New Vincero suits and paisley shirts from Indochino

I've been missing out on a couple of introductions to Indochino's suits and shirts lately, so let's take a look and see what happened in the past few days.

Indochino Paisley (and patterned) Shirts - who would dare wearing it?

Paisley Shirts - wearable or not?

Unwearable in my opinion, both as a dress shirt and as a casual shirt. The tie with the clip in combination with the pattern just looks out of place. What do you think? Is that a look someone could pull off and I am perhaps just too conservative? Very interested in hearing your thoughts on these shirts. 

Vincero Collection gets expanded to 13 suits in total - worth the price?

The Vincero Collection has developed in an interesting way - when they started, I didn't give them much chance, thought they were overpriced. They ran a couple of promotions on it and I saw that as a sign that they were selling slowly. However, Indochino kept introducing more Vincero suits over time and by now the selection has grown to 13 suits. As mentioned in an earlier post, I had ordered one of the Vincero suits and received it 2 weeks ago. I have since worn it 3 times and it's probably going to be my new favorite suit - the fabric is extremely nice. Will have a review up sooner or later - hopefully rather sooner!

Indochino Brown Vincero Suit - 599$

Anyway, they added a couple of new Vincero suits again, you can check the whole selection here. Of the new additions I somehow really like the Brown Vincero Suit a lot. Sure, at 599$ it is not exactly cheap, but if you don't have any fit issues, the great fabric, Bemberg lining etc. is quite worth it in my opinion.

What else happened?


Indochino (just like me) discovered Pinterest and ran a competition. As you know, their Traveling Tailor is coming to Calgary on March 6th and judging from their Facebook page, it's going to be overrun - at least 460 people are going to get measured up. Double-breasted suits should come with one of their next collections and the spring collection (most likely again linen suits) will be released towards the end of March. Lots of things to look forward to!

Coming Soon: more exciting news and reviews

I didn't have much time to update the blog and write new reviews so far in 2012, but this is about to change and I have big plans. In terms of reviews, I will start with a review of the Indochino Vincero Gray Plaid suit within the next 2 weeks. I will follow up with an introduction to Black Lapel, a new and noteworthy online suit maker - there will also be a special coupon for readers of this blog. An in-depth review of their Navy Blue suit, compared to the Indochino Navy Blue suit will follow.

Apart from these reviews, I will also take a look at Ratio Clothing, the online shirt maker and see how their shirts compare to Indochino. Vastrm a producer of customized polo shirts will be next. Furthermore, I will introduce and review Indi Custom, the online custom jeans maker. Modasuite is on my list as well, many people have contacted me about my opinion on their suits - unfortunately they don't (yet?) ship to Europe, so that is not an option at the moment. 

Overall, I think there should be some interesting topics for everyone!

In other news, the blog will also get a major overhaul in terms of design and usability. I want to make it easier to find reviews and I'm currently working with a cool designer to work out the details.

Indochino Sale Alert: End of Season Sale - 20-45% off

Indochino is having a sale on many of their non-permanent outerwear, suits, shirts and ties. The sale can be combined with the Gilt City promotion.

Savings are pretty good, for example the remaining Steve Nash suits now all sell for 100$ less and go for 399$. The fabrics used on those is really nice. There is also one last suit from their Traveler Collection (more here and review here), you know the one with the touchscreen sensitive pocket, teflon coated fabric, etc. 

Also on sale are a number of plaid shirts (79$ instead of 99$), their pretty nice and warm outerwear including the Navy Peacoat (229$ instead of 329$) and a couple of knit ties (39$ instead of 49$). 

Steve Nash Brown Nailhead Suit - 399$ instead of 499$

Navy Peacoat - 229$ instead of 329$

Indochino Traveling Tailor - next stop Calgary

Indochino has just released the first stop of their Traveling Tailor for 2012. Calgary is the lucky city to host this event and provide a chance to get everyone suited up. The feedback from their first pop-up store in Vancouver was really good and I am sure they have further improved the whole concept. If you are interested in Indochino, visiting their pop-up store is surely worth it, not only because you can see and feel all the fabrics and have someone specially trained to measure you correctly. Should help a great deal getting a nice fit right away. Before I forget it, you also get a free shirt with your suit purchase if you book your appointment for the pop-up store in advance (link below).

Indochino Traveling Tailor

March 6-10, 2012

115 - 9th Avenue SE

Suite 162

Calgary/Canada

calgarytt@indochino.com

http://www.indochino.com/traveling-tailor

More stops for 2012 should be revealed soon, I am quite sure they will cover the more important cities in Cananda and the US, you can also suggest a stop on the link I posted above.

In other news, I got got an Indochino shipment today - 3 new shirts, a Vincero Charcoal Plaid suit and a gray cashmere scarf. It seems they really have my fit preferences down by now, because the suit fits just really well and to be honest, the Reda fabric is really something special. Feels great to the touch, noticeably nicer than what they use e.g. on their Essential suits. Obviously, the price tag also reflects the nicer fabric, the  Bemberg lining, etc. Will try to get a proper review up soon.

Indochino's preppy Chinos aka the La Boca Collection - worth a try?

The La Boca Collection, custom Indo-Chinos, 99$

Indochino launched a new pants collection today. Actually, not just pants, we are talking (Indo) chinos. This is good news, because it's yet another time that Indochino tests out new territory. The teaser on facebook/twitter yesterday already revealed some of the details on it. Just like last year (see coverage), inside of the pants are colorful and patterned, but this time it's a clear step into casual clothing. The La Boca Chino Collection (named after the trendy Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires) might be just a first step, who knows, perhaps jeans are next?

I just remembered an article on valetmag.com on Chinos from last summer, let me quote:

"Chinos have experienced somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, emerging from the dark ages of triple pleats and ultra-relaxed cuts into an era of flattering fits and vintage-inspired detailing. Style icons like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen wore them best, with a slim cut and a devil may care attitude. Now you have your chance to channel classic American cool, no matter your budget." - Reed Homan (http://www.valetmag.com/style/products/2011/slim-chino-spectrum-041911.php)

What does this mean for your measurements? Chinos, just like jeans, are worn a bit different from dress pants. You wear them lower on the hip and you can wear them slimmer, tapered below the knee. Thus, you may want to review your crotch and thigh measurements to get a closer fit. Also, you may want to show some ankle and reduce the length of your pants. However, be careful and don't adjust too much! I'd personally also go without the crease.

What do you think about the colors? Is green too preppy for you? Justin Bridges from Tucked Style sure can pull it off! My first opinion was to go for the khaki chinos. But actually, why not blue or red for a change?

Indochino Red Chino contrasting pattern detail

By the way, how do you feel about double-breasted suits? It's a topic of interest, I believe. Of course, I am not talking about those baggy double-breasted suits you might see in old Italian gangster movies, I'm more thinking of the slim cut type that was made popular again last year. I found this image from GQ (screenshot from the iPad edition, copyright GQ). What do you think? I'm asking because I read on Indochino's Facebook wall that they plan on offering double-breasted suits soon, so I'm really curious how they will look like. 

Double-breasted suit, taken from GQ iPad Edition, copyright GQ
Soon on Indochino?

[EXPIRED] Indochino Deal Alert: Get 35% off with Gilt City Indochino Deal

This is an Indochino deal alert for everyone in the United States. Gilt City just released a pretty sweet Indochino deal. You can get one of their Essential 3-piece suits, 1 shirt and 1 tie for 339$ instead of 527$ - this equals a discount of 35%. You can also buy a more expensive suit and a discount of 379$ is applied to the suit at checkout. E.g. you buy a suit for 399$, 379$ are deducted, you still get a free shirt and free tie and you have to pay 20$ on checkout.

http://www.giltcity.com/national/indochinogc and also on Google Deals

Update: The deal is now gone. 

Make the deal even sweeter:
If you are new with Gilt City and you use my invite link below, you will get 50$ off your first order.
This way, you will actually only pay 289$ for the deal! I think I will get something like that too if you sign up, but I'm in Europe so I don't think I will be able to use it.
http://www.giltcity.com/invite/lorenz3

Indochino has created a separate landing page for Gilt City customers, but the deal works with any suit, shirt or tie. The whole thing works similar to Groupon deals, you get a voucher with a code that you can use on checkout. Offer has to be redeemed by March 30th, 2012. The deal itself is up until Thursday, 16th of February 2012. Limited to one coupon per customer, US only.

The Deal:

• 1 Essential 2-piece suit (read more on the Essential Collection here and here)
• 1 tie (Indochino ties)
• 1 dress shirt (Indochino shirts)

Indochino Vincero suits and the "Rat Pack" make a comeback

Do you remember the 2011 Indochino Vincero Collection (covered on my blog here)? It generated quite a bit of buzz last September. Vincero stands for premium Italian Reda fabrics, Bemberg lining and collar felts sourced from Germany. Vincero also stands for the highest prices Indochino ever asked for their suits, the most expensive one initially sold for 829$ - a couple of Vincero deals with nice discounts surfaced soon after.

Indochino Vincero Charcoal Prince of Wales Suit - 599$

It seems that at the end, sales of the first Vincero Collection were quite ok after all, or Indochino just decided to give the premium line another shot and test the waters again. The new Vincero suits introduced earlier this week are priced more competitive at 599$. You are probably asking yourself if it's worth it. I guess there is no simple answer for it. Reda fabric is top quality, there is no doubt about that. Bemberg lining is something you might notice too, it should breath better than the standard polyester lining, especially in hotter climates. I am not sure if or how one would actively notice the better collar felts. If you got your fit down and you can afford it, these are surely great suits. 

Especially the Charcoal Prince of Wales and the Mini Houndstooth have a great and timeless pattern that stands out from the many solid colored suits. However, if you are just starting to build your wardrobe, you might be better of with a suit from their Essential collection. The fabric is not bad either, sourced from China, but from what I hear Chinese fabric mills have greatly improved in quality over the last years.

Indochino Vincero Mini Houndstooth Suit - 599$

In addition, there is also a nice Vincero pinstripe suit and also two pants made from Reda fabric that might be of interest to some of you - a pair of brown dress pants and a pair of gray ones.

The other new suit is a is a pretty cool blue one, The Blue Sharkskin Suit. In case you were wondering, here's a bit background on sharkskin fabric. As you probably guessed, it is luckily not made of endangered shark's skin, the term merely describes a special way of weaving the wool. Sharkskin suits were made famous by the Rat Pack in the early 1960s, went in and out of fashion and it seems the fabric en vogue again these days. I could swear I read about it just some days ago in GQ or Esquire, can't remember. If you want to know more, there is a lot of information on quora.com.

Indochino Blue Sharkskin suit aka. the Rat Pack Suit - 399$

In any case, in my opinion the Indochino Blue Sharkskin Suit is really cool and at 399$ also quite affordable. Now that I'm thinking about it, an Indochino Rat Pack collection could actually be interesting, right?