I was again asked by Louis at Matthew Aperry to do a review of their garments. If you will remember, the first time I wrote about a linen suit, which I concluded that although not great; was a good value for the money. As a refresher on the brand, Matthew Aperry is a smaller and newer brand out of Hong Kong that strives to deliver custom suits at a very low price; the lowest I have reviewed to date at $199-299. Their website could use a good overhaul, so try not to judge them too hard on that.
This time round Matthew Aperry asked that I review one of their coats. Something I eagerly obliged, due largely in part to the fact that it would be the first piece of custom outerwear I would publish a review on (there is potentially another one on a Knot Standard coat coming). Although I liked some of the fabrics that they had available I was curious to see if they had any that were not featured on the site. Much to my delight they did, including this very red burgundy cashmere fabric. So if you are interested in using Matthew Aperry for a suit or jacket, you may want to ask what ‘off menu’ fabrics and items they have. This is a huge plus in my book.
For the styling of the jacket I wanted to keep things very simple. I also wanted to keep the jacket on the slimmer side. I do not intend to wear it over a suit jacket or sports coat so I did not need to allow for extra room. In effect, I wanted to keep this jacket as a more casual piece of outerwear; able to cover a business casual look (like pictured above) to a more casual look with chinos and loafers. So far the jacket has fit the bill well. Unfortunately, the season is all but over to wear such a jacket, but I am confident it will get some solid wear over the next few winter seasons. So, let’s take a closer look at the coat.
In summary, I am happy with the coat from Matthew Aperry. It does have its flaws, primarily that the fabric being less than luxurious. The construction is decent, but it is not as clean or solid feeling as Black Lapel or MyTailor; but then again, their garments cost more than Matthew Aperry’s. It is crucial to realize what is reasonable to expect for what your are paying and in this case I think $279 is a fair price for what you are getting. Which is a coat that you can heavily customize both the details of and the fabric of. And in my case, a coat that looks very nice when worn. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts of your own; please feel free to sound off in the comments.
-JLJ
Note: FYGblog did receive the coat being reviewed for the purpose of review. As always, the utmost effort was taken to maintain an unbiased and fair stance on the product and brand at hand.
Which J Fitzpatrick shoes are those? The burgundy Magnolia? They look a lot lighter on the Fitzpatrick website, but they look really good in these pictures.
This coat is a beautiful colour. It looks splendid.
Tyler: My guess is either wallingford (they appear a bit too light though, wallingford is supposed to be in merlot) or the wedgwood boots ( my money is on this model). They do look lovely, I would love to buy a pair but sadly my budget doesn’t allow it at the moment.
Tyler and Andy,
They are the Wedgewood boots. They are fabulous.
-Justin
I agree, those shoes steal the shoe but it is also a very nice jacket and budget friendly. How do you think it would handle a true northeast US winter as I may begin to travel a bit up that way for work and would love a jacket that could go business or casual and be warm.
Jeff,
The coat is more of a topcoat weight, so it is on the lighter side. I don’t plan to wear it in the coldest parts of the winter like when it’s well below freezing, but other than that it holds it own.
-Justin
Justin,
Somehow stumbled across this blog. Thank you!
I have to ask, from your opinion on the suit build from MAP, would you recommend? I mean fully canvassed and hand stitch work for $200 – sub-$400 is insane in my opinion. But fully canvassed poorly executed could be worse the a fused canvassed. I was curious on your opinion since you know a thing or two about what you are talking about.
Cheers from sunny Miami!
Will,
Most welcome, hope it is able to help you out and you enjoy it. It is hard to say how well the MAP suit will hold up, as I have only had it for one season. However, I will say I think it will hold up pretty well but that it doesnt look quite as clean as some of the $500 mtm suits.
-Justin
Hello my friend,
The overcoat really fits well. I appreciate your reviews of MatthewAperry’s site. I am interested in ordering from them for my wedding. I am impressed with their prices. Would you advise this? If not, what custom sites would you suggest?
This will be my first time ordering a custom suit. Do you have any advice that my guide me in this endeavor?
Kind Regards,
Richard
Richard,
Since it is your first time ordering a custom suit, I would give yourself at least 3 months to allow for remakes and alterations. If MA is within you budget you should be well off, but if you can spring for more you should look into some of the slightly more expensive options. Biggest thing is to get something that you wont mind seeing yourself in photos in 20 years from now.
-Justin