Made To Measure Suiting: Black Lapel Pt. I

Made To Measure Suiting: Black Lapel Pt. I

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A few weeks back I was contacted by the gents at Black Lapel (see above pic, Derek and Warren are two of the three founders), one of the many new start ups in the made to measure market (see also Indochino, My.Suit and Alton Lane).  I had never heard of the company, I soon found out the reason was that it was only started in February.  Which could be good or bad.  I took a look at the site and did some poking around on forums and social media outlets which led to minimal results.  My interest was peaked.

I met with both Derek and Warren and we spent a good deal of time discussing matters of menswear, suits and life working for ‘The Man’ (as they used to be in finance).  This was good because it not only allowed me to get to know the men behind the operation but also to see Black Lapel’s suits in person (both Derek and Warren are wearing them in the above picture).  Of the more important things we all agreed on was that men in the States tend to dress in a sub-par manner and that we each want to help those who desire to dress well, dress well.

Derek, Warren and I ended up agreeing to have a suit made for me.  I went through the typical measuring, fabric and design processes.  However, I placed the order via their website ordering system, which like Indochino’s, is straightforward and easy to use.  If you live in NYC you can often schedule an appointment with Black Lapel, but regardless of where you live you can opt to handle the measurements and ordering process yourself through Black Lapel’s website.  The customization options are on par with other online MTM outlets (buttonhole accent stitching, no belt loops, vest, hacking pockets, pen pocket etc).  There are two options I would like to make particular note of however.  The first is the fitting option to note that one of your shoulders is lower than the other, which is the case with most men.  The second is the option for a fully canvassed jacket, as opposed to a half canvassed jacket, which is about a $150 additional cost.  The fabric quality, however, seems to be above those from what I have seen from Indochino and My.Suit.  I should also note the difference in the prices of the Black Lapel suits comes solely from the fabric ($499-699).

I opted for a medium grey glen plaid, which is badass but unfortunately not up on the site yet.  The jacket has 1 button, notch lapels, straight pockets and side vents.  I also opted for the full canvassing, which I think in this case was worth it, as I hope that it will increase the longevity of the jacket as well as the comfort, fit and look.  For the trousers I opted for flat front, no cuffs, 2 rear pockets, braces buttons and no belt loops.  I also requested that extra fabric be included so that I can have side tabs fashioned (a unique request but the gents happily obliged), as unfortunately that is not an option Black Lapel offers yet.  But the gents said they plan to in the future.  I am quite excited to receive the suit, turnaround time is expected to be 3-4 weeks (the suit is currently in transit to me so I hope to have the second post up in the next week or two).

In the next post we shall discuss the initial fit and impressions of the suit.  If you have any questions, sound off in the comments section.  Stay tuned.

Note: FYGblog did receive material compensation when dealing with Black Lapel.  However, rest assured, an unbiased and objective opinion of Black Lapel will be presented.

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10 COMMENTS

  1. I’m considering purchasing a suit for my boyfriend from Black Lapel in the next week. Can you provide updated thoughts? I appreciate your perspective and would also be happy to know where you’d recommend in NYC for a suit in the range of 1000-1500ish. Thanks!

    • Jen,

      I have the remake suit back from Black Lapel and am quite happy with it. The only alteration I may need is to lengthen the sleeves ave so slightly, about 1/8-1/4″. That said, I think BL is a solid deal for the money. Depending on your budget, opting for the fully canvassed jacket is highly advisable. You’d have to email them separately asking for it. If that is not in your budget it is still a great deal for the money. I think the construction is a step above Mysuit and two steps above indochino.

      For something in the higher price range; if he does not need the suit soon I would recommend My Tailor. They are a traveling tailor and will be in town in the beginning of June. The price to quality to fit ratio is extremely high. However, the trade-off is it’ll take at least 8 weeks for the first suit. You could also opt for Mr. Neds, they start at $800 and go up to a few thousand. The whole experience is quite cool, except they messed up the stitching color of my suit. But if you stick with the basics its a good deal. Just push Vahram to make it a closer fitting jacket as he usually keeps things kinda boxy. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with other tailors in that price range in NYC that I can speak on and am somewhat uncomfortable recommending places which I have only read about on forums and such. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

      Regards,

      Justin

  2. I plan on checking out BlackLapel for suits I plan to get within the next month. Since they’re relatively new, there’s very few reviews about them, and in my research, your review stood out. Like Jen, I’ve been looking forward to your second post on BlackLapel and MyTailor. It’d be nice to see your thoughts in full, in addition to pictures. You also mentioned doing a summary of all your experiences, which would be awesome to see.

    If you’re still open to checking out more MTM Suitors, I’ve heard good things about Thick as Thieves in Los Angeles. I’m curious to see how you think of them.

    FWIW, I bought a suit couple of months ago and strongly considered BlackLapel, Thick as Thieves, and MyTailor.

    • Albert,

      I am always open to trying new MTM labels. I am also looking to get into MTM shirts as well, starting with the My Tailor shirt I mentioned in the MT suit post. I’ll look into Thick As Thieves, thank you for the rec.

      I should have the second posts on MT and BL up this coming week. But as a preface, I am quite satisfied with both. I think they both represent a good value (balance of fit, price, quality) for their respective price ranges. If your looking to meet with My Tailor, book soon before Joe’s schedule fills up and he is a great resource. If you want to go the BL route, email them to set up an appointment for measurement; Warren and Derek are solid guys. I’ll send you an email with the links to the posts when I get them up. If you have any other questions feel free to email or tweet at me.

      Justin

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