Ultimate Guide To Buying A Custom Suit Online (EASY Step By Step Process)
[0:00:00] [Music]
All right, gents. So, for today's video, you're going to want to take notes. You're going
to want to save this video because I'm going to go into tons of detail. I'm going to give
you everything you need to know to buy the perfect suit online.
Rule number one to buying a custom suit online, make sure that buying a custom suit online
is the right choice for you. What I mean by this is you have options.
First up, off-the-rack suits. This is the most common style of suit we see in box stores
in specialty menswear stores. These are pre-made suits in a variety of different sizes, a variety
of different cuts. And if you look, if you have time you can
actually find something that fits you reasonably well, can sometimes get adjusted to fit you
incredibly well. But, I understand if you need a suit today, this is probably the best
option for you. So why go custom? Because you care about fit,
you care about the style, and you care about fabric.
So, the fit, guess what? If it's custom, it's only made to fit one person - you. If you're
tall, if you're short, if you're big, if you're small, if you're a combination of those, guess
what? Custom suits don't care. They're going to be built exactly to fit your measurements
and your measurements alone. Or, if you're really particular, you have
seen this fabric and you want that particular sports jacket, you want that suit in that
fabric, guess what? Custom is the way to go because you're just simply going to be able
to choose the fabric, then get the exact style. Again, you’re particular you want peak lapels,
you want hacking pockets, you want you know an inside really unique lining, you can get
it when you go custom. The second thing to know about custom suits
is it is a process. You can't get that suit same day. In fact, this can be a multi-week
process. They're making this thing from scratch. And, understand that sometimes there are multiple
fittings, you're going to have to get measurements. This is something especially the first time
you do it that it's going to take a bit of extra time. But, if you care about getting
the exact style you want, the exact fabric, the fit spot-on, then the process is definitely
worth it. Now, let's talk about measurements. When you're
going in to get a custom suit, guys, you can expect sometimes over fifty measurements to
be taken of your body. Yeah, this is huge because most of us when we’re buying jeans,
two measurements; the inseam and the waist. Or we're looking at a shirt; small, medium,
large. But, here's the thing. When you're getting
something custom, they are going to measure all parts of your body, from your neck to
your chest to your torso. They're going to take your height they're going to take your
weight. But, they're also going to look at the way that you stand, how basically do your
arms hang. All of these details are going to go into taking a two-dimensional fabric
and then weaving it and building it into a work of art.
So, the key point here is make sure whoever you're working with to get this custom suit
done that they're taking all the right measurements, and that they're taking them correctly. A
lot of places they'll let you take your own measurements. If you're going to do this,
make sure that you measure twice, so they only have to cut once. Because one of the
worst things you can do is send in the wrong measurements.
I prefer if you can actually have someone measure you and even better if they've got
a block system. So, a block system is actually where they've got pre-made garments. After
they take your measurements, they have you try these garments on.
Now, what these garments are telling them is actually, okay, this is how it would fit
on him. We already know his measurements, but what does he think about the fit of these
trousers let's say in the thigh area because fit is very subjective. One man likes a closer
fit, another man likes a very loose fit. And, another thing that a lot of people don't
think about, when you go in to get measured or you measure yourself, make sure that you
are wearing your best-fitted clothing. Now, guys, if you're a fan of Real Men Real
Style, you probably know that I started off as a custom clothier. I’ve designed over
a thousand suits. I used to own an online clothing business, so I understand this business
through and through. And that's why I'm excited to bring you today's sponsor, Indochino.
I've talked about these guys before, but did you know when I started my first business,
they were a competitor? And I always looked at them, I was very impressed always by their
website the way that they were serving their customers. And these guys have continued to
exceed my expectations. Everything I'm wearing in this video is made by Indochino. These
guys nailed it. I was lucky enough to be able to go into one
of their Atlanta showrooms where I was able to look at all the different fabrics they
had there. I was able to look at all the different options and I got measured right there and
designed a beautiful suit. The suit you see me wearing right now, they took my measurements
accurately and they use that block system. And I can tell you that makes a huge difference.
I was basically to get one of the best-fitting suits I’ve own and I've owned lots of suits
costing thousands and thousands of dollars, guess what? Indochino starts at 399. Gentlemen,
this is a steal. First up, I would highly recommend that you
go into one of their shops and get measured, but if you can't, guess what? You could enter
your own measurements and they will work with you to make sure you get the perfect fit.
I will get into options later in this video in detail, but I will tell you I did some
special things with this suit. I had a lot of fun. You want to see? I'm going to reveal
it right now. Check this out. For my Canadian friends and anyone that knows the history
of Indochino, it started out it was a Canadian company.
[0:05:00] I love a company that is just full of go-getters.
And I met with the Atlanta team, such a great group of people. And I sort of said it, but
I want to be a little bit more clear, there are a lot more than just suits.
So, you want to get a custom shirt, they've got you covered, tons of great fabrics at
an amazing price. You want a custom vest, and I can tell you the vest is one of the
hardest garments to get to fit your body correctly. Absolutely love this vest and the fit is spot-on.
So, if you’re hard to fit and you want a unique fabric that's going to help you stand
out from the crowd. If you want to go with a unique design, so that you can design a
suit that's going to be unlike any the world has ever seen? Guys, you want to go over Indochino.
To get started, gents, and to save $30 on your suit, use the link down in the description
of today's video along with the code RMRS to save money on your first suit at Indochino.
Now, this next step to getting the perfect suit online is often overlooked but incredibly
important, and that is make sure the people or the team or the person you're dealing with
has good communication skills because guess what?
You have this vision of what you want this custom suit to look like, how you want it
to fit. And if they don't ask you the right questions, they're going to build you a monstrosity.
They're going to go -- they're going to think, oh, this guy wants the modern slim fit. You
thought you're going to get something a little bit looser, but you know that would fit your
big build, all of a sudden you get the suit and you're like, “Oh, my gosh, what happened
here?” Communication is key. So, make sure that they've
got a great communication skills that they speak your language. That's what we're looking
to do is reduce mistakes. Next up, know what you want. So many guys
going to buy custom and they do not know what they want. And if you run into a salesman
or you work with someone that really has your best interest in mind and can direct you,
that's great, but that doesn't happen all the time.
And you want to make sure you're not led astray, not you know on purpose, but that person doesn't
-- he can't read your mind. So, you want to make sure you've got laid out exactly what
you need. If you just graduated law school and you're
taking that first job over in downtown Chicago, you're going to be at that top law firm. If
you're going to be wearing a suit daily, find out what they wear to the law office. But,
by knowing that, you'll be able to build the wardrobe you need. But, maybe you need sports
jackets, maybe you need odd trousers. And it's going to make everyone's job easier when
you can give more specific information about what you need.
Now, that being said this next point incredibly important and that is have one garment made
at a time. And I'm talking one suit made, one shirt made, one vest made. Why don't you
want to have like five suits or ten shirts made?
Because what – if this the first time they're making it, you want to make sure they nail
the fit. You think that, hey, I wanted to be able to put two fingers right in here.
And the guy who was measuring you thought that you didn't want to be able to put anything,
but you don't want to actually get ten shirts that are made that way because that guy may
argue, he may say, “Hey, no, no. This is what you asked for.” And then, all of a
sudden, you've got an issue. Ask for one shirt, ask for one jacket, ask
for one set of trousers and you should be able to go through multiple fittings to be
able to get exactly what you want on the fit. And that takes us right to our next point,
fittings. So, fittings are natural especially when you're just starting off. Your first
garment, you could expect to have one to two fittings as they work to get it perfect.
This shirt, yeah, it maybe a little bit too loose, a little bit too tight in and around
the neck. Maybe you want the sleeves a little bit longer. This is when they're going to
take note of this they're going to say, “Hey, I'd like a little bit slimmer on the sleeve,”
and they will be able to take it in and make those adjustments.
The key point here is that they not only make the adjustments, but they also adjust your
pattern. You want to ask about this because when they adjust your pattern, then this is
something they'll be able to replicate the garment. You don't want them to replicate
a mistake. You want to make sure that if you have those adjustments made they adjust the
pattern and then all your future suits all your future sports jackets, guess what? They're
going to fit perfectly because you did the work up front.
So now, let's get into the details. Yeah, we're going to go deep down the rabbit hole
first up talking about suit fabric choice. So, there are four things when you're looking
at fabric that you want to pay attention to. So, first up, the color. If this is your first
custom suit, I highly recommend you go with a simple solid; navy, charcoal gray, medium
gray, something that you're going to wear again and again. You may say, “Antonio,
I've already got a couple suits like that in my wardrobe,” but do you have a custom
suit like that in your wardrobe? The answer is probably no and this is why you want to
start. It’s all about the fit and we can change things up on the style, but initially
your first custom suit, go simple. Now, if this isn’t your first custom suit,
you’ve already made a few custom suits, then feel free based off your knowledge and
what you know about menswear to start having a little bit more fun.
Now, let’s talk about patterns. So, patterns, again, this is something initially no pattern,
but you could if you really wanted to bring in a pattern to start off with, maybe look
at a herringbone. A herringbone weave in a solid fabric actually is not very noticeable
until you get up close. It adds a bit of depth, gives a little bit of – little bit of weight
to the fabric, so it is going to be a thicker heavier fabric, but I think looks absolutely
beautiful. You can also look at bringing in we see window
panes, we see checks, we also see pinstripes. These, when you start to bring these in, understand
these are not your interchangeable pieces, these are going to be much more memorable,
these are going to be suits that stand up. [0:10:00]
If you already got five suits, you’ve got six suits, why not bring in a pinstripe. Pinstripes,
all about business. Window panes, checks, these, understand are going to be much more
casual. Now, what about small repeating patterns like
birdseye, sharkstooth, nailshead? I think that those are perfectly fine, but they are
going to be a bit more casual. However, if you already have like three or four suits
in your wardrobe, I really like bringing in something like this. It adds a bit of texture.
At the same time, from a distance it actually looks solid and people won’t see the pattern
until they get up close. Now, something like chalk stripe, this is
maybe if you already got nine suits, maybe we’ll make it a ten. But, this is something
that really a big pattern like that really isn’t distinctive pattern. It can really
stand out if you know what you’re doing, but it’s not going to be a suit that you
can wear more than once or twice a month. Next up, let’s talk about materials and
99% of you want to go with wool. 100% wool is where it’s at. You’re going to see
the word, worsted wool. All that simply means is that the wool has been woven into a tight
thread and it is perfect for suiting. Beautiful drape. Even cheap worsted wools have really
come a long way. Now, what you don’t want to go with is a
blend. And a blend is where they put in a little bit of polyester, sometimes 50/50 with
wool. Basically, because they’re using this material, it is next to nothing in cost and
it also just never looks as good. Now, what about silk? What about cotton? What
about linen? I think that when blended with wool, you can get some amazing options, but
don’t do this for the first suit because if you get your first suit, it’s got 50%
linen or you know it’s could – it’s going to require more upkeep. It also can
wrinkle more. I do think during the summer, these are interesting options. But for most
guys just starting off, go with worsted wool. And now, let’s talk about fabric cost. And
this is important because custom suits, the price the final price is often based off of
what was the cost of the material. So, your fabric, it takes about 3-1/2 yards for an
average custom suit. This right here can range anywhere from a
few dollars per yard to over a thousand dollars per year depending on the fabric, depending
on what mill it comes from, what is in it. So, if it’s wool versus polyester versus
a silk blend versus a very rare wool. They have actually fabrics woven with a little
bit of gold in them. Yes. And those can cost a lot of money.
So, understand that when a tailor is doing this, for him, it’s about the same amount
of work that goes into it, it’s really about the raw materials and how much those costs.
So, if you want to go with something really rare, if you want to go with something really
high end, something that they don’t make that much of, that is going to drive the cost
up substantially. However, if you go with a material that they
have plenty of, that’s a staple, that’s classic, you’re going to find that the cost
is going to be driven down. And let’s talk about the super number. So,
you see super 80, super 120, super 220, understand that none of these is regulated. So, one company’s
super 120 could be another company’s super 220. But, they do understand at least the
people in sales that a lot of people view this like megapixels in cameras.
So, whenever you see a camera with a lot of megapixel, people want to go buy that because
it’s the newest and greatest. Guys, don’t fall for it. Any super like 100 or any super
120 is going to be just beautiful perfectly fine.
I would expect in general super 220s at that range right there to be really nice. And in
general you will see the cost go up as the super number does.
Now, let’s talk about design. And my advice to you is kiss – keep it simple silly. Seriously,
I’ve got two dozen suits right here and I will tell you the ones I wear the least
are the ones that I got way over complicated on the design. Don’t do an eclectic here,
eclectic there, changing this up to be different, all of a sudden you’ve got something which
is a monstrosity. So, when you’re looking at the lapels, yeah,
I went with peak right here. I had a little bit of fun. But, this is pretty much one of
two things I had fun on this jacket. But most people, notch lapels are going to be perfectly
fine. Peak lapels are going to be a little bit more
formal. If you want to with shawl lapels, that is very rare and you see it more on black
tie. But in general, notch lapels are going to be fine.
How many buttons in the front? Two in general. 95% of jackets out there are two-buttoned.
Oh you can go with a double-breasted. Guys, if this is your first custom suit, don’t
go with a double-breasted suit because you don’t own any double-breasted suits and
you don’t normally wear them. Don’t buy something that, again, is going to be really
pushing you. But, there are many things you can change up by the way, which nobody will
say I talked about my inner lining on my jacket. This is where you can have a lot of fun.
Or it could be something small like the back of the jacket. A lot of people whenever they
buy something off-the-rack, they got to go with the single vent. I highly recommend you
go with the double vent. It doesn’t seem like much, but this makes a huge difference
in the way the jacket fits and the way it flows whenever you’re walking.
You can also may be look at the buttons right here. Make sure you go with working buttons.
You may want to go with a contrast stitching. Right here, I went for a little bit of maroon
right there. Contrast stitching is another great little thing you can do, change up the
buttons, maybe change up a few things here or there, but, guys, overall, keep it simple.
And the same thing with the trousers, guys, keep it simple. So, if you don’t normally
have pleats on your trousers, don’t buy pleats now. If you don’t normally cuff your
trousers, go with straight at the bottom hem. One thing I highly recommend is go with suspender
buttons on the inside. Nobody is going to see it. You may never even use them, but you
always have them, there is an option if you want to buy suspenders.
[0:15:04] Now, if you have the option, I always recommend
that you buy an extra set of trousers. Most times when a suit is damaged, it is the trousers.
But, if you’ve got two pairs of trousers, you’ve got that suit and this is your go-to
suit, guess what? You’ve got something that’s going to last a lot longer. Just make sure
when you send them out to the cleaners that you send them out as a set.
And if you got two sets of trousers, consider getting one of them with side tabs. So, get
rid of the belt loops, instead it’s simply going to singe up on the sides. I absolutely
love this look, very unique, but something I wouldn’t recommend if you only have one
pair of trousers because if you gain or lose weight, it can be an issue.
Now, what about vest? I absolutely love it. And I recommend that if you want to add some
pizzazz to your look, go with a contrasting vest or maybe go with a matching vest. Go
for the three-piece suit look if you wear the suit again and again. But, I said this
earlier and I want to say it again, the vest is one of the hardest garments to get fit.
So, make sure that if you’re buying this custom that you get this adjusted if it does
not fit correctly. Because the vest is one of those things, there’s not really much
room to give or to loosen up and you want to make sure that you get exactly what you’re
looking for. Most vests when you go when you buy them off-the-rack,
even if you find the right fit, you’re stuck with the style that they give you. When you
go custom, you can get styles that you could only dream of. And this is where I do like
to have a little bit of fun. You notice right here, four buttons on each
side went double-breasted? Double-breasted vest very rare and I knew that they’re also
incredibly hard to get fitted properly. So, when I had the chance to get one custom from
Indochino, you bet I jumped on it and I absolutely love it.
Now, I went for the contrasting fabric that I felt worked really well with the brown because
it’s got a little bit of brown it in and there’s another trick when you’re looking
at maybe matching things. See if you can actually find a fabric that has a little bit – this
one a little bit of that repeating brown. So, because it has the brown, I knew it would
naturally match with the brown suit. Now, what about custom shirts? Well, if they
can make suits, if they can make vests, you bet they can make custom shirts. And so, for
me it’s an easy choice when they’ve got your measurements. That’s what I like about
choosing one manufacturer, one company to go with, keep it simple silly with the design,
but have a little bit of fun. I do like to simply go with a classic colors.
You guys know I love white and blue shirts. It’s just my, I mean, come on, it just works
with everything I have. But there are so many options you can have when it comes to the
style of the color. And that’s where you can have so much fun. You can keep the color
simple, but you can change up the style. And if you get that fit right, that shirt is going
to look amazing on you. All right. So, it’s been a couple of weeks,
you get the suit you get the shirt you get the vest you get the trousers. Now, let’s
talk fittings. So, this is a very natural part of the process
especially the first time you buy from anyone that’s making something custom. You are
going to want to have some adjustments made. Now, I can tell you what Indochino sent me
is spot on. I’m not going to have anything adjusted, maybe you know that shirt right
here, I will adjust the button. That is it. That’s why I love the whole block system.
But, most the time if you’re using someone that doesn’t use a block system, you’re
going to have to get some fittings done, but understand adjustments are just part of the
process. And so, when you’re going through these fittings, it’s best if you can go
in and actually get them to look at it and make the adjustments, so that they can update
your profile, your pattern. You want them to make you that one shirt,
that one pair of trousers, that one jacket, that one vest and then, based off of the adjustments
you make, they will then make the rest of your order because you ordered ten shirts
if you ordered five suits, you don’t want to get five that are the wrong size or too
tight in the chest. Some places they’ll have you actually go,
if you buy it online, they’ll have you go to a local tailor, so you want to call and
make sure that that person can adjust the suit if it’s too much. If it’s a major
adjustment, you’re probably going to have to ship it back to them along with photos
along with what needs to be done. But that is why communication is so key and
I feel it’s underrated because when it comes to the adjustments, this is when the magic
happens and you go from really good to friggin’ amazing.
So, at this point you’ve now got a perfectly fitted suit. You’ve got a great looking
shirt. You’ve got a great looking vest. You have an outfit which makes you feel like
a million bucks. What to do now? Wear it. Gentlemen, the most expensive clothing you’ll
ever own is the clothing you never wear. Wear it so many times that eventually you have
to go get more. I know when I dress sharp even if I’m at home, if I’ve got a big
call, if I’ve got a big meeting, I dress better.
Why do I do this? Because it puts me in the zone, it makes me feel better and studies
have shown that actually dressing the part, you feel better, you perform better. The scientific
term is called enclothed cognition. And this is when your clothing has an effect on how
you see yourself and how you perform. It’s real, gentlemen, so suit up, dress
sharp, and become the man you know yourself to be.
So, what video to watch next? How about custom versus off-the-rack suits? In this video,
I break out the advantages and disadvantages of each type of suit.
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