Indochino Review: The Associate 3-piece Tweed Suit

The Associate 3-piece Tweed Suit - click for a larger image
(the suit only looks as grey as on the website in very white light - see left bottom pics)

This review of an Indochino 3-piece tweed suit was originally published in 2011 and has since been updated numerous times with new information. Indochino still has this suit (or rather a version of it) in their constant collection, meaning it should always be available. The 3-piece suit I bought in 2011 was called the Associate 3-piece Tweed Suit, the current model can be found as the 3-piece Prince of Wales Suit and is priced at USD 499 (find more info here). I will try to update the photos soon (yes, I still have the suit) and with better light conditions.

When you search around the Internet for Indochino reviews, you will obviously find that people have different experiences. For some it works right away, for others after a remake and some suits just don't seem to be right at all. If you check out the forums like Reddit or Styleforum, you will find that lots of people who buy their first ever suit from Indochino are often having troubles and they seem unsure whether their suit actually fits well. Over time, I have gathered a couple of ideas into the Indochino Guide to help first-time buyers. Check it out when you have time and find some thoughts on how to get a good fit below.

I have some ideas on which steps you should follow to get a good fit - I know that's how I did it and that it worked for me on a number of suits already.

Close up of the fabric

One of the most important things was to measure carefully - it does take more than the 10 minutes claimed on the Indochino website. Just really stick to the videos and remeasure the next day to make sure you didn't make any grave mistakes. Yes, this is a bit lengthy, but I believe the measurements are essential. Don't take any existing measurements from other MTM tailors such as moderntailor... Anyway, mine were pretty much perfect from the last suits already, so I only tweaked some minor things (a tiny bit more space for my thighs, a little extra length on the trousers - I feel more comfortable with 1 break instead of no break).

I did ask to have less waist suppression. I feel they are overdoing it a bit in that department, and as I have rather wide hips (and short legs) it would not be very flattering for me with heavy waist suppression.

Other customization options I went for: fabric back of the vest instead of lining, ticket pocket, 1 pleat for the trousers (big thighs), higher armholes, 2 buttons, 2 vents, notch lapels (I didn't dare going for the peak lapels).

Furthermore, I don't go for their natural shoulders, because I think they very often look lumpy and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with their normal, padded shoulders. I might just try the natural shoulders for a summer suit though - together with requesting the suit to be only half-lined.

On to the Associate 3-piece suit, it was a bit of an experiment for two reasons:

It is my first 3-piece suit and I was very unsure about the vest measurements.
It is the most expensive Indochino suit I had ordered yet and I was very curious if the fabric quality would justify the price

Ad 1., after a couple of emails with Angie I submitted my vest measurements (or what I thought was correct) via email as I couldn't lower the value on the system enough. I was concerned a bit how that would turn out and I did feel the vest was too long at first. However, Ioan pointed me to an interesting website were the vests shown were considerably longer compared to how the models look on Indochino's website. I am ok now with how it looks, just looking for an occasion to wear it without being overdressed. Opinions on the length are appreciated!

Vest length
(shirt is from Modern Tailor)

Ad 2., the fabric of the suits is really great. It's soft to the touch, drapes very well and overall just feels like something of high quality. I have to confess I am not (yet) a specialist on fabric quality, but I can tell you what I think looks and feels nice. I do have a couple of other Indochino suits to compare, so let me say that the rather high price of 499$ is justified (especially with a coupon).

Yep, forgot the pocket square again

Overall, it was another Indochino purchased that worked out well for me. I'm aware there are many problems for others, and I have seen some shocking pictures of suits. Had I had such problems, I think I would have asked for a refund and never bothered to order again. However, the fact is that all of my five suits came out well (the first one was probably the worst one) and if there were any mistakes on them, it was mostly my mistake (too short jacket on one of the suits). Only once did the trousers come out very tight without me changing any of the measurements - luckily a tailor could fix it, and Indochino covered the costs.

I am curious to see how Indochino will develop in the next couple of months, after all, they have just received a 4$ million investment and that should help to iron out some of the problems!