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Gents Among Men

Look Good, Live Well

Customized Suiting: Linings and Buttons and Vents, Oh My!

Customized Suiting: Linings and Buttons and Vents, Oh My!

Ask any woman what the key to her heart is. Trust me, it isn’t chocolate, nor is it shoes (although I’d be lying if I said those weren’t important). The key to her heart is her significant other in a nicely tailored, fitted suit. Enter: Indochino.

I didn’t know much about suiting, but I did know that when it’s done right, I can’t keep myself away. So when the Gents Among Men team was invited to a private press event at Indochino’s “Traveling Tailor” Pop-up shop in the Meatpacking District, I was ready to drown myself in a sea of suits.

Indochino's Pop-Up shop in Meatpacking district.
Indochino’s Pop-Up shop in Meatpacking district.

Little did I know that when it comes to suiting with Indochino, it would be more like a sea of fabrics. I accompanied our proprietor, Robert Twitty and chronicled his journey from beginning to end as he paired up with an Indochino stylist, Beth, to find the perfect made-to-measure suit combination. Even though he was the one getting the suit, I feel like it was more of an experience for me than it was for him, who (as every gentleman should) kept it cool, calm, and collected throughout the whole process.

Thanks Indochino for introducing me to my two new loves: suiting and Bourbon.
Thanks Indochino for introducing me to my two new loves: suiting and Bourbon.

First came the measuring. It was an extremely thorough ordeal. While I sipped on my very first glass of Bourbon (yay!), I watched as Robert came in and out of the fitting room and Beth whipped her measuring tape around places that I didn’t even know had to be measured for suiting.

I fell in love with the purple fabric for the lining of Rob's new Indochino suit.
I fell in love with the purple fabric for the lining of Robert’s new Indochino suit.

Then came picking the color. I was immediately attracted to the deep navy fabric, but Robert went with the classic gray, which I thought could only be worn at a certain time of the year. However, Beth quickly told me that I was wrong. Before I knew it, I was sold on the gray too and it was on to picking the lining.

Honestly, I had never really noticed the lining of a suit before but after thumbing through all the fabric choices Indochino had to offer, I learned that what’s on the inside definitely matters. Robert and I agreed on a beautiful purple lining within seconds.

Robert's new suit will be monogrammed: "Created for a Gent, Robert Twitty."
Robert’s new suit will be monogrammed: “Created for a Gent, Robert Twitty.”

All of a sudden Robert was typing—on, may I add, Indochino’s very high-tech system formatted on an iPod that every stylist carries—what he wanted monogrammed on the inside of his suit jacket. This was my favorite part! I helped choose the font, and we went with a nice scripted font for the inscription that read “Created for a Gent, Robert Twitty.”

Everything was measured...including Robert's wrists!
Everything was measured…including Robert’s wrists!

Then Beth began asking a lot of questions about detail: Did Robert want slanted or straight pockets? One vent or two? Did he want functional sleeve buttonholes and contrasting buttonholes? I was blown away. And believe it or not, they extend this type of detailed customization to shirting too.

Robert will have his suit in four weeks. I never thought I’d say this but I think I’m more excited than he is to see the finished product.

Head over to the Indochino pop-up shop in Meatpacking at 29 Little West 12th Street between July 12 to July 28th to begin your accommodating and affordable suit customization experience. Oh, and bring your lady with you—you might be surprised by how much she’ll enjoy it. If she’s anything like me she’ll be asking them why they don’t have these type of services for women.

Make your appointment here.

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