2 new Pinstripe Suits from Indochino

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Today, 2 new pinstripe suits got added to Indochino's collection. Both priced at 479$ they are not quite as affordable as the basic suits at 379$, but also far less expensive than the Vincero Collection (all suits still available, by the way). I think today's additions will make a couple of people happy, there has been the occasional customer asking for for pinstriped suits on Facebook or Twitter recently.

There is also a special gimmick for those two suits, both of them feature a special lining - in one case geometric patterns, in the other retro circles. By the way, I overheard some chit-chat about new outerwear items in October, so I am really looking forward to that! I will give their outerwear a try this time.

The Yankee Switch Up Pinstripe Suit - 479$
Man of Mystery Pinstripe Suit - 479$

New Indochino shirts added

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

An overview of the 9 new Indochino shirts added today
9 new Indochino shirts were added today, with a focus on dark colours and bold butcher's stripes, priced at the usual 99$ each. I have noticed a certain pattern to Indochino releases a while ago: 1 big release (like the Vincero Collection) is usually followed by 2-3 smaller (accessories, blazers, shirts, ties)  in the following weeks.  

Following this pattern, we could see another big collection as soon as next week (but most likely they will wait for October). Besides new suits (will we see Harris Tweed this year?) my bet is on outerwear items. Waiting any longer than early October would be really late for autumn 2011 and I am ready to try one of their outerwear options this time.

In the meanwhile, I am waiting for my ProperSuit suit to arrive (I sure hope it didn't get lost on the way) and I'm working on getting a good fit on my last Indochino suit. I had ordered the Portfolio Plaid Suit a while ago, but the jacket had a couple of issues: button stance was 2 inch higher than usual, giving the whole jacket a weird shape. In addition, the jacket was also roomier than usual. Luckily, Indochino was very forthcoming and accepted my request for a remake. 

StudioSuits.com Review

Monday, September 19, 2011

StudioSuits.com Suit - a very slim fit
Update: Studio Suits now offers a fit guarantee on selected items.

With the recent discussions on the expensive Indochino Vincero Collection and my introduction to equally high-priced ProperSuit, I also wanted to cover a more affordable option. Haresh aka Harry from StudioSuits.com had contacted me a while ago and offered me to receive a free suit for review, and I thought I'd make for an interesting article. 

One of the readers of this blog had mentioned StudioSuits a while ago in a comment; their prices are surely tempting - suits start at 99$ only - an unbelievable price for an MTM suit. At this price, you can be lucky to get a shirt at Indochino. But are the suits worth the money?

New Tie Bars from Indochino

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Indochino Tie Clip - 39$
Yesterday only brought a couple of small updates, 3 new tie bars priced at 39$. I don't know if much can be said about them, there is nothing particularly outstanding, but it's nice to have a bit of a choice there. As discussed previously, there are many other choices to get tie bars. Would be good to know how long the Indochino ones are, but no further details are provided. I assume they are the standard size, which can be a bit too long for the slim Indochino ties. 

I was originally hoping for some new outerwear, but I guess they will keep that for the next bigger collection. What about you guys, are you using tie clips? I sometimes do, but usually feel like I should avoid overdressing if none of my clients wear tie clips. 

Introducing ProperSuit - a rival to the throne?

Friday, September 9, 2011

Impressions from ProperSuit.com

Update: Suit Review now online: http://www.indochino-review.com/2011/10/introducing-propersuit-review.html

A while ago I noticed a comment on my blog. It was posted on an article about the secret pockets that Indochino had introduced on 2 special suits a while ago. The comment mentioned that secret pockets were a standard feature on all Proper Suit suits. It was the first time I had heard about that Proper Suit (http://www.propersuit.com) so I decided to check their website and soon after I found myself chatting to the two founders, McGregor and Richard.

Their concept is not fundamentally different from Indochino, but still raised my interest. I believe the online MTM market is continually growing and the more competitiors, the better for us customers. Instead of just ordering a suit from and reviewing it here I thought of something a bit bigger.

In this first part I want to introduce Proper Suit and conduct an interview with the two founders. The goal will be to find out what differentiates Proper Suit from Indochino and what makes them stand out.

The second part will not only feature a suit review of the Modern Brown Suit from Proper Suit (thank you for the considerable discount!), but also an analysis of the different fabrics, the construction methods used and the fit. I have secured the help of a top bespoke tailor, who has agreed to cut open suits from both Indochino and Proper Suit - expect some surprising insights! 

About Proper Suit

Proper Suit was started in 2010 by McGregor and Richard. Their company’s story is in a way similar to Indochino’s story. There is that general unhappyness with off-the-rack suits and their usually baggy fit as a starting point. McGregor got introduced to local tailors by stylish friends from Sweden and Italy and quickly fell in love with tailored clothes. Richard was the perfect business partner, as a former factory auditor in China he possessed the necessary know-how on the “proper” machinery, raw materials and the processes. Together, they founded Proper Suit - the name seemed fitting, because at the core a (very) proper suit is what they want to provide to their customers.

I had the chance to do an extensive interview with both Richard and McGregor, read on below to for the full transcript of the conversation.

Indochino's Vincero Collection

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Indochino Vincero Collection
The Vincero Navy Blue & White Pinstripe Suit, 649$

Indochino is constantly changing and in many cases, improving. Advanced options have been reworked (photos of the options are now available) and simplified (higher armholes became standard), their much-discussed shoulder construction has been upgraded (now lightly padded shoulders). 

They have also completely changed their prices and sales strategy. Just a year ago you could get 20% off an Indochino suit plus 2 free shirts. Today, there are almost no coupons (just some small official sales) and prices have increased significantly. I remember when you could get the suits for 299$ after using a coupon - now their monthly collections cost significantly more. This has surely left many former customers disappointed and looking for bargains elsewhere - StudioSuits.com comes to mind, I actually have a review coming up within the next weeks. 

The reasons of the change in strategy and price increases are manifold. First of all, Indochino has been growing quickly and now wants to start making profits and grow into a strong brand, not depending on short-term sales initiatives using coupons and discounts. Furthermore, cotton prices have been increasing significantly over the last year, thus negatively affecting profit margins. Indochino has actually raised prices for blazers and some basic suits by around 30$. 

Today's new suits, titled the Vincero Collection, are yet another step in a higher price category. Prices start at 649$, this has been unheard of before - the most expensive 3-piece suit even sells for 829$. However, this is not all without reason. Quite on the contrary, today new suits stand out like no other collection before. Read on below for more info.