Made To Measure Suits: MySuit Review, I

Some time ago I decided that all my of suits from that point on were to be at least made to measure (sometimes you will hear made to measure suits referred to as ‘custom’ suits).  If you have not picked up on it yet, I have rather picky tastes which I have concluded that few ready to wear makers can satisfy (Paul Stuart/Phineas Cole being one of the few).  The primary benefit of made to measure suiting is the fit , which is the most important part of a suit.  Second to that, the ability to customize many of the variables of a suit (fabric, lapels, buttons, pockets, vents etc) is extremely attractive to me.   So, a few weeks ago I began the process.

I first researched a few different companies; Indochino, My.Suit, Suit Supply, Mr. Ned and Alton Lane.  Initially I favored Suit Supply and Mr. Ned as I think highly of the brands (suits start around $800 for both).  I thought the quality of their garments and depth of the made to measure processes were best suited to my tastes.  But unfortunately, neither shop ended up fitting into my budget.  I nixed Alton Lane (starts around $500) because I could not find as much information on it as I could My.Suit, but I have heard positive things.  I was skeptical of Indochino (starts around $400) because I have never seen a suit of theirs in the flesh and there is no face to face meeting with the company, but I have heard good things.  I do plan to try one or both of these companies in the near future.

In honesty, I have heard mixed things on Mysuit (starts around $500), but I have been curious to try it for myself for some time in hopes of having better luck than some of the people I had read reviews from.  So far things have gone well, or hopefully this is because the people at My.Suit know what their doing.  I should note that My.Suit is not a true made to measure experience, partly because the variety of fabrics is not quite up to MTM standards.  But, the options at hand should be suitable for most men.  If they are not, you can provide your own fabric and have My.Suit craft a suit out of it at a cost of $495, which is definitely something I want to try in the future.  Another positive of My.Suit is that they have multiple locations in NYC and in addition online ordering is available.

The process at My.Suit is quite simple.  You choose a fabric and liner you like (see picture above) and then you are fitted by your stylist.  I believe they took about 20 measurements (see pictures), most of which were for the jacket.  They have five different styles of jackets and make the necessary alterations to make the jacket properly fit to your body.  Now, I should note that the people who work at My.Suit are not tailors, they are salesmen and stylists.  We all know that I am always skeptical of these people, and you should be as well.  But I will say the gentleman that helped me, Marcus Coy (of the 46th and Madison store), managed to gain my trust to the point where I would recommend him (there were two other salespeople assisting who were also helpful).  The next step in the process is deciding the details (lapels type and width, type of buttons, number of buttons, vent style etc).  I chose a rather bold jacket: peak lapels, 1 button closure, side vents and hacking pockets with flaps (slanted pockets).  I also choose a rather streamlined trouser: slide closure, no pleats, no belt loops, no cuffs, button side tabs and suspender buttons (yeah, that’s right, I will be wearing this suit with suspenders on the reg).

In about two weeks time from my fitting appointment my suit arrived to the store and I went in for a final fitting.  The chances that ones jacket and trousers will fit perfectly from the factory are slim.  A few alterations were needed to both.  For the jacket, there was a bit of excess fabric under the collar in the back and the sleeves needed to be shortened.  I may also have to have the lower back let out ever so slightly because there is some creasing and I am debating as to whether the jacket is too long or not (see pictures).  The trousers needed to be shortened, let out a little at the waist, let out at the upper thigh and taken in at the bottom of the pants around the ankles.  All in all I was pleased with the fit but I shall wait till I get it back with the alterations to make a proper assessment.  Expect the second and final part of this series sometime soon.  I will discuss the final fit, the quality of the suit and my final conclusion.

Note: I would like note that I received no type discount, payment or other monetary or non monetary gift from My.Suit or any of its staff (or any of the other brands mentioned).  So, in case you were wondering, this is not an advertisement but just an honest and unbiased telling of my experience (but even if I was being compensated it would still be an honest and unbiased telling).