In this Indochino review we looked at a range of their suits, shirts and accessories. Our conclusion was that for the price, Indochino makes a great quality suit using good fabrics. The cut on their suits is modern but still classic and their customer service is great. Overall, we would highly recommend them.
Having handled a vast range of their fabrics and worn their jackets, the quality is really quite good. It's not comparable to a more expensive custom suit, but is noticeably more comfortable and luxurious than even pricier off-the-rack suits.
At this price range you're going to struggle to find a comparable suit and experience. Made to measure suits are usually going to fit you far better than an off-the-rack suit that you need to tailor, therefore, we would recommend Indochino to our readers. For the full review, please read on.
Indochino Suits
Our favorite MTM suit for men
Indochino strikes the perfect balance between quality and price, bringing made-to-measure suits to the majority.
Indochino was founded in Vancouver in 2007 and has since expanded to cover the vast majority of the world. Specializing in creating a made-to-measure (MTM) suit for everyman, at a reasonable price and with a luxury experience, they’ve become incredibly popular.
It’s easy to see why. We love the quality of their suits but we love the price point even more. You aren’t going to get the best suit that you’ve ever seen, but you’ll receive a finished product that is exceptionally good value for money.
Made-to-measure fits somewhere between off-the-rack and custom, your measurements are taken and the suit is made to fit your specific measurements. You don’t get complete control over the final product as you would with a custom suit, but the price is also much lower.
But when compared to even off-the-rack suits that you tailor, the fit is far superior. There is only so much that you can change when you tailor a suit, but by creating them from the ground-up with your measurements, Indochino can achieve a far superior fit.
Ordering a Suit
Although Indochino is primarily an online suit manufacturer, they have recently opened up more showrooms so that you can order in-person. In this review of Indochino we will walk you through the online ordering process to show you what you can customize and how you make an order.
When you first head to the suit collection on their website you'll be greeted with the screen above. As you can see, you can filter by color, pattern and even price. However, what's really great is the tab in the upper left which allows you to alternate between the model and the fabric.
This is important for ordering online, you want to be able to see what the suit looks like on a model but you also need to see a swatch of the fabric. This will help you to make a decision between suits that look similar on the model.
For this example we selected the 'Premium Navy Suit', one of our absolute favorites. Doing this takes you into the screen above, where you can see more images of the models and the suit.
On the left tab you have two buttons 'Buy Now' and 'Customize Now'. If you click to buy you will be taken straight to the checkout with the basic suit, however, we will take you through the customization process.
The first step of customizing your new Indochino suit is to pick the type of lapel that you want. They offer notch, notch slim, peak and peak wide. In most cases you'll want a notch lapel, it's the most versatile type of suit and it can be dressed up or down depending on the event.
The second customization option is the jacket vents, where you can pick between one, two or none. One vent is the most common option, especially in North America, whereas double-vented jackets are seen more frequently in Europe. Finally, the no-vented jacket is usually for tuxedos.
After choosing the number of vents for your jacket you'll need to select the button style. This setting defaults to two-buttons, the most modern style. If you're particularly tall then you might find that a three-button suit is a good option for you.
But in recent years Indochino has started offering one-button and double breasted suits. We have never seen the double breasted suits in person, but the reviews and photos we saw online were reassuring.
Next, you can pick the style of pocket that you want on your jacket. In the vast majority of cases you will want standard pocket flaps which are versatile and traditional across the overwhelming majority of blazers.
The next step is to choose from a range of different suit linings. Unfortunately you can't upload your own image, a feature that would be nice, but there are a wide range of inner linings to choose from.
We would caution that the lining on your jacket will show at some point, especially when the jacket isn't closed. With that in mind, you should ensure that you pick a lining that you would be comfortable with other people seeing in professional meetings or events.
Having seen a range of the more exotic linings in person, we can say that they can look awesome. The prints are surprisingly high quality and the inner lining is soft and comfortable.
A monogram is a short string of text that goes inside the left breast of your jacket. This monogram is usually used for writing your name and occasionally your address, perfect for if you lose your jacket.
Next, you can pick whether you want a pleat in your pants or not. Although this was common in the past, almost all men choose to have no pleats these days. This is primarily for the sake of appearances, but dry cleaning flat-front pants is also much more straightforward.
Finally, you will arrive at the checkout page where you can verify your order and input any coupon codes or gift cards which you might have. On the far right you can click 'Checkout' to make your payment.
Why Indochino?
In this Indochino review we will look at the quality of the fabrics, the cut of the suits and the overall service that they offer. When looking at their products we wanted to keep in mind the price that they charge, it’s unfair to compare to more expensive products because by nature they can’t offer the same quality of product.
Although we love local suit makers, Indochino's scale means that they can drive costs down and offer a far cheaper final product to you. This also means that you get a great quality of material, far better than you would get for a similar price with smaller shops.
Heard enough?
Indochino suits are one of our all-time favorite picks.You can purchase a MTM suit today for a fraction of the cost of a comparable off-the-rack suit.
Quality Suits at a Low Price
Firstly, the quality of suits that Indochino offers is relatively good. They aren’t comparable to a custom suit that you could expect from a high quality tailor, but for the price that you pay it’s difficult to find another company that offers this level of quality.
With Indochino the price is key, in many cases you’re only paying $500 for a made-to-measure suit. At this price point you will struggle to find even off-the-rack suits, plus tailoring costs, that will have the same quality of fabric. Then, you will struggle to match the cut that you can achieve with a MTM service .
The main reason why customers come to Indochino is because they want a suit that is going to fit them better than they can find in a store, but they don’t want to overpay. They strike the perfect balance between quality and price.
Don’t be mistaken, we’re not suggesting that they are the highest quality suits, but they might just be some of the best value suits, excluding sales and used clothing. Of course, you can find cheaper suits, but they are likely off-the-rack and probably won’t have the same fit or fabric.
Great Customization Options
When Indochino first started one of the most common complaints from reviewers was that the customization options were limited. Although this never effected the average guy looking for a simple suit, it made true aficionados swear off the brand.
Fortunately, the company has been able to introduce far more customization into the process. This means that you can adjust the lapel type, the pocket shape and even the inner lining of your jacket.
These customization options aren’t important, but they are certainly nice to have. There are more ways to customize your jacket, shirts and also the pants, enabling you to have a near custom experience.
This process sets them apart from other MTM suit brands who don’t have the funding to purchase enough product to offer this level of customization. Plus, most of these changes are completely free, meaning that you can afford to adjust your suit to make it exactly how you want it.
A Wide Range of Suits
As well as having a surprising level of customization for a MTM brand, they also have a huge selection of fabrics available. It’s incredibly frustrating when suit makers only have a narrow choice of fabrics, especially when those fabrics are in obscure colors or materials.
Indochino has hundreds of different fabrics, everything from your traditional navy and dark colored suits through to extravagant options like plaid and pinstripe . Whether you’re looking for something for work, or a suit for play, Indochino often has more options than your local suit maker.
Jackets
If you’re not interested in a full suit and would rather just buy a jacket or blazer, Indochino gives you that option. It seems like you can get all of their suits as just the blazer, plus, there seems to be more which you can buy by themselves.
Having had experience with Indochino blazers we can say that they are relatively well cut. They have a modern cut to them, a narrow shoulder, moderate lapel and decent length that cut just above your crotch.
The jackets themselves are half-canvas, a style of suit creation that uses sewn in canvas pieces in the chest and lapel, but with fused bottom parts. This method strikes a balance between a full canvas suit and a fused suit, allowing for higher quality but without a significantly higher price point.
For most men, half-canvas suits are the absolute best choice. Full-canvas is generally far more expensive and isn’t worth it for most guys. If you can afford full-canvas suits then we would recommend going completely custom and working with a master tailor to create something that fits you perfectly.
However, for the vast majority of us 95% is close enough, especially when you can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a single suit.
One thing that we noted was that the inner linings of their jackets were tremendously soft, the quality of the lining felt great and just as luxurious as the outer fabric. This was surprising, lots of suit makers in this price range skimp on the inner linings because it doesn’t make a vast difference.
It should be noted that while Indochino creates MTM suits, if you have a body shape that is noticeably irregular i.e. one shoulder is much lower than the other, you might have trouble. While they will take measurements and construct a suit based on that, there is only so much they can do without going completely custom.
However, Indochino does offer free tailoring on their suits. This means that if you receive your suit and don’t like what you got you can either send your suit back for tailoring or preferably head into a store and get the product improved then and there.
With more and more Indochino stores opening up across the world this tailoring option is quickly becoming a key selling point, one that we have seen used to great effect. Their in-store tailors seem competent, fixing minor to moderate problems in a short period of time.
Pants
When compared to a blazer, pants are relatively easy to fit. However, if you find that you’re between sizes or having unusually short or long legs you’ll often find off the rack pants uncomfortable. Personally, I have longer legs than usual and my waist is between two sizes, meaning that tailoring is crucial.
Indochino does a great job of creating pants that fit comfortably in the waist and have the ideal length. If we had one complaint it would be that some of their pants seem to be cut a little bit wide for our liking, but to some extent that is down to individual preference. I prefer a tighter, more modern pant cut that tapers down to a slimmer ankle.
In general, with Indochino you’re going to get a stylish but classic cut, if you want a tight suit that you can wear with loafers a la Italy and France, you might need extra tailoring.
It’s important to note that when you decide on the inner lining of your pants you should consider the thickness of the cotton. Some of the suits are thicker than others and with thinner material there is a chance that in bright light some patterns might show through. This is more of an issue with colorful inner linings on mid-dark colors. To avoid this it’s safer to stick to a plain lining that matches the color of the fabric.
We're Nearing the End
We love Indochino and we are confident that you will too. Click the button below and take a look at some of the different suits that they have.
Alterations and Remakes
If you receive your suit and you decide that it’s just not quite right, but is capable of being fixed by a tailor you can reach out to Indochino for a free tailoring session. If you live locally to their showrooms then you can take them in and get the pieces tailored there, otherwise, they will reimburse you with up to $75 for local tailoring.
Presuming that the tailoring requirements are minor, $75 should be enough for you to get your jacket taken in and have the pants hemmed. Most companies would never have a policy like that and it just goes to show how much Indochino believes in their products.
The exact amount which you will be reimbursed for your alterations will depend on what you purchased. A suit will be $75, jackets are $50 and individual pieces i.e. pants, shirts and vests have a $25 tailoring allowance.
Comparing these allowances to our local cost of tailoring in Canada, that should be enough to fix minor issues. However, if there are more serious issues then it’s likely that the reimbursement won’t be enough to cover the entire cost of alterations. In this case, it’s best to contact Indochino and ask for an entire remake.
Although you should check their terms and conditions before purchasing, Indochino seems to respond well to remakes. All of the reviews which we read from other style websites explained that Indochino was quick to respond and offered remakes in all of the situations, sometimes multiple times. This is a positive sign and makes us hopeful that they would respond this way to all customers, creating and altering the garments until the customer is happy.
Once you have the perfect fit Indochino will keep those measurements on file for you. The great thing about this is that you can sign into your account and order a brand new suit, shirt or pair of pants without ever having to worry about them fitting. As long as your body shape hasn’t changed considerably you will get near enough the exact same cut as before, without ever having to step into a store or pull out a measuring tape.
Shipping and Service
There are two options for ordering, you can either visit one of their showrooms and have your measurements taken by their staff, or you can input your measurements online from home. From listening to a lot of other guys who have used Indochino, the general consensus is that there is little difference, with some leaning towards handling their own measurements. Not all of the staff in the showrooms seem to be trained tailors, which is fine, but it means that the measurements aren’t going to be as accurate as if you have a solid understanding of clothing and take your own measurements.
Our opinion, do both. Take your own measurements before you visit the showroom and then have the member of staff take them too. This way you can pick the one which feels most accurate.
Once you make your order you will have to wait for the suit to arrive, most orders are shipped within 4-weeks via DHL, making it a relatively quick turn around for a MTM suit. It’s important to note that Indochino also offers free shipping over $150, meaning that any suit which you order will be shipped completely free of charge.
For orders which are below the $150 threshold there is a small shipping and handling fee of $20 which will be applied to your order at checkout.
If you do decide that your suit isn't right you can return it free of charge, using their free return shipping guarantee, meaning that you don’t have to pay for the return postage.
Having personally contacted the Indochino support team and also spoke to other members of staff, we can say that in our experience they were extremely professional. All of our messages were responded to within a reasonable time frame and the corresponding members of staff were looped into the email thread to resolve the situation.
The whole process of ordering a suit online can seem odd, how do you know if it will fit and how do you know what the fabric will even look like? Indochino solves this with their tailors kit, only $29 and free shipping.
Plus, that $29 is redeemable towards the cost of a suit purchase. Inside of the tailors kit you’ll find 16 fabric swatches of your choice and 2 tape measures, just go through the fabrics on their website and pick which 16 interest your most. They will create a custom kit just for you and send it through as soon as possible, allowing you to touch and compare the fabrics right in front of you.
This makes ordering online nearly identical to order in person, reducing a huge amount of the uncertainty that you might feel.
The Most Popular Indochino Suits
Dark Navy Suit
Their Dark Navy Suit is potentially the most popular suit that they sell. It’s a wardrobe staple that everyman should own, a solid navy suit that is well cut and uses the highest quality fabrics that the company has to offer.
Created using 100% Merino wool, this suit is going to be comfortable enough to wear for the entire day and the natural fabrics allow the suit to ‘breathe’ preventing moisture on your shirt.
Rather than using an exceptionally heavy fabric, this suit uses 285gsm, a medium weight fabric that is ideal for a suit that you intend to wear regularly. This thickness of fabric strikes the perfect balance between light and heavy, making it warm enough to wear in the colder months and cool enough to wear throughout Spring and even Summer.
If you’re in the market for a first suit or even a second suit, this is a great choice. It’s a timeless color and cut, with a style of fabric that is going to ensure that this suit gets regular use.
Overall, we love the color of the suit, it’s a true navy. We’re not quite sure that it’s quite a ‘dark navy’, it’s more of a traditional shade that you would choose for a work event rather than anything too formal. If you are looking for a deeper navy that is more similar to a black, check out their Premium Navy Suit which is noticeably darker.
Dark Blue Suit
Blue suits are certainly seeing a resurgence in recent years, with more and more men choosing to wear them for work and also play. A blue suit isn’t going to be your first, second or even third suit.
Instead, this is a great option if you’ve already got a wardrobe of outfits, but you’re looking for something to make you standout. Compared to the Dark Navy this color is lighter, more vibrant and much closer to an ocean blue than a navy.
As with the previous suit, this is constructed out of 100% Merino wool, a lovely fabric that has a touchable texture but is resilient enough to last. However, it’s a little lighter at only 265gsm, meaning that it’s not going to keep you quite as warm.
You’ll also see that the blue one is using Super 120’s rather than Super 100’s. All this means is that the fabric that is used is slightly finer. Finer fabrics feel more luxurious, but they also wear and tear much quicker.
However, the difference between 120’s and 100’s is marginal, you’ll notice that the 120’s in this blue jacket feel a little nicer, but it’s unlikely that it will wear any quicker. Generally, the sweet spot for suits is between 100’s and 150’s, where you get a great balance between longevity and quality.
Dark Charcoal Suit
This charcoal suit is a beautifully classic color, it’s not flat like the blue and navy suit were, it has a little bit of ‘texture’ to it. All this means is that you get a little variance in color between the fibers, otherwise the jacket can look ‘flat’ and artificial.
Like the previous products that we have looked at, this uses 100% Merino wool and it’s even lighter at 260gsm. However, that’s still relatively heavy and could be consider a medium weight fabric that would be fine for both cooler and warmer days.
Again, this suit is using slightly coarser Super 100’s, which make this an ideal suit for everyday wear in a business environment. Charcoal is great for either a first or second suit, an outfit that you’re going to be wearing multiple times per week. This color is traditional and that makes it ideal for work but it’s probably not going to be the kind of suit that you want to party in.
We would highly recommend that every man buys a charcoal suit with a notch lapel, a versatile option that is a little boring but that makes it ideal for everyday business use. Personally, charcoal suits usually don’t look great double-breasted or with peak lapels because you end up with an odd battle between plain and extravagant.
Premium Navy Suit
While the standard Dark Navy Suit is a great option, this premium alternative is a step-up and one that we would suggest taking if you can afford it. The different between the two suits is noticeable and in our opinion, the color is much more appealing.
Interestingly, this suit is far darker than the ‘Dark Navy Suit’ that’s so popular with customers. In fact, at a distance you’d be forgiven for thinking that this one was a light black, which is exactly how we think a navy suit should be. It should be halfway between a black and a blue, perfect for work and also for play.
But it’s when you put your hands on the fabric that you’ll really notice the difference. Instead of being 100% Merino wool , this is only 95%, the remaining 5% is Cashmere, one of the most luxurious fabrics known to man.
If you’ve ever touched Cashmere you’ll know that even a little bit blended into a suit can make all the difference. Having touched both fabrics we can tell you that the Premium Navy Suit is noticeably softer, which is also because it uses Super 140’s rather than Super 100’s .
Both of these factors mean that the jacket has a much richer feeling, along with the deeper color this makes the suit look far more expensive and professional. In our opinion, the price difference between the two suits is worth the jump, the Premium Navy is just that much nicer.
At 260gsm, it’s a little bit lighter than the Navy, but it’s still within the realm of a medium fabric, making this a good choice for an everyday suit that you can wear all year.
If you only had the money to buy a single suit, this would be the one that we would recommend. Not only is navy an ideal color for a first suit because it can be dressed up or down, but the quality of the suit is far superior and investing in a better product is generally best.
Premium Silver Sharkskin Suit
Finally, let’s take a look at a more unique type of suit that isn’t going to suit everybody but that we think could look great if you dressed it up with a classic Oxford shirt and brown leather.
The Premium Silver Sharkskin Suit isn’t made of sharkskin, thankfully, it’s made using 100% wool. To give it it’s unique texture and look the yarn is woven in a spring type of structure, this helps the suit to ‘give’ making it a little stretchier than traditional suits. This can be useful if you plan to layer under your jacket or if you weight bounces up and down throughout the year.
Compared to some of the suits we’ve looked at, this one is going to be a little bit heavier and not quite as soft. They are using a standard wool rather than Merino, which is going to have a coarser feel and it’s 280gsm rather than 260gsm, making it a little heavier.
There’s no doubt that this suit isn’t for everybody. It’s a bit of a unique twist on a light grey suit, with a slightly different texture and look to it because of the way that they have span the yarn, plus, it seems to use a wool with a natural variety in color.
Common Complaints
So far in this Indochino review we’ve primarily covered what we love about them, which is because we really do love their suits. However, they aren’t perfect and it wouldn’t be fair to not mention some of the common complaints that some reviewers have experienced.
Firstly, the most common complaint that we saw was that the suit didn't fit well. In some cases this seemed to be because the customer didn’t take accurate measurements and that’s one of the drawbacks of ordering through an online service rather than an in-person with a tailor. However, if you don’t like the fit of the suit then you are able to get a reimbursement for tailoring and you can always send the suit back for a remake.
Obviously, this is far from ideal and the suits should fit in the first place. Saying that, we have looked through hundreds of reviews and it’s clear that the fit has improved throughout the years. Most of the complaints of especially poor fits were back in 2013 and 2014, when the company was still new to the industry.
As they have matured and improved their products it’s clear that the fit they have achieved has improved substantially, particularly with online orders.
Having been to multiple Indochino showrooms and also spending countless hours on their website, there is a noticeable difference between the color of the fabrics online and in-person. Some of this is inevitable because cameras will struggle to capture and exact likeness and each persons computer will show a slightly different color.
Regardless, this is a problem. If you expect one shade of suit and you receive one that is slightly different, you’re going to be disappointed. There are two workarounds; either head to a showroom or order their tailor kit.
The tailors kit allows you to pick 16 different fabrics and have them sent to you in the form of a booklet of swatches. This gives you the chance to look at the exact color of the fabrics and also to feel and compare them. If you’re confident that you want to buy an Indochino suit but aren’t sure which fabric to pick, investing in the tailors kit is a no brainer.
Finally, some reviewers also complained that the suits took too long to receive. It’s hard to distinguish where the problem is, some reviewers might just have unrealistic expectations or Indochino could have messed up. It’s hard to know because most reviewers only complained, without giving an exact timeline.
Indochino promises to get your suit shipped to you within 4-weeks but it’s vital that you factor in at least another 2-weeks for tailoring, should you need it. If you’re in a rush and need a suit within a month, Indochino probably isn’t for you. Instead, order earlier and be patient. Getting a suit made to your measurements and then getting it tailored is going to take some time .
What Do We Think?
As with all companies, some of the complaints are valid, Indochino certainly isn’t flawless, but some are also beyond the control of the company. From our experience and research, the overwhelming majority of customers are happy with their suits and that’s why in this Indochino review we are giving them our seal of approval.
If you’re in the market for a well-constructed suit that is made to your own measurements, at a competitive price, Indochino seems like a good fit.
Not only are the quality of their suits high, but the customer service, in our opinion, was great. Everybody that we talked to online and in-stores was helpful and polite. Overall, we would recommend them to most guys, especially those that want a good quality suit at a reasonable price.
If you’re looking for something of extremely high quality with huge amounts of customization, Indochino probably isn’t the best choice. They only accommodate a limited, but still reasonable, amount of changes and they strive to serve the mass-market rather than suit connoisseurs.