom, who knows a thing or two about clothing alterations.)

Good catch!

Michael1981 - Thanks for your critique! If you take a look at the following links, you'll see the suit, top button buttoned:

[Straight Shot] [Front] [Right Side] [Back] [Left Side]

I definately see what you mean by the fabric pooling on the back when unbuttoned. The majority of it seems to flatten out when buttoned, but is it still excessive? Interesting note though, as I thought, if anything, it was too tight!

I'll have to look at the armholes again - I asked for them to be tight, because other users of this forum were rporting larger-than-good armholes. Hey, maybe the extra bicep room is just Raj telling me I need to start working out???

As far as the shirt goes, I'm got the epauleettes just to see what they'd look like. I actually enjoy the look - it's very unique, I don't think I've seen a shirt with them anywhere. If I get another, I'm sure it would be without those for a more traditional look. The sleeves are about the same size as my other, off-the-shelf shirts. I might have to ask for those to be thinner too, eh? Again, thanks for your critique!

GDL203 - I'm a rather tall and skinny fellow at 6'5" 180# (The photos seem to have a fish-eye going to them you can't really tell) It seems as though every off-the-shelf shirt I get either has twice as much material in the body as I need (but the collar closes properly) or the body fits decently but the collar is an inch too tight and the sleeves are too short.

I went to a MTM shop just out of curiosity, to see what kind of product I'd end up with. I was prepared for the worst, possibly even that I wouldn't even see a suit... but I was willing to take that risk, at least once. I was hoping, however, for the best. I hear all the good things about custom-made suits, how they are so much superior to off-the-rack fused ones. I am also very attracted the the ability to really customize the suit in every aspect. When I go to a store, what I get depends entirely on what they have in stock.

I did purchase an off-the-rack suit from Men's Wearhouse that appears to fit nice, and I am planning on comparing the two (The MW suit should be done any day now, I'll try to snap some photos of it and get them on here for you guys to see.)

What would you suggest? I'm very open to recommendations as far as where or where not to look. I don't want to spend a fortune - $400-$500 (ish) for a nice suit sounds about right to me and my budget. I don't mind swinging and missing a few times before I get it right, so long as I do finally find my answer!

 

[RossAdamBaker]

West Allis heck yes!

 

[markr]

I think for $400, you've learned (or are in the process of learning) a lot about MTM/fit/buying a suit, etc. So even if this suit doesn't work out, at least you'll be a lot smarter for the experience. Next time around, take what you've learned and try eBay. Or save up for Chan's next tour.

 

[stickonatree]

i don't think it's a good idea to have them cut things too long and have you take it to a local tailor. slight alterations are OK, but too many together, plus tailoring INCHES (plural) just throws the whole look off. might as well just buy RTW and tailor it then!

you'd probably want to go jantzen for MTM shirts...$40 can't be beat, with an unreal selection of fabrics and styles. or, just go buy some shirts locally and have a tailor take in the sides and dart the back for you, as well as slim the arms. shouldn't cost more than $20 per shirt.

very good review though, it's good to know that they have great customer service, i myself may order a shirt from there soon to check out their construction/fabric quality!

also, are you sure it's fully canvassed? from their prices online, $300-400 per suit, i don't think they'd be able to spend the time to do that. or if they do, it's probably not a very good job. i mean, $300 for a MTM suit? that's just ridiculous to expect too much, or am i wrong?

 

[RossAdamBaker]

Thanks for the replies markr and stickonatree...

markr ... Yes, I've definately learned a few pointers from this experience. Alot of different things that need to be declared on the order, to ensure it's done right. Luckily, with Raj's help, I got those all taken care of on this first order. For the future, I just need to touch up my correct sizing.

What I wish I had done, first time around, is to order a cheap suit from them, not fully canvassed, no silk lining, just to get the sizing right. Then, once that's all figured out, go for the good suits. They have a wool suit, 2-piece, 2-button, for $209 ... I could have had two tries at getting the sizing right versus my one try.

Who's Chan? And when does his tour happen?

stickonatree ... I'll have to confirm with Raj, but I believe me ordering the sleeves with an extra few inches caused the coat itself to be longer than desired, as noticed by the previous posters. I know they use the numerous measurments given, put them into some sort of crazy calculator which spits out the right measurements... my initial thinking was that the sleeves ONLY affected the sleeves. I now think that the sleeve length also affects the coat length. They do ask for the coat length, but I'm guessing if the sleeve length would end up making the sleeves longer than the coat length, they adjust the coat accordingly. Drat! (Note: Their website strictly states "Give no allowances" in regards to measurements. So much for me being good at following instructions!)

In regards to Jantzen, I've seen on a handful of forums that their turnaround time is getting rather ridiculous... some mention four to six months. Also, some mention that you cannot get ahold of them very easily. Have you had any experience with them, can you confirm or bust this rumor? For $40, it's definately worth another "learning experience" to try them out!

Yeah, even though the suit might be a little funny looking, I give Baron Boutique very high regards. If nothing else, I say it's worth a shot looking into for yourself and making your own decision. I was weary of the negative reviews floating around, but so far I've run into no problems except for some sizing issues which can all be fixed with a little trial and error.

To this day, I've been in contact with Raj about the coat being too long, pants being slightly too tight, etc, and he's been giving me good options. I can even send it back to him for free major alterations or, if the alterations are minor, he suggests taking it to a local tailor who can actually see it on me and would be cheaper than paying the international shipping anyway.

A note about full canvassing - the normal suit, as priced on the site, is partially fused. You'll have to speak to Raj, and mention in your order to "full canvas suit" - which is an additional $60 - to get it done.

Other additional costs, as I learned:
Silk coat lining: +$60
Full trouser lining: +$30
or Silk trouser lining to knee: +$30
or Silk full trouser lining: +$60. (Normal trouser is lined to knee, non-silk.)

So, just remember to add $60 to any prices on the site for canvassing, or $180 for a fully "pimped" silk and canvassed suit.

Thanks again to everyone who has replied so far!

 

[mensimageconsultant]

The pants look slightly too long, also. Too bad the bicycle-toe shoes can't be tailored

The Baron Boutique items do look nice.

 

[Tarmac]

Looks like how a typical suit fits when you try it on off the rack at the store, and you still need this one massively shortened. So $400 is kind of a rip off. But not a huge ripoff, a dept store suit would probably run you $300 anyway. Also are you saying you had that shirt with the shoulder flaps specially ordered that way?

 

[macuser3of5]

It's going to cost you a good amount of money to get that tailored properly. Everything just seems way too long and out of balance. I don't see much of any improvement vs getting a standard department store suit taken in on the waist/chest. Sorry

 

[RossAdamBaker]

Thanks for the additional set of replies!

MensImageConsultant: Yes, I gave the pants a bit of extra so I could have them cut stateside. And yes, I know I'll catch hell for it, but I love me some crazy unique bicycle shoes!

Tarmnac: Yep, I specifically ordered the shirt this way. I was actually in the market for a short sleeve white with the epaulettes, and I noticed they make them - but at the same time I wanted to see how a full long sleeve shirt turned out, so I mixed the two styles together and that's what I got. Good response so far, but it's kinda funky and don't think I'll repeat it for additional formal styled shirts.

Good point with the cost of the custom -vs- off-the-rack comparison. While the suit may not fit perfectly right out of the box, I could always order it with more generic measurements and get it tailored here - hence giving me the freedom of custom-ordering features AND the correct fit.

macuser3of5 - Thanks for the critique! Looks like you're not the only one who thinks its too long!