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| Indochino Review of the Luxury Autumn Indigo Herringbone Windowpane Suit |
Sometimes I look back at this blog and I'm surprised it's been going on for so long. I also realise I used to post a lot more reviews which should be the main content on here and I gotta admit, I didn't publish as much as I would have liked to. I didn't stop wearing Indochino suits at all, but I've had less and less time to write about it. Let's see if I can break the spell.
There is one specific Indochino suit that I've been wearing a lot before the weather got too hot. The Luxury Autumn Indigo Herringbone Windowpane suit. What a name, right? It's unfortunately not available anymore, it was part of the Fall 2014 Collection originally. That said, the Fall 20156 Collection has a couple of similar suits available.
I now work for a small internet start-up, not for an established multinational anymore and it's casual wear during the days. I'd be awkward if I showed up in suit and tie every day to be honest - and I enjoy the causal wear e.g. well cut pants and a nice shirt. I know that goes a bit against the "movement" Indochino is promoting: dress up, be fancy. I really wish Indochino had more in store when it comes to casual wear - I remember they did discuss Indochino cardigans and other items a few years back, but that was when Heikal Ghani was still responsible for product and it seems there are no such plans anymore (at least at the moment).
Back to the suit: Because of its pattern, I wanted to keep the rest of the outfit simple. I went for a couple of different shades of blue, actually. I combined the outfit with the Lapis Blue French Oxford Shirt, the Slate Floral Tie and the Indochino Silver Tie Bar. Didn't go for a pocket square this time around, no cufflinks either. Let me tell you about the suit: I've developed an eye for certain details: seams, buttons, button holes, shoulder pads, lining to name just a few. I also have the comparison to older Indochino suits and I can safely tell you: They know what they are doing and they are doing it well. There used to be these stories around of local tailors having to alter Indochino suits and being shocked at the construction method and the materials. These days are gone for good - the product is excellent.
As for other accessories, I kept it simple with a watch brand I had supported on Kickstarter, called Elliot Havok. I got their black watch, The Blackout Havok Watch, and I'm mostly happy with it, especially considering the price of $95. Looks fine, the leather straps could feel more natural for my taste - it says genuine leather, but we all know that doesn't mean much so I'm going to change them to maybe NATO straps. The rest is done really well.
Summary:
It very often sounds like usual marketing lingo: We greatly improved our product by using high quality suppliers etc. etc. bla bla bla. The truth is: Indochino really improved product quality over the last couple of years. Yeah sure, they also increased prices, but you can get a simply awesome product for a really good price.
The real key to a well fitting Indochino thing is still the measurements. I like their approach of having more and more brick-and-mortar stores. A trained Indochino employee should be able to get your measurements right and as long as the factory doesn't mess up, your chance for a good fit on the first suit should be much higher. Anyway, will try to update with more pics and details, but wanted to get this review out finally. Thanks for reading and feel free to ask me questions or demand more detailed info.
There is one specific Indochino suit that I've been wearing a lot before the weather got too hot. The Luxury Autumn Indigo Herringbone Windowpane suit. What a name, right? It's unfortunately not available anymore, it was part of the Fall 2014 Collection originally. That said, the Fall 20156 Collection has a couple of similar suits available.
I now work for a small internet start-up, not for an established multinational anymore and it's casual wear during the days. I'd be awkward if I showed up in suit and tie every day to be honest - and I enjoy the causal wear e.g. well cut pants and a nice shirt. I know that goes a bit against the "movement" Indochino is promoting: dress up, be fancy. I really wish Indochino had more in store when it comes to casual wear - I remember they did discuss Indochino cardigans and other items a few years back, but that was when Heikal Ghani was still responsible for product and it seems there are no such plans anymore (at least at the moment).
Side notes on Indochino Ties: My experience with Indochino's ties goes back many years. They were always sold as 100% silk and I still got some of their early offerings. If that was indeed silk then, I don't know what it is today, but the material improved enormously. That Slate Floral Tie I have is really made of a very nice material, fells and looks great. The tie isn't available at the moment, but all of the new ones a pretty much of the same quality material.
Anyway, I was at a wedding a while back and finally had a chance to wear that Indigo Indochino suit you see above. I realise most of you are from the US and Canada, so let me just quickly explain how weddings work in most European countries: Everyone wears a different outfit. There are bridesmen and brideswomen, but they don't necessarily wear the same things. Why? I don't know, it's just not something we do and thus there is not a huge market to outfit wedding parties. What you get is a great mix of suits and dresses, especially if different nations are present. The Italians usually stand out, that's for sure. The rest of Europe follows and I can't really say there is any other special nation overall, social status seems to be a major factor influencing how you dress. There are plenty of ill fitting suits to be seen, but luckily we don't have these extremely oversized, box cut suits that I always see in US wedding photography. In any case, I did pretty well with my Indochino suit too.
Side notes on perfumes: I'm very much a "less is more" guy and that certainly is true for perfumes, in my opinion. No one should smell you from 10 meters away and your perfume smell shouldn't linger for 5 minutes after you left a room. I like the solid perfumes that seem to pop up everywhere, a favourite of mine is certainly Alfred Lane.
Alfred Lane solid perfumes: http://alfredlane.com/
As for other accessories, I kept it simple with a watch brand I had supported on Kickstarter, called Elliot Havok. I got their black watch, The Blackout Havok Watch, and I'm mostly happy with it, especially considering the price of $95. Looks fine, the leather straps could feel more natural for my taste - it says genuine leather, but we all know that doesn't mean much so I'm going to change them to maybe NATO straps. The rest is done really well.
Summary:
It very often sounds like usual marketing lingo: We greatly improved our product by using high quality suppliers etc. etc. bla bla bla. The truth is: Indochino really improved product quality over the last couple of years. Yeah sure, they also increased prices, but you can get a simply awesome product for a really good price.
The real key to a well fitting Indochino thing is still the measurements. I like their approach of having more and more brick-and-mortar stores. A trained Indochino employee should be able to get your measurements right and as long as the factory doesn't mess up, your chance for a good fit on the first suit should be much higher. Anyway, will try to update with more pics and details, but wanted to get this review out finally. Thanks for reading and feel free to ask me questions or demand more detailed info.
Indochino Autumn Indigo Windowpane Suit
Reviewed by Lorenz Loidl. Rated:
10/10 (Excellent). Currently my favourite Indochino suit, versatile and elegant.
