Product Review: Indochino's Essential Gray Suit
Zak recently purchased a suit from Indochino and decided to write up a product review for this week’s Fashion Friday:
Buying a suit can be tricky. It’s nearly impossible to find something that fits well (or even well enough) off the rack for anyone, but particularly someone with an unusual body shape and below average height like myself (and probably most trans* guys). I needed a suit for my wedding, and also just generally for job interviews, presentations, and formal events, and I wanted it to fit well and not cost a whole lot of money. I looked at a few department stores and considered buying off the rack and then getting my suit tailored, but then I heard of Indochino, an online store for made-to-measure menswear. The prices weren’t terrible, about $370ish dollars for a basic suit, and I liked the idea. So, a couple of weeks ago I ordered the Essential Gray Suit and a custom made white shirt. It came today in some stylish, nifty packaging.
My first impression was that I really liked the look of it. The material isn’t the highest quality, but it isn’t awful either. I’d compare it to most of the suits I found in department stores like Macys, which makes sense because it isn’t all that different in price from those either. Surprisingly, it fit me incredibly well straight out of the box. This is despite the fact that Indochino warns that the first suit you order may need tweaking and that I’d read many reviews that complained that most suits need a bit of tailoring even despite being made-to-measure. Indochino will reimburse you for up to $75 dollars in tailoring fees, so I wasn’t too concerned about this, but I feel pretty lucky that I probably won’t need to visit a tailor at all (I’m not sure yet, I need someone with a better eye to take a look and try the pants on while I’m actually wearing shoes).
Based on my experience so far, I’d definitely recommend them. Like I mentioned earlier, this isn’t made of premium quality material and isn’t intended to stack up against something you’d get at a high end store or a bespoke suit. It also isn’t cheap, although for a well-fitting suit it’s pretty reasonably priced. It looks great (in my opinion), feels great, and fits comfortably AND it didn’t require any interaction with a salesperson (a huge plus for a lot of trans* guys who’d be uncomfortable shopping for a suit if they aren’t always read as male). We’ll see how long it lasts and how it holds up, but for now I’d say it’s pretty good!
We're havin' a Ball-
Outfit Inspiration: Truman Capote’s Black & White Ball
The Agenda: Museum of the City of New York’s 25th Annual WINTER BALL at The Plaza hosted by Oscar de la Renta.
It’s Fashion Friday! Since y’all liked my New York Fashion Week Daily Outfits I decided to keep em coming with a series called Fashion Friday! Always classic, sometimes vintage, usually thrifted so easily obtainable!
White formal skirt: Thrifted for $40 from here!
Black button up Shirt: Talbots / gifted
Patent Leather Black Belt: Housing Works Thrift Store
Lipstick: Lady Danger by MAC
Lashes: Ardell Duralash Individual Lashes Medium Black (about 1 line per eye, drama baby)
Pearl Earrings: Tiffany & Co.
Diamond Hair Broach: More like rhinestone, Vintage (found at antique mall) & pinned into my hair with bobby pins
Diamond and Pearl Bracelet: From the gift shop at the Louvre, remake of Marie Antoinette jewelry
PIN CURLS: LOVE this how-to video Part I & Part II.
The Unmentionables (what you don’t see): Spanx
Location: The Plaza Hotel
