Guide to how a suit should fit

Above I have put together a diagram showing what you need to pay attention too when trying on a suit.  These simple guidelines will ensure that the suit fits you well.

My first Indochino Suit Review!

Today I'm going to talk abut my experience with Indochino.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Indochino, they are an online made to measure suit company.  It is a Canadian company who's head office is located in Vancouver, but the production of the suits come from China.  I decided to try Indochino with one of the coupon codes I got from redflag deals, in this case I got the suit for 15% off with 2 free shirts and 1 free accessory item.  So I decided to go with the basic black suit, since I was in need of a black suit anyway.  Now comes the interesting part of getting your measurements.  One of the great features of the Indochino website is how simple it is for you to get your measurements.  They not only have a diagram showing what to measure, but they have a video showing you how to do it.  After about ten minutes with the help of someone else your measurements are in.  What I like most about Indochino is the amount of options you have to customize the suit from having working buttons to pick stitching and there's no additional charge for it!  After I placed my order I recieved various emails updating my on the progress of my order.  I think what really surprised me was the speed in which I got my suit, I got in in 12 days! Indochino guarantees that you will recieve your order within two weeks!

Suit jacket and trouser with suit bag

Close up of working buttons on sleeve

Once recieved.....

I gave it an inspection, the quality looked and felt good, though it is a light fabric so it's best for spring/summer/fall months.  I tried it on and the fit was dead on, though it felt tight in certain spots, so I had the suit pressed at the cleaners.  After the pressing the suit fit like a glove.  The only immediate issue I had was that the pant length was about a 1/2" short, so I had them altered.  I suggest you get the pants unhemmed so that there will be no issues, the bonus is that Indochino will reimburse you for alteration fees up to $75.00.  The sleeve and jacket lenght was perfect.  The shoulders fit well and do not overhang.  Overall I was surprised at the quality of the suit, It looked good and felt comfortable on me, so now it was time to put the suit to a real working test.

I had ordered this suit in October, since then I have worn the suit about 12 times.  How has it fared?  Well, after about the 8th time the top button on the suit became really loose, to the point where there was 2 strings holding it, so I had it fixed.  The other issue that appeared, is that at the edge of the jacket where the buttons are a distinct line has formed.  From what I can tell this line is the result of a material on the inside of the jacket finishing before the edge, therefore causing the jacket fabric to sink in causing this line, see the picture below for details.   

The line appears right after the buttons

The line is most noticeable in direct light, otherwise you don't really notice it. 

In Conclusion.......

I would say that for the price and convenience, Indochino is really worth it.  Although I thought the material was light and suspected that wear marks would occur this has not happened.  In fact the material has stood up very well, and still maintains a new look, I have yet to dry clean it!  The only real downfall is the appearance of the line near the edge of the jacket.  I don't really know the cause of it and it doesn't look like it can be fixed unless I take it to a professional tailor.  All in all I was very impressed and will more than likely order another suit from Indochino.


A note about the two free shirts I received with the suit.  I found that the shirts where not of a very high quality, also they fit real snug on me, after one wash the shirts had already begun to fade.  I would not recommend buying the shirts, though if it comes with the package it's good enough to wear to work a few times before they fade out.

Mirror...Mirror on the wall.....

Look at yourself in the mirror what do you see?  Well of course yourself, but look at the wider picture, how does what you're wearing make you look?  Put on that shirt you like, does it fit loose/tight on the sides, are the arms too long/short, what type of collar is it, can you do the collar up and be comfortable? The majority of us buy our clothing from retail stores, but are not always sure what to look for in buying a shirt/pants/suit, etc. That  may not only be comfortable but fits you well.  For the longest time I would just buy clothing because I liked the way it looked on me, but never really paid any attention to the detail or quality of the product.  And this has resulted in me buying shirts with sleeves a little too short, shirts that were baggy on the sides, collars that were too tight when buttoned up, and so on.  Sure I looked good in them, but I didn't look my sharpest!  That's because all clothing at retails are designed to a certain template with various sizes, and we just go in and grab our size.  But not everyone is the same so many of these clothing items will always be a bit larger in certain spots to accommodate the variety of shapes.  So due to this, standard retail clothing doesn't always bring out the best in you.  So what are the options you ask?  Well for some of us, we will find that clothing from certain retailers will fit on you better than others, so you will mainly buy your cloths from them.  Or alternately any clothing that you have and is a bit too big in certain areas can always be tailored in by a tailor, this will give you the advantage of having the item tapered to your body shape.  And finally there's the option of made to measure or custom made. Although this may sound as a pricier option I have learned that this is not necessarily true.  Over the course of this blog I will explore various options on clothing items that are essential to a man's wardrobe.  The goal here is that we should be looking sharp everyday, regardless of the style of clothing you wear, but the key is knowing the details of the clothing you buy.