How To Take Your Measurements On Indochino
When you create an account with Indochino, the first step is to set up your measurements. Even if you’ve already taken your measurements with another tailor or made-to-measure company, we highly recommend that you take the time to do this properly.
Getting Started With Indochino
Every brand has their own method for taking measurements as their suits are made differently. Therefore, it’s important to start from scratch when creating a new account.
For instance, we have made the mistake of simply transferring measurements from one account to another. The results were disastrous so we’re speaking from our own experience!
Before you begin, know that Indochino offer Tailor’s Kits, which is a handy resource if you’re intending on ordering from them. These Tailor’s Kits set you back only $29 and come with two tape measures as well as a selection of your choice of 16 fabrics swatches.
Not only will it help you in taking your measurements but also choose the fabric for your suit. Furthermore, Indochino will then credit $29 to your account so this is essentially a free service once you’ve ordered your garments.
Indochino’s Online Measuring Process
When you get started, you’ll be presented with a short video that explains everything you need to know. Below the embedded video are a few text fields where you fill in your height, weight and age.
As you’ll see, the fields are only in the imperial system. As a European with only a metric tape measure at hand, I had to get converting.
Interestingly, I was later told by somebody at Indochino that the personnel work using the metric system too. However, converting between the two has effectively become second nature for them.
Once you’ve filled in this form, clicking onward will prompt a series of short videos on how to complete each measurement. Each sequence was well made with both a narration and text overlays as well as graphics to help you measure correctly.
If you fill in a measurement that is completely off, the centred text field will flash in red to alert you. Similarly, Indochino automatically calculates your measurements once you’ve finished. If any measurements seem somewhat erroneous, you’ll be prompted to go back and edit them.
Once this has been completed, you’ll be presented with a screen that informs you that your measurements have been submitted and are being verified. However, you’ll still be able to place an order before they have been checked.
The overall experience was stress-free, ergonomically crafted and finished in a matter of minutes.
Aside from only imperials units being available, my only other gripe is that you can’t go back at any time to consult or change specific measurements. If you ever need to double check or edit your measurements, you’ll have to start the process again from scratch.
Buying & Customising An Indochino Suit
Once you’ve perused Indochino’s rich range of Luxury, Premium or Seasonal collections, you simply click on the suit that you want to buy. You’ll then be given the choice to either buy it now or customise it.
Indochino follows a similar approach to Black Lapel in that you begin by selecting a suit then customising it afterwards. This differs fromHockerty, which is one of the rareonline made-to-measure tailorsthat lets you go back and switch between fabrics at any time during the customisation process.
While the final result is similar, there is a somewhat nuanced difference between the two. For instance, Hockerty will allow you to visualise the suit with their 3D builder while making changes. Meanwhile, both Black Lapel and Indochino will show you the changes with small illustrations.
Once you’ve chosen to customise your suit, a comprehensive drop down list pops up over the window where you can make your own changes. Indochino comes with a host of customisation options and arguably more than Black Lapel.
However, it’s easy to miss them as many appear as either tick boxes or small illustrations as mentioned above. Therefore, you need to be attentive and free from any distractions!
Adding & Customising A Waistcoat
You’ll also be presented with the opportunity to add a vest or waistcoat for an extra $99. We highly recommend adding a waistcoat when purchasing a suit as it allows you to wear the suit differently for various occasions.
Aside from choosing a particularly premium fabric, adding a waistcoat is the only option that comes with a surcharge. Otherwise, all customisations are free of charge, which is where Indochino differs from Hockerty.
There aren’t many options available for customising your waistcoat. Beyond changing the number of buttons, you can opt for vest fabric on the back rather than lining and select a notch collar.
Interestingly, we noticed that you can opt for a double-breasted waistcoat when buying in a showroom as well as choosing a difference lapel type. Although this will unlikely affect many people, it was an unexpected quirk between the two.
Once you have finished customising your order, you simply hit the save button and the suit is sent to your basket. Nevertheless, you can still consult and make any final orders to your suit before checking out. Yet, don’t forget to add the coupon code “BESPOKEUNIT” for a 10% discount too!
Finally, you can also have your order either sent to your door or directly to an Indochino showroom. While the former might be more convenient if you’re confident that it will fit, the latter is a prudent move as you’ll be able to check the fit with dedicated Indochino personnel.
Alterations & Remake
Although Indochino states that a suit will normally take between two to three weeks to be made, mine arrived at Paul Anthony’s Philadelphia address within about 10 days.
We had actually timed the order so it coincided with the suit arriving just before me as I was paying a visit to work on a few videos for Bespoke Unit’s YouTube channel.
It turned out to be quite fortunate that we had planned it this way as I had a few fitting issues. While the trousers were on the short side, the sleeves were quite long. Similarly, the chest was too large on both the jacket and waistcoat.
Needless to say, my heart sank as I was really looking forward to wearing it for our videos. However, not all hope was lost. As we detail in our Indochino brand page, all purchases made on their site come with their Fit Promise.
In short, this means that the brand will do everything in their power to ensure that you walk away with a suit that fits you perfectly. Therefore, we booked an appointment with Philadelphia’s Indochino showroom to see what could be done.
Retaking Measurements In-Store
Fortunately, we were able to grab an appointment the day before I left Philadelphia and headed back to France. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Quinn who we had already met in the past when Paul was first fitted with Indochino.
As such, I was confident that I was in very capable hands as I have a lot of fondness and respect for the cheerful gentleman!
As a precaution, Quinn proceeded to retake all of my measurements and double-check them with what was on my profile. Between each measurement, he’d consult an iPad where he would conveniently update the data.
Alterations Vs Remake
Once finished with the measurements, Quinn asked me to put on the suit to see how it looked. Without hesitation, he said that it was a remake as alterations would not only be too costly but would affect the suit’s intended shape.
Using template suits from the backroom, Quinn checked how each garment fitted on me and made quick, pinned adjustments. With every change and alteration, he asked me what I thought and how I liked to wear it to ensure that the new suit would be a perfect fit.
Once finished, he kept the old suit to be sent back and informed me that a new one would be made. I would then be able to choose whether it would be dispatched to me or back to the store.
We decided on the store as Paul and I would be meeting again in London a few weeks later. In between that time, I received an email notification to let me know that the suit was ready to pick up.
Alterations When Too Far From Indochino
If you don’t live close to an Indochino showroom, you can still have any alterations made by a local tailor. In this case, Indochino will cover up to $75 of the alteration costs.
Furthermore, if the local tailor deems that it requires too much work, you can request a remake through your online account. You can learn all about the alteration process with a local tailor through our brand guide.
However, had the suit arrived in France, I would have been out of luck. Currently, Indochino only offers to cover alteration costs for clients living in North America. Therefore, it was quite fortunate that the suit arrived at Paul’s doorstep rather than mine!
Worth The Trip
Nevertheless, I’d encourage it if you can make it to an Indochino showroom. In fact, I’d go as far as recommend that you get your first measuring done by Indochino directly rather than doing it at home.
Given that the in-house tailors are intimately familiar withIndochino’s techniques, you’ll be running fewer risks and inconveniences in the long term.
That said, you can confidently order as many garments from Indochino online once this has been done! After all, Indochino’s online and physical presence is what we find to be the brand’s greatest asset.
Indeed, the concept of online made-to-measure tailoring sounds promising. However, having tested a few, we’ve come to realise that it can be challenging to acquire a suit that fits perfectly.
Even if the person measuring you is a train tailor, they aren’t necessarily familiar with the brand’s system. Therefore, Indochino have a huge avantage over their contemporaries in offering such a service.
Final Result & Verdict
After a few weeks spent biting my nail in anticipation, I met Paul around the Christmas period in London who brought the suit along for me to wear. As soon as I arrived at my hotel, I tried it on immediately. To my great relief, it fit like a glove!
Now that you have read all about the ordering process as well as any eventual remakes, let’s explore the suit itself.
Darwen Windowpane Fabric
Crafted from 100% Merino wool, the Darwen fabric has an extremely soft hand feel. Despite being a reasonably heavy tweed, I found that the wool breathed nicely even when under the sun.Furthermore, I’m quite fond of tweed not just for the fabric’s aesthetic but also the lack of creases!
Thanks to the fabric’s weight, the jacket drapes nicely over the chest and arms. Similarly, the same could be said of the trouser that feel neatly beyond the knee.
On this occasion, I asked for a particularly short leg. Being a winter suit, I plan on mostly wearing it with boots. Rather than having a break, I instead wanted to show of more of the boot’s details and some of the quarters.
As for the dark bordeaux windowpane, it’s subtle yet maintains a strong presence. The dark blue – almost indigo – backdrop pairs well with other garments and isn’t difficult to work with.
Overall Fit
Having now worn the suit for a number of days over the course of the previous month, I did noticed a little pilling between the thighs. Admittedly, I have quite strong “thunder” thighs so this might not affect everyone. However, I did get them reinforced to avoid any long-term damage.
Meanwhile, I quickly noticed the details in the cut that had been discussed with Quinn. From the high rise to the tapered leg, everything was as I had hoped.
Sometimes I found that the arm holes were a touch of the tight side, but I also appreciate the slimness that they offered. Additionally, I also noticed that the waistcoat would occasionally ride up and show some bagginess in the chest. However, I believe that’s largely due to the braces pushing it up.
If you’ve read our Hockerty brand guide, you’ll be aware that they offer suits for nearly half the price. However, Indochino’s selection of fabrics are of much higher quality.
Indeed, while I do love the Hockerty suit that I own, it is a blend of wool and polyester. Meanwhile, my Indochino suit is 100% Merino wool. The difference is quite striking both visually and in the hand feel. However, it would be unfair to overlook that Hockerty do offer more premium fabrics too.
Suit Details
As expected, all the customisation options were present on the suit. From a monogrammed jacket interior to a paisley lining that matched the windowpane check, I wasn’t disappointed.
For the jacket, I asked for notch lapels and two buttons as well an extra ticket pocket as is present on my custom Black Lapel suit.
Meanwhile, I was able to ask for the waistcoat to feature both a notch lapel as well as a breast pocket. Furthermore, the fabric on the back is the same as the front rather than a satin panel. This offers me the flexibility of essentially wearing it like a second jacket in certain situations.
I had also asked for suspender buttons as well as side tabs rather than belt loops. I’m quite partial to braces with a three-piece suit and prefer the streamlined silhouette of no belt loops.
Interestingly, Indochino seem to prefer buckled side tabs while Black Lapel use buttoned ones instead. While I prefer the idea of the buckled side tabs, I found that it led to some excess fabric that needed tucking out of sight.
Similarly, only single pleats were available for the trousers rather than the double ones that I had requested for my Black Lapel suit. I did find this to be a shame as I’m fond of double pleats on tweed suits but it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Finally, I made sure to also request functional cuffs on the jacket. This is a little detail that I’ve come to love on custom suits that really makes the experience unique.
An Additional Waistcoat
What I haven’t mentioned until now is that I requested a second waistcoat of a different fabric so that I could compare it to the suit.
On this occasion, I opted for a check waistcoat that I could wear separately. Indochino features a small selection of custom waistcoat separates, which are great for wearing casually or as an odd element on a suit.
Featuring a similar paisley lining, it has all the same customisation options as the waistcoat on my suit. I’m particularly fond of the rich palette of colours it brings to an ensemble, which makes it seamlessly blend into a casual outfit.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an affordable made-to-measure experience, Indochino would be among our first picks at this price point. Indochino’s pricing reflects the quality of their garments well and there is a variety of fabrics to choose from.
Indochino occupies an interesting space in terms of budgets. However, if you’re looking for more premium or indeed more affordable made-to-measure alternatives, check out our guide to the best online made-to-measure tailors.
Furthermore, you will have a host of services at your disposal thanks to their combination of showrooms and online retail.
Few made-to-measure brands offer both physical and online options, which requires a certain dexterity and forethought. Yet, Indochino has mastered the way both services have been integrated into the brand’s DNA and seamlessly work together.
Consequently, becoming an Indochino client offers you a multitude of complementary services that can be used interchangeably at your leisure. By bridging the gap between the convenience of digital life and traditional tailoring, Indochino is a brand that resonates with the modern man.
Indochino Online Made-to-Measure Suits
Reviewed by Charles-Philippe, on .
"An excellent service for the modern man. With its high quality garments, rich customisation options, and brick-and-mortar showrooms, Indochino is our favourite online made-to-measure tailor."
Rating: 4.0 ★★★★
Further Reading
Once you’ve finished reading our review, feel free to peruse our wide range of shoe content such as the following resources:
- Indochino Brand Overview
- Best Online Made-to-Measure Tailors
- How A Suit Should Fit
- Black Lapel Online Order Review
