We have taken a loot at TailorStore before. We reviewed their shirts, in fact. This time, though, we are looking at their blazers ($215+). We concluded that their shirts were actually a very solid value, so the question now is whether the same thing is true about their blazers and more formal “tailoring”. TailorStore is built on offering inexpensive MTM options. So, going in, know that the quality is not going to be Tom Ford level. But that doesn’t matter, if that quality, like their shirts, is good enough and a good value for the price. Not every single item in your closet needs to be top notch quality. Sometimes is makes sense to have things that are more middle of the road. And that is what they offered quite well with their shirts, so let’s now see how they did with their blazers.
Style & Design
I went with a navy and black pattern, what can almost be called a Birdseye, but quite a big pattern. The blazer works in just about every situation that a standard navy blazer would work, but with a bit more of a unique twist. It’s not for everyone, but I quite like it. I also like their peak lapels. While some company’s peak lapels are thin, or poorly shaped, these are pretty much perfect, while still being unique to the brand. They did a great job with their pick stitching as well, and the end result is a blazer that look quite a bit nicer than what it costs.
They don’t have a huge fabric selection, and there is also nothing from any well known or high end mills (like VBC, Reda, etc). But they do have plenty of 100% wool options or at least blends of all-natural fibers. I wish they had a bit more as far as their options, but overall, it’s not a bad selection. A-
Ordering Process & The Fit
The TailorStore ordering process is amongst the best of online MTM. You see a live preview as you adjust, and I find it to be quite accurate and true to real life. The overall site is easy to navigate, and shipping is pretty quick as well, with your garment arriving in just 2-3 weeks — at least in my case.
I was pretty blown away by how well the blazer fit for a first fitting. It was not perfect, but it was super close. I needed to have the back/waist pinched a bit, and the biceps taken in a bit. But the overall cut was quite good, and skimmed the body well. There is an option to select a standard, slim, or skinny fit. Picking the latter really made this come out quite well, instead of the typical garbage bag that comes with a first fitting. Whatever it is, exactly, it worked pretty well.
Still, reaching out to them to tell them about the few issues, they were happy to remake the blazer by issuing a store credit. My next order came in fitting perfectly in the waist, but was a bit too tight now in the sleeves. When I asked about this, I was told that this was a limitation of their system, and was the best they could do. My tailor was able to let out the sleeves to get them to a pretty good place, but they were still not perfect. TailorStore told me they have a new system due out in a number of months that should allow for greater flexibility with these things. For now, like with so many other online MTM companies, I seem to have quickly hit the limits of their patterns. Overall, though, still not bad at all, and much better than what I have seen from Indochino and the like. A-
Quality & Construction
Like I said at the start, this is nothing amazing. I went with an unlined interior, and the finishing is mostly clean and neat, and I was rather impressed. Still, some of the stitching is a bit imprecise, and not every seam is so even, or well finished. You’ll also note certain oddities with, for instance, how the tail of the jacket drapes over the rear. It seems to bunch up oddly, likely due to the fabric not being of the greatest quality and thus not laying so well. For $215, and a solid fit, I think it’s decent. You can also go higher end and get fabrics that look and feel better and likely won’t have as many of these more minor issues.
Value & Conclusion
TailorStore Blazers — $215+: I will cut to the chase. This is a very solid value. In my opinion, I would take these over Indochino. The email service is better, the remake policy is better, and the fit is much, much better as well. Quality is about the same in our experience, and I think you will end up happier with TailorStore in the end. In truth, TailorStore is quickly becoming our go-to pick for budget online MTM. Final Grade: A-