3 Must-Have Indochino Suits & Cheaper Alternatives

Indochino's reboot of their Essential Line a few days ago got my thinking about the 3 quintessential suits every man should own. I think at the beginning, it's all about having something you feel comfortable in and to have something versatile that can be combined with other items easily. Patterns can be a bit tricky at first and I think by now everyone know to stay away from solid black suits. 

1. Navy Blue Suit

Without a doubt, the Navy Blue Suit is probably the single most important suit for any man. The colour is formal and elegant enough for all business settings and the jacket alone can be paired well for a more casual outfit, for example with a pair of chinos.

The Indochino Navy Blue Suit - now $449

Reviews of Navy Blue Suits:

While already from 2011, this Indochino suit review covers a variation of the Navy Blue suit, featuring extras such as a headphone port or additional zipped pockets.
--> http://www.indochino-review.com/2011/12/indochino-review-transatlantic-traveler.html

The Navy Blue Suit I have from Black Lapel is definitely one of my favourite suits. Well tailored and great construction make this an serious alternative worth considering.
--> http://www.indochino-review.com/2012/03/introducing-black-lapel-navy-blue-suit.html

A good alternative for the summer, a Navy Blue Linen suit like the one reviewed from Indochino below can help you to stay cool in the heat. Try to look for a wool/linen blend as pure linen suits will wrinkle very easily (which is also part of their appeal).
--> http://www.indochino-review.com/2012/06/indochino-review-modern-navy-linen-wool.html

2. Midnight Blue Tuxedo

The day will come when you need to go to a formal evening event and I think it's best to have a well fitting tux ready in the wardrobe. The idea of renting one just never really convinced me, sure it's a good last minute solution, but you would have to be very lucky to actually look good in your rented tuxedo. 

Indochino Midnight Blue Tuxedo - $449

Review of the Midnight Blue Tuxedo:

The perfect suit for a formal evening event, taking some inspiration from James Bond movies. Make sure you learn how to tie a bow tie before, it's a bit tricky - at least it was for me.
--> http://www.indochino-review.com/2012/11/midnight-blue-tuxedo-review.html

Essential Gray Suit

The Essential Gray Suit is one of my personal favourites, a great and versatile suit for any occasion. Solid suits are great, because they can be combined with a lot of more daring shirts (if you want to) or just with a simple solid shirt. The look below, with the white Oxford shirt and the Navy dotted tie is just perfect in my opinion.

Indochino Essential Gray Suit - $449

Indochino Alternatives:

It may be worth checking out some of the competitors if you are looking for a more entry level pricing. Upunique, Suitly, Dragon Inside are just some of the names that have been mentioned frequently in comments lately.

Their websites are all far from being as professional as Indochino and some of the suit pictures look questionable (look at this one, shoulders far too wide), the basic suits Suitly offers even contain 10% polyester...it seems some of them just repeat mistakes Indochino did years ago. Upunique hasn't updated anything on their Facebook page since March - this is always a possible sign for a company in trouble in my personal experience. Dragon Inside seems to be the most promising so far,

If you have any experience with competitors, please don't hesitate to share in the comment section. I'll be reviewing Dragon Inside myself in a few weeks and I'm curious to see how Indochino's fresh competitors compare.

Also make sure to check for an Indochino coupon at my dedicated deal page: Indochino Coupons