This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/malefashionadvice by /u/AlanShore60607 on 2023-10-06 02:08:24.

Full disclosure: I’ve been using iTailor for 8 years now as my primary clothing source. There’s good, there’s bad, there’s improvement over time, there’s failure to address some basic things, and there’s value. I have experience selling Martin Greenfield and Vestra custom garments, and while those are obviously better, they are in a different class, but having sold those I choose iTailor instead.

Although I have no professional association with the company, I am the holder of a affiliate site that has done zero business in 3 years. I will not share that link publicly, but you may PM me for it, though the actual site is better.

I have had conversations with the owner about the company, specifically about things I thought should be changed that never did get changed.

First things first. I believe that any online tailor will require that you emotionally commit to 1 or 2 sacrificial garments until you get it right. Now, as I’m a pretty standard fit, I’ve had the privilege of using their standard size option and not even approaching a tailor’s shop to fix a damn thing for nearly a decade. My first suit was, due to my optimism, undersized, but that was due to me ordering a 40 while on my way to needing a 42. But the ability to adjust sleeve length, jacket length, pre-hemmed trousers to my outseam, and waist has been sufficient for my needs. But the most important thing I can say here is that sample or test suits are just less expensive there. $199 + $33 shipping for your first suit to see how you’re working with their system is good, but the long term savings you can generate from them is better.

• The Good
  • Once you figure your size, you’re on easy street. Over the years I’ve ordered at least 30 suits from them and the fit, once I learned what I wanted from them, was consistently good. This is especially surprising because I hear reports they still hand-cut suits rather than laser cut.
    • I would not advise working buttonholes on your first garment. You need to not have those in order to have the sleeve adjusted if necessary.
  • The detailing options are amazing for the price. When I was working in custom clothing 25 years ago, we charged $75 for working buttonholes, $75 for the lapel stitching, $15 for rubber grip strip in the waistband, and $100 or so for an unlined or half-lined jacket. All of these things I used to charge for are included in the price of a suit for free. That means a $199 suit there will have over $250 worth of improvements at no cost. They do not nickel and dime you on the details, though they have recently introduced premium horn, mother of pearl, coconut, and metal buttons for a $10 upcharge, which I guess I understand as it’s additional material instead of additional work.
  • The size of the collection. The currently have over 1000 fabrics, with prices ranging from $199 to $349, and quality ranging all over the place. They’ve got stuff that’s 70% polyester in some basic solids (think service industry quality, more on that later) and both 100% wool (115 options currently) and 100% linen (74 options currently)
    • If you want to learn more about the fabrics, you’re not learning it on their site. They are extremely minimal as to what they tell you, though they are finally sharing composition. But, if you are friends with a local tailor who sells fabrics from Zenzoni or Luiciano, you can actually see what the fabrics are. They primarily work with suitings that appear to be milled locally in Thailand. Both have fake Italian names, but overall I have been quite please
  • Good rotation of sale fabrics. It’s not always plain, it’s sometimes premium (all wool), and once you’re with them consistently, you’ll be checking weekly to see if the fabric of the week is good for you.
• The Bad
  • Fabric is all over the map, but the most interesting thing is that as they improved their selection, they did not remove the crap 70% poly for years, and if fact they placed it first on their selection, though it does appear to finally be gone within the past month.
    • I believe this is a holdover from their pre-consumer days. They say they have been around since 1971; yes, but not as a consumer company. My research suggests that they started in the 70s until about a decade ago as a commercial uniform company, making custom uniforms for casinos, bellhops, and other uniformed types where appearance mattered and the employer actually wanted things to fit. So their initial core collection was focused on the durable 70% poly rather than anything nice,
    • This is also why they have options like no front or back pockets on trousers, a mandatory thing for casino workers. Casino trousers keep custom places in business.
  • You have to re-enter your measurements when ordering more than one garment.
    • I believe this is also a holdover from the uniform era, as the final screen once you have input your measurements asks if you would like to order more of the same in different sizes, but there is no provision for applying a single size to a whole order.
  • Buttonhold threads. This is one I spoke to the owner about, and they still have not fixed it. There is no option to select buttonhole thread matches fabric, which is especially frustrating because the option exists for the lapel stitching.
    • There is a workaround to send them an email about the buttonholes, requesting the industry code (at least in Thailand) of A00 to the buttonholes, which apparently everyone seems to use for “match fabric” (this is the code they use for lapel stitching to match fabric, so they do know and use it)
    • There are 14 buttonhole thread options, but they are not accurate and they will err on the side of contrast rather than matching. I’ve ordered grey suits of every shade, and when I ordered light grey, the buttonholes were dark, yet when I ordered dark grey, the buttonholes were light. You’re choosing a family of color, not a specific color, unless you email them to use a specific thread color or A00. I even had one where my order specified the same purple for internal monogram and the first buttonhole contrast, and they were different because they thought the purple did not contrast enough on the sleeve.
  • The lack of a comment box. Pretty much every online tailor has a box where you can submit comments or requests with the order. They don’t have that, you have to email them through the site, but I will say they have never missed a change I requested.
• The Improvments
  • So many in the 8 years I’ve been using them. In addition to the vast expansion of fabrics, they have made the following improvements:
    • Lapel width has become an option, though they don’t specify what small/regular/large means, and if you have something specific in mind you would be well advised to send them an email saying the exact width you want.
    • Internal linings are always being added, as are collar felt options.
    • Half-lined and unlined features added for no additional cost.
    • Actually really nice buttons, even if they are the one and only upcharge.
    • Last buttonhole contrast was introduced, a bit late, and lacking the option to contrast the lapel buttonhole as well.
    • Top stitching/pick stitching added a few years ago, both lapel and “full body” for no cost. I especially like this feature as I get patch pockets for a more Neopolitan style and they just look so good with that stitching.
• The Failures

  • Overall, I feel they suffer from Ron Popeil’s set it and forget it attitude unless they’re making an affirmative change. The mens suits & shirts get most of the love, and things like the women’s section or men’s tuxedo shirts are forgotten.

    • They actually introduced tuxedo shirts years ago but then accidentally removed the link to tuxedo shirts for a few years … so if you knew the URL, you could find it, but there was no link on the site. They have, finally, restored it.
    • This is why there’s so much weirdness that can be traced back to the roots of being a maker of uniforms. They’re not going to fix the problems of the past, just move forward. It makes it awkward, but not bad.
    • I feel like this is also where I should address their idea of contrast fabrics. Again, the contrast fabrics were, at least at the beginning, the same 70% poly to match the rest of the uniforms they would be making. And that’s their idea of contrast … suiting to suiting. No suede or microfiber for elbow patches, no velvet for collars, and no satin in the suit builder to make any suit a tuxedo (though you can email them to do that)

  • Inconsistency based upon tailor’s discretion.

    • Tailors get to choose the buttonhole thread from the family of colors, not what you specify, so you need to be specific if that’s important to you.
    • White fabrics. They will do all sorts of unpredictable and crazy things to “prevent transparency” on white and ultralight fabrics. I have received trousers lined all the way down to the ankle and unlined jackets with the entire back covered with fusing to add a layer. They will add layers to your light summer garments to prevent transparency, so you must tell them via email you don’t want any of that if you order white or super pale.
    • The biggest inconsistency I’ve experienced is on the choice of construction of the fully unlined suit. I’ve received them without shoulder pads or chest piece, with shoulder pads but not chest piece, a…

Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/170xtr9/itailor_review_from_longterm_yet_critical_user/