Indochino Review - all you need to know

Indochino Traveling Tailor - next stop Calgary

2012-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-02-08T14:54:00.000-08:00

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?

Indochino Deal Alert: Get 35% off with Gilt City Indochino Deal

2012-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

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

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

2012-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

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?

First Time Buying an Indochino Custom Suit – What To Expect and Look For

2012-01-20T03:33:00.000-08:00

Guest post by Mike Underell

Twitter: @mikeunderell

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103625554116952635026/

I recently switched careers, and on my new career path client meetings are a regular occurrence, which means I cannot dress down very often. This forced me to do something I had been delaying for years: I began building out a business wardrobe. The thing is, I had no idea what I was doing. So began my journey into the world of Indochino and custom suits.

I began shopping on Indochino’s site in early October 2011, ordered my first suit in late November, and received it just before Christmas. What can I say? I’m a thorough (cautious?) buyer. Over the almost two-month period from my initial browse to receiving my suit I have learned a few key pointers. These will give you the best chance at, when buying your first custom suit, achieving the desired result, which is a suit that you can wear right out of the box.

My first tip is to find a tailor that you trust. While Indochino has nice videos on how to take measurements on their website I would encourage you to go to a tailor. Not only that, but find one that you trust. I have been to a few alterations shops and have come back with iffy results. If you find a place you like then stick with it. If you’ve never been to a tailor before, ask your friends. Ask friends of friends. Eventually you will find a recommendation from someone who has tested the waters.

Secondly, I suggest bringing visuals to your fitting/measurement appointment. Do you have a shirt that’s been altered before and fits perfectly? Take it with you. Do you have a picture of the kind of fit you want your suit to have? Bring it with you. Give the expert/tailor as much information as possible. Don’t risk attempting to tell the tailor what you want. Show him or her what you want.

Photos copyright by GQ Magazine

I liked the way Ewan McGregor’s suit fit in a recent GQ shoot, so I brought a picture of it with me to show the tailor exactly the kind of slim suit I wanted. I also brought a shirt of mine that had been altered before. It was done so well it’s been my favourite shirt a over a year now. I want more shirts like it, so I brought it with me as well. Bring visuals. It can only help.

My third and final tip is to lower your expectations. I’m not suggesting that Indochino has a bad product. On the contrary, I believe Indochino has an amazing product, but you must face the reality of the situation though, and that is that you’ve never had a custom suit before. If that’s the case, then even if the suit is made to perfection it might not be what you expect when you finally put it on. It’s like a new car – it might look like an amazing car when driving by the car lot, but you won’t know if it is actually an amazing car or not until you test-drive it. The same applies here: what may look good on Ewan McGregor may not look good on you. This is where Indochino’s Perfect Fit Promise comes in handy. It is the promise that every suit will fit the way you want. Indochino will pay for alterations (up to $80) or make you a brand new suit. Take advantage of this if need be.

Buying your first custom suit is an exciting experience, but there will need to be some work done beforehand (and potentially after the fact) to ensure it fits the way you want. Once the initial legwork has been done though, start ordering and each suit will be fitting like a glove.

Indochino Survey 2012 - results are in

2012-01-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks to all 100 of you who have participated in the survey! The results are in and I want to take a few lines to present the outcome and ponder a bit about the possible implications. Comments are welcome! Let me please also say that statistically speaking, 100 participants do not make for a representative sample, but that doesn't mean the results are not interesting or useful.

Let us start with one of the most important questions. I asked if you would recommend Indochino to your friends. Back in 2010, 94,3% of all participants answered with yes, they would recommend Indochino. I asked the very same question this time and interestingly only 86,6% answered with yes. A clear decrease, but still a high recommendation percentage.

Other suggestions included more suits, more outerwear or just no more new items, just a focus on quality

Another question that I had already asked in 2010 reveals a bit more. I asked if any of your Indochino suits required alterations. In 2012, 42,7% said they needed to make use of the alteration credit Indochino offers, a further 37,5% went for a remake. Only 19,8% said their suit fit perfect right away. By comparison, in 2010 only 22,4% needed a remake, 53,9% made use of the alteration credit and 23,7% said their suit fit perfect right away.

Blue = 2010 survey, Red = 2012 survey

This clearly shows what I mention in my Indochino Guide as well. Your (especially) first Indochino suit is not the final product. Do yourself a favor and count with at least some alterations, evidence shows the chances are high you will need to have at least some alterations done.

Now, what is also clear is that this costs Indochino a lot of money. Needless to say they will want to decrease the rate of remakes and alterations, even if they usually claim it is low anyway. This works in our favor though and the recently introduced digital cutting process and increased quality control should help the issue.

High remake and alteration numbers aside, the impact on customer satisfaction is still not that high. 40% of all participants are very satisfied with their items purchased from Indochino, a further 48,5% are somewhat satisfied. So it seems that even if there is some hassle with getting the suit to fit right, the satisfaction is still quite high. Speaks for their excellent customers service and the perfect fit guarantee.

Coupons are another topic I asked about. You might remember that Indochino had started 2011 with a huge amount of Groupon deals and then we didn't get any coupons for a long time. This let a lot of potential buyers waiting and unwilling to pay the full price. Later on we got coupons again, actually a really nice one for Black Friday, so I guess it's all good now or at least we know they will pop up occasionally. The graph below reveals how important they are.

There was also one open question about Indochino and the world in general. I agree with the one comment that said the Saints should have beaten the 49ers. I also agree with those (and there were quite a few) who said that an important focus of Indochino should be on better quality control.

Overall, the survey shows that Indochino largely does a good job at satisfying customers. Areas of improvement are clearly finding ways to reduce alterations and remakes. In the end, this would benefit both customers and Indochino. Let's hope their cash doesn't only go to marketing and increasing sales, but also to quality control and further improving fit, construction and quality. There is also a market for more products from Indochino (shoes, pullovers especially) and I hope we will see one or the other in the near future.

I also used the survey to ask you a bit about this blog and how I could improve it. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment, pity I can't reply to all of the comments. Most of you wish for better pictures, more user reviews, more about other MTM makers and more about style and fashion in general. I'm working on it and thank you very much to all readers for sometimes stopping by to read and comment!

Let me know if you want to have more details, I can always update this article and I'll also upload a PDF with all the results.

New Essential suits available

2012-01-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Indochino has added two suits to their constant Essential collection some days ago. These new suits are a The Essential Prince of Wales and the Essential Gray Herringbone suit. Both of them are available as a 2-piece suit or with vest. The two additions certainly make sense, so far there were only solid-colored Essential suits and one always had to wait for new, temporary collections to get something a bit different.

There are also two Tuxedos available, the Midnight Blue Tuxedo and the Essential 3-piece Tuxedo. I'm aware Heikal Gani, Indochino's co-founder and design mastermind told me the designs and shapes haven't changed, but I just can't help feeling the button stance on some new suits is just very high. Combined with the high waist suppression, the jackets tend to flare out around the hips and create a kind of female shape that will not fit most people - it even looks weird on some of the Indochino models, if you ask me.

By the way, the survey will be completed in a few days, results are interesting and will be posted here!

The Essential Prince of Wales 3-piece suit - 449$

Essential 3-piece Tuxedo - 449$

Indochino Wedding Outfits

2012-01-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

The ideal Indochino wedding - copyright www.indochino.com

Indochino relaunched their wedding page yesterday, giving it the usually nice design including selected photos from customers and some outfit suggestions. They have even set up an own email address specifically for wedding inquiries (weddings@indochino.com).

As a European, it is peculiar to see this - we don't have weddings where everyone wears the same suit. How does it work - does everyone pay for his own suit for each wedding or does the future husband pay for everything? I assume it is quite a bit of work to get everyone measured and deal with remakes and alterations. I guess that is where Indochino and their wedding specialists come in to make it all more manageable.

By the way, I am doing another Indochino survey at the moment. Similar to the one from 2010, basically - it will be interesting to compare the results, specifically regarding the percentage of remakes and alterations or the satisfaction overall. Someone who already did the survey mentioned that it seems like Indochino got me to run that survey, but I can assure you that this is not the case.

They would do it on their own (they actually did for some customers a while ago), with different questions and most likely not publish the results. I will, of course, post the results here. I would still need a couple of participants, so if you have a minute or two to spare, I'd appreciate your help (it's a really short survey, 9 questions, most of them multiple choice).

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W5P8X6H

Indochino Coupon Alert: get 15% off during Chinese New Year

2012-01-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

Indochino Essential Suits - now 331$ instead of 379$

Hi guys, hope you all had a nice New Year's Eve celebration! Just like last year, Indochino is running a promo for the Chinese New Year. This time, you get 15% off all suits (unfortunately shirts etc. are excluded). The only drawback is that during the Chinese New Year, shipping time increases to 6 week (until February 1).

It is also possible that we won't see a new collection during the next couple of weeks, at least that is how it was last year. They did come back with a huge collection in February though, so I hope we will see something similar this year. In any case, I think that we should see some pretty cool things from Indochino in 2012 - more pop-up stores are for sure, perhaps we even get some completely new products? I will keep you updated, as usual.

By the way, did anyone here receive a suit after the pop-up event in Vancouver? I'm interested in hearing some opinions regarding the fit!

Coupon:
15% off with coupon code Dragon (valid until January 22nd, 2012)

[EXPIRED] Indochino Coupon Alert: 50% off accessories

2011-12-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Photo taken by Ian Lindsay, PNG, Vancouver Sun, via www.vancouversun.com

Good news for Christmas, there is one new official coupon giving you 50% off accessories such as holiday sets (which are already good value before discount!), ties, cuff links, tie bars, etc.

Coupon:

50% off accessories, use coupon code happyholidays (valid until December 26th, 2011)

Also, Indochino was featured in the Vancouver Sun today, read the story here: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Made+measure+suits+shipped+your+home/5903790/story.html

[EXPIRED] Indochino Holiday Promo - Suit Utility Kit for 29$

2011-12-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

I almost missed this, thank you to David who wrote me an email about it. We are talking about the Indochino Suit Utility Kit as was previously available via Groupon for 49$ (read about it here). I guess they had a couple of those left and decided to give them away for a good price, it's only 29$ including shipping now, you will receive it until December 24th. The promo is also linked to the Indochino segment on NBC recently, unfortunately I missed it and haven't been able to find it online so far.

For 29$ you do get quite a lot, the kit consists of:

a black tie,
tie bar,
cufflinks,
a white pocket square and
a measuring tape.

You can get it here (US only):

http://todayshow.indochino.com/offer.html

Cashmere scarfs, wool ties, essential suits and more

2011-12-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

As you may know, Indochino usually releases limited collections every other week. These suits are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, meaning that at some point the fabrics are gone and won't be restocked (there are exceptions). These limited collections make up for the bigger part of the suits on the Indochino website and are a big part of Indochino's success - it allows them to react to trends and seasons quickly.

Velvet Blazers, Cashmere Scarfs & Wool Ties

One of the new limited collections was released a couple of days ago, featuring velvet blazers and in my opinion, more interestingly also wool ties (finally!) and cashmere scarfs. The velvet blazers are 100% wool and available in 3 colours (tan, burgundy and navy blue) and cost 279$ each. The 100% cashmere scarfs (cashmere from Mongolia) go for 109$ and the wool ties for 39$. I'm especially happy about the wool ties, they have been featured in most fashion magazines from Esquire to GQ for years and I have always been waiting for Indochino to stock some of these.

Velvet Blazers - 279$

Cashmere scarfs 109$ and Wool Ties 39$

Holiday Gift Sets - a decent present for Christmas?

Consisting of a tie, tie bar, cufflinks and a pocket square, they could make for a nice Christmas present. They also ship quite quickly (within 10 days), as all of these items are on stock.

Holiday Gift Sets - 99$

The Essential Collection

Indochino Essential Suits - 379$

Aside from these limited collections, there are a number of basic suits as well. Until recently they were called the Ultimate Suits, now they are referred to as the Essential Suits. These are suits and blazers someone who is just starting to build his wardrobe usually buys first. Simple and and affordable classics (379$) such as the Essential Charcoal, Navy (voted most essential suit on a poll on my website), Gray or Black Suit. Some of them are also available as 3-piece suits including a vest (449$). These suits will never sell out, Indochino has a trusted supplier for the needed fabrics (now clearly declared as 100% wool fabrics).

I own some of these Essential suits, more specifically the Navy Blue Suit and the Essential Gray Suit. Detailed reviews of both these suits are available on my blog here and here. The Essential Gray is probably my favorite suit overall, I wear it at least once every week - it's hard to find another suit that is as versatile as this one. The Navy Blue Suit has recently been "upgraded" to their Navy Blue Traveling Collection Suit - review available here.

Hint: for a 100€ more you can get an "upgraded" version of the basic suit, complete with headphone port, cuff zippers, teflon coated wool fabrics and some more features. Check my article on the Traveling Collection for more info.

Indochino Review: Transatlantic Traveler Blue Suit & Brown Tweed Blazer

2011-12-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

The Transatlantic Traveler Blue Suit

General Information:

Indochino Perfect Fit Guide
More Reviews
Indochino Coupons
Indochino Customer Survey 2012

I ordered the Transatlantic Traveling Navy Blue Suit to replace my Indochino Navy Blue suit that I had ordered as my first Indochino suit, back around April 2010. The suit still holds up fine, but I just know much better now what I want in a suit and didn't feel entirely comfortable with it anymore.

When I had first ordered the Traveling Navy suit, the jacket arrived with a too high button stance and too much waist suppression. I do have rather wide hips and a long torso, so the combination really left me looking as if I was wearing a women's blazer.

Luckily, Indochino still does the free remakes and I am glad that the remade jacket now fits perfectly. Angie ensured my that my preferences of a lower button stance and less waist suppression are now noted on my account, so I shouldn't have these problems again in the future. Actually, don't know why I had it them in first place, these issues didn't occur with earlier suits. Anyway, I hope that now with their digital cutting process these problems are a thing of the past.

I have noticed some Indochino suits with overdone waist suppression in the past, so if you don't exactly have the ideal model shape of wide shoulders and narrow hips, you might want to tell them to take care with the waist suppression.

The suit itself is really cool. You might have read my article on the Traveling Collection, so you know about it's special features like Teflon coated Merino wool (it feels nice to the touch, luckily), zipped sleeve cuffs, headphone ports and zip pocket under the lapel, vents under the armpits, etc. Some of those are just gimmicks I probably won't use much - for example there are something like 9 pockets inside the suit, I won't ever use them as it would probably destroy the shape and looks of the jacket. Other features are really nice to have, I am determined to see if I can make proper use of the headphone port and the Teflon coating will definitely come in handy for those Spaghetti lunches.

Another item I purchased is the Intriguing Intellectual Brown Tweed Blazer. I had the same fit problem with this one, the remade blazer fits great though. To be honest, I even think the waist suppression is overdone at the model. I stayed with the peak lapels and the ticket pocket as shown on the Indochino website. I am still not sure if the peak lapels were a wise choice, but it looks cool - especially with the elbow patches (I realize you either hate or love them). It's a pretty versatile blazer, I could have easily worn it with jeans and without tie as well, just was too lazy to change for the photo

All in all, two great additions to my wardrobe. I hope that was it for me with remakes on my suits, I indeed have high hopes for their newly introduced digital cutting process. By the way, I will be doing an interview with Indochino CEO Kyle Vucko and I'm writing together a couple of questions at the moment. Are there any specific questions you would like to ask? I will gather them all and see what I can get answered.

Indochino Navy Blue Traveling Suit

Reviewing a new addition to Indochino's suit lineup.

A great suit, including hidden pockets, teflon coated wool fabrics and most importantly, a great fit.

Written by: Lorenz

Indochino Navy Blue Traveling Suit

Date published: 12/04/2011

8 / 10 stars

[EXPIRED] Indochino Coupon Alert: Get 30% off all orders over 700$

2011-11-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

I love sending out coupon alerts. The last few months have been pretty tough for those who were used to regular deals on Indochino suits and I know that many decided against a purchase then. Well, seems sometimes waiting pays off (even if they missed out on some great collections). Indochino announced details for their Black Friday deal today and it's a really cool one.

Using the coupon BF2011 you can get 30% off on all orders over 700$, the coupon is valid until Monday, November 28th. This is a pretty cool discount, I have calculated some examples below to see what you can get for it.

I have been looking around a bit and there are still many cool suits - also from previous collections - online. If you remember, we had the Steve Nash Collection (article) a while ago (the fabrics are really cool and something different), the Traveling Collection (article) with it's innovative features or one of the basic suits, if you are just starting to build your wardrobe.

Indochino Starter Package

Ultimate Gray Suit (review), Navy Blue Suit (review) or Essential Charcoal Suit | 379$
Everyone needs white shirts - this one is made of a bit thicker fabric for the winter | 99$
A blue shirt belongs to every wardrobe too | 99$
Spot On Navy Tie - I wear this one every week at least once, incredibly versatile | 39$
2 pairs Metal Collar Stays - so much better than the plastic ones | 18$
Bars of Silver Cufflinks - not too flashy and you might just need them one day | 39$
Monogram Pocket Square - a versatile, simple, white one for every occasion | 29$

Total sum before discount: 702$

Total sum after discount: 491.4$ (210.6$ saved = 30% off)

This way, you get a great package - 1 suit, 2 shirts, 1 tie and a couple of essential accessories for a great look. Of course, you could also add a tie bar and skip perhaps the cufflinks - you only have to reach over 700$ in total.

Obviously, you could also go advanced and go for one of the Vincero Suits or a Steve Nash Suit and some accessories, 2 basic suits, possibilities are endless as long as your shopping basket is over 700$.

Vincero Light Gray - add metal collar stays (9$) and pay 496$ instead of 708$

Traveling Collection features - two suits for 671$ instead of 958$

The coupon:

Get a full 30% off with the coupon code BF2011. Valid until Monday, November 28th 2011, for all orders over 700$.

Use BF2011 on checkout to apply the coupon - products have to be in the basket before you apply it. The coupon can only be used for one purchase per account!

[EXPIRED] Indochino Coupon Alert: 20 chances to get 20% off

2011-11-22T10:18:00.001-08:00

Just a quick alert, Indochino is celebrating 20.000 Facebook fans and the first 20 orders get 20% off, using the coupon 20000fans. Hope some of you can make use of it! If it doesn't work anymore, please let us know in the comments! Thanks :)

Update: it's gone!

Indochino's Vancouver pop-up store - a big success

2011-11-20T08:35:00.001-08:00

Suits on display at the Indochino Pop-up Store in Vancouver
photo by Mike Underell (via Twitter)

As you may know, Indochino had it's first ever pop-up store in their hometown of Vancouver during the last days. The event seems to have been a big success, 760 people registered on Facebook alone and I am sure many hundreds more reserved via the website or just dropped by to check it out.

Most reports on Twitter and Facebook were very positive and it certainly shows that is important for customers to see and feel the materials and fabrics before you purchase. I am sure many custom tailors perceive Indochino as an even bigger threat now. Furthermore, the measurements were taken by professionals (even the two co-founders, Kyle Vucko and Heikal Gani were there) so the suits should turn out great by any means and you have a great profile for future purchases.

Here is hope the event was successful enough for Indochino to roll out more across the US and Canada (and hopefully Europe?) in 2012.

Quotes from the event:

"[...]Friendly professional tailors, quick service, awesome styles. Great event :)". source: Twitter

"Had a great time today getting my Dad suited up @indochino! You guys have an awesome team! #SuitUpYVR". source: Twitter

You can find some more photos and customer's opinions on Indochino's Facebook page and on Twitter by searching for #SuitUpYVR.

[EXPIRED] Indochino Coupon Alert: Shirts for 49$ instead of 99$

2011-11-16T06:12:00.001-08:00

Indochino Shirt Sale - get each shirt for 49$ - valid until November 22nd, 2011

Indochino is having a shirt sale again, this time it's shirts for 49$ instead of 99$ (that is almost 50% discount) with a suit purchase. At 49$, their shirts are a an excellent deal - even Wooly Llama (comment section) would agree. There is a vast selection of shirts available at the moment, there should be something for everyone. Be advised that the deal only works if you are buying a suit as well. There are also a couple of personalized coupon codes being sent out - 25% off 600$ - but I am not sure if they can be used for other accounts as well (in case someone doesn't want to use his).

Shirts for 49$ instead of 99$:

SHIRTS49 (valid until November 22nd, 2011)

[EXPIRED] Special chance!
A user who has received a 25% code (for a purchase of min. 600$) decided to share it with you guys, as he is not going to use it. We are not sure if it works, might be that his coupon code is tied to his account, but I guess it is worth a try. If it works, it will probably only work once, so the first to use it will get the 25% off. The code is 25off600_826130. Good luck and let us know in the comments if it worked!

Call for pictures/infos:

Today is the first day of the Indochino pop-up store in Vancouver. If anyone is going there, I'd love to see some pics and stories for an article on the blog!

Steve Nash suit/new packaging

Just received my new Steve Nash suit - the Gray Glen Plaid. First suit with the new packaging, it's really big - see some pics below - review as soon as I find the time.

[EXPIRED] Indochino Deal Alert: Vincero Suit, 2 free shirts, 2 free ties for 649$

2011-11-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Did you miss out on the 20% off deal on the weekend? Here is another one for you:

Urbandaddy.com has a special deal on the Vincero suits - if you remember, the Vincero Collection was the most expensive collection Indochino ever had, using Italian Reda fabrics, German collar felts, etc. - check my article on the collection for inspiration and some details on the Vincero suits.

http://www.indochino-review.com/2011/09/indochinos-vincero-collection.html

The Vincero Light Gray 3-piece suit - now 649$ instead of 799$, including 2 ties and 2 shirts for free!

The most expensive of these suits, the Vincero Light Gray 3-piece suit, normally sells for 799$ - the deal on Urbandaddy goes for any Vincero suit and costs 649$ and includes 2 free shirts and 2 free ties in addition. If you go for the most expensive suit, you will save 150$ on the suit, 2 times 99$ on the shirts and around 49$ each for the ties. This deal is probably as good as it gets, if you can spare 649$. Apart from that, I hope we will see a couple of those 20% off deals in the future!

Urbandaddy Indochino Vincero Deal

http://perks.urbandaddy.com/new-york/indochino.html

Ready for the winter: New Shadow Plaid Suits from Indochino

2011-11-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Indochino's new Shadow Plaid Suits - 399$ - 479$

After we didn't get anything new last week (no wonder after the big Nash Collection), Indochino introduced a number of new shadow plaid suits (and one pinstripe suit) today. Additionally, a number of new retro-inspired shirts and ties (also, for the first time, knit ties!) were made available.

The suits are 100% merino wool, according to the description with a flannel-like surface, perfect for the winter. I have to be honest, I have long considered suits like that one brown shadow plaid suit to be "old men's" suits, but they are classic styles with a modern cut that can look good if you can pull it off.
Most of these new suits are, however, clearly not for beginners. In combination with the new shirts and ties, the looks are rather daring and you certainly have to be self-confident to feel comfortable in these looks.

My favorite is probably the Indigo Glen Plaid Winter Suit - the pattern on this one is rather subtle, on a closer look the fabric almost looks like a nailhead fabric actually. The fabric is medium weight, giving you some extra warmth during cold winter days. This one is a good alternative to solid colored dark blue suits and can be easily combined with a number of shirts and ties.

Indochino's new Indigo Glen Plaid Winter Suit - 399§

The shirts - see some of the patterns below - are quite loud too. Indochino is right when they claim your wardrobe should not only consist of solids, stripes and checks, so those shirts could be an interesting addition. Personally, I don't think I could pull off this look though. For the moment, I stick to what I know works. In a way, the same is true for the new ties. The knit ties are cool, by the way, work with jeans too for a more casual look. Pity they are not shown on any of the models. I remember a while ago Indochino had a Style Guide, I am hoping for it to return - it was a nice guide to look for inspiration.

New retro-inspired patterned shirts - 99$

Finally knit ties from Indochino - 49$

Indochino Portfolio Plaid Suit - Review to come soon!

Last but not least, I got a chance to wear my Indochino Portfolio Plaid Suit this weekend. I had to get the jacket remade, but I am very happy with the fit now. I will try to get a review up soon, together with a review of their Navy Peacoat! Also, I created a page on Google+, add me to one of your circles if you want and stay updated on all things Indochino.

[EXPIRED] Indochino Coupon Alert: get 20% off suits and blazers only this weekend

2011-11-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Good news, 2 short-term coupons just surfaced, both giving you a 20% discount on blazers and suits. Promos have been quite rare on Indochino recently and 20% off are quite a substantial discount. The Steve Nash suits now sell for only 399$ instead of 499$ if you use the coupon. The Ultimate Gray (check here for a review) becomes even more affordable at just above 303$ instead of 379$. Blazers go for as low as 240$.

The coupons:

use the coupon SUITSPROMO on checkout to get 20% off your suit purchase
use the coupon BLAZERSPROMO to get 20% off all blazers

P.S.: if you want to stay updated on the latest coupons, you can now also follow me on Google+

Steve Nash invests in Indochino and gets his own Collection - Introducing the Steve Nash Collection

2011-10-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Steve Nash prancing around in one of his new suits

Indochino promised us their biggest collection to date and in a way, it is true - it is their biggest collection, because Steve Nash might just be their biggest (as in tallest) model to date. I assume you all know Steve Nash, the Canadian basketball star. He is also an investor in Indochino (introduced to the company via Jeff Mellett, another Indochino investor) and today he got his own collection, the Steve Nash Collection.

It's a clever marketing move by Indochino, using a strong Canadian testimonial for their brand. There had been a cooperation between Nash and Indochino before, for a charity and featuring the Showdown In Chinatown suit. I don't know if Steve Nash is perceived as a style icon by the general public, but he surely seems to have the necessary enthusiasm for suits. Here is what Mr Nash himself has to say about the collection:

“I have a huge passion for men’s apparel and brands that are innovative,” said Nash. “So, it is extremely exciting for me to be a part of a brand like Indochino and to have the opportunity to design my own signature collection with them.” (source: http://www.techvibes.com/blog/steve-nash-invests-in-and-launches-his-own-suit-collection-with-indochino-2011-10-25)

The Steve Nash Collection consists of 6 new suits, 4 new ties, a selection of pocket squares and 3 new cufflinks. As for the suits, standout features include:

Nailhead fabrics (4 different colors, all 100% Merino Wool)
Prince of Wales fabric (100% Merino Wool)
Glen Plaid fabric (100% Merino Wool)
colored collar felts (matching the suit color)
special polka dots linings (available in 4 colors)

Prices range from 499$ for the 2-piece suits to 579$ for the 3-piece suits, ties are 49$ each, pocket squares and cufflinks are 39$ a piece.

The new suits are mostly pretty versatile with a twist (nailhead). Available in blue, brown, charcoal and gray the nailhead suits don't have any fancy plaid or striped patterns and can be worn with a number of ties and shirts - and pocket squares, if you want to. If you already have your standard navy and charcoal suit in your wardrobe, a nailhead version might be a nice addition - the brown one also looks great, surely makes you stand out from the crowd, especially on a closer look.

My personal favorite however is the Gray Glen Plaid Suit. Just like all other suits in this collection it is made from 100% Merino Wool and it has a bit of a rougher look to it, perfect for the late fall/winter weather in my opinion - I ordered this one, with pants cuffs, think it goes well with fabric and style. To see an overview of all the new suits and some more details on the collection go here.

As mentioned, there is also a number of pocket squares and ties available, see below for an overview.

Overall, an interesting new collection - I personally don't care much about who designed or models for Indochino, but the collection itself is pretty cool - I like the nailhead fabrics and the glen plaid a lot, the pocket squares and ties are interesting, but a tad expensive (as usual). Overall, Indochino has had some great releases lately and their updated production process (digital cutting) was also a huge step forward. Pity I am not in Vancouver, I would love to go go to their pop-up store - as a tailor measures you there, the risk of having wrong measurements is basically terminated.

Last but not least, there is also a Facebook Competition (value: 4000$)

https://www.facebook.com/indochino?sk=app_161033847281768

...by the way

I did some research on Steve Nash and men's style and Indochino is actually not his first time as a suit model. According to an article on guyism.com, Mr Nash already modelled for Sears back in 1996 - with limited success - guyism.com lists him as number 2 of the 25 worst NBA draft suits of all-time. However, Steve Nash's interest in (and sense for) men's fashion has surely increased since then.

Steve Nash modelling for Sears in 1996
source: http://guyism.com/sports/worst-nba-draft-suits-ever.html

Biggest Indochino Collection ever coming up tomorrow

2011-10-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Facebook teaser image

Tomorrow, the 25th of October, is no ordinary day according to Indochino. Today, the released a newsletter with two links to teaser images from their Facebook and Twitter acounts. I have posted them both above and below. Hard to say what exactly will await us, colored collar felts are for sure and I guess there will be much more - Indochino named it their biggest collection to date. More tomorrow!

Twitter teaser image

Finally, new outerwear from Indochino!

2011-10-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Finally, we got some fresh outerwear from Indochino. Actually, not only 6 new coats, 6 new blazers (Tweed!) were added as well, along with a couple of new shirts. Read on below for more details and measurement advice on outerwear.

Outerwear

6 new outerwear items, from peacoats, to topcoats and trenchcoats, with prices ranging from 329$ to 349$ (that is quite fair, isn't it?). They all feature padded interior lining for extra insulation and a couple of them have a front zip pocket as a nice style detail. If you are wondering about the fabrics, all of the new items seem to be made of wool/cashmere blends.

I have been wondering which one of those coats I should get, at the moment I favor the Navy Peacoat. Not only do I like how it looks, I can also imagine wearing it with a casual outfit. Whatever I will go for, it will also be the first Indochino item I can order for "free", because some of you have been so nice to use my referral code on their first purchase, which used to give me 50$ store credit (referral program is now stopped)- so let me take the opportunity here to say a big thank you! Read on below for more info on the new collection.

By the way, if you have been wondering about how to measure for outerwear, I was talking to Angie (you know who) about that recently. She told me not to change any measurements, their tailors would base the measurements on my suit measurements and adapt them (including length) accordingly - I also got this confirmed by Indochino on Twitter. If anyone here has ordered on of their outerwear items before, I'd be great if you could share some insights in a comment!

Blazers

So not only did we get some cool new outerwear, Indochino also released 6 new blazers. As you might have noticed, there were hardly any blazers available recently and it is nice to see some new additions here as well. I had complained about the lack of tweed blazers last year and I'm sure I am not the reason why we got it this time around, but it's definitely nice to see one (brown tweed, middle picture, top row). Most of them come with elbow patches (microfiber), which is a nice detail and prices are decent at 299$.

Shirts

Last but not least, here are the 4 new shirts - three plaids, one striped, all 99$. Nothing too special about those, but the plaid ones are nice casual shirts and I can imagine them well with one of the new blazers. Don't forget there is also still the coupon code OCTOBERSHIRTS that gives you 3 shirts for 229$ instead of 299$ (23% discount). What caught my attention was the peach finish mentioned on the product description - had to read up on that, see the quote from Wikipedia below.

Peach Finish subjects the fabric (either cotton or its synthetic blends) to emery wheels, making the surface velvet-like. This is a special finish used mostly in garments (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finishing_(textiles))

Overall, a really nice (and big!) collection this time. I had been waiting for new outerwear (and I know many of you have been too) and will probably order the navy peacoat and 1 or 2 shirts, will definitely keep you updated and let you know more in a review.

Another big step forward for Indochino - The Indochino Pop-Up Store Vancouver

2011-10-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

Exciting times for Indochino and their customers. Yesterday, Indochino announced the first ever Indochino pop-up store, to be opened from November 16-19 in their hometown Vancouver, Canada. This marks a big step for Indochino, so far their whole business has been online. While many of the more traditional brick-and-mortar stores are moving their businesses online, Indochino is a pure online business attempting to grasp a foothold in the offline world.

As a special incentive, Indochino is also offering a free dress shirt and 2 free accessories & free style advice for those who attend the fitting event. I see this move as a logical next step, after introducing digital cutting in a message recently. I am sure this is only a first try to test the market, if this works out (and more than 80 people have already registered for the event via Facebook), I am sure that more major cities in Canada and the U.S. will follow. Who knows, perhaps a real, permanent retail store is in the plans too.

The benefit for the customer (aside from the freebies) is clear - you can be sure Indochino trained the tailors present to take the measurements exactly as needed, so your suit should turn out great by all means.

For more information on the event check http://www.indochino.com/traveling-tailor-vancouver and read about it on Facebook. I wish I could go myself, but Vancouver is just a bit too far away. However, I hope I will be able to cover the event on the blog, would be cool if someone here could share some impressions! You can always reach me at lorenz@indochino-review.com or via Twitter or let me know in a comment if you are planning to attend!

New linings from Indochino

2011-10-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Some new patterned linings for your suit

With all the buzz about the message from the founders on Tuesday (digital cutting!), I completely missed the 4 new lining options introduced yesterday. There are 4 new choices, available for every suit (except the Traveling Collection, because of the special features). The same kind of pattern comes in different colors, ranging from gray and blue to pink and brown. I like the subtle pattern, it is a welcome change from the solid colored options available so far. Not sure if those new linings will be online permanently, but I am sure it will be a popular choice.