I have ordered dinner, groceries, jeans, raw un-cut diamonds (that’s a story for another time), all online, but never once thought to buy a suit. So naturally I was skeptical when I first came across Combatant Gentlemen and I was for two main reasons: there are no stores so I’d have to exchange via mail if all the parts didn’t fit just right and the prices seemed too low for good quality.
In the past I’ve gotten my suits at stores where an older gentleman has been able to look me over and know instantly what size to throw on me, so I’ve never really taken note. This presented a problem when trying to order on Combatant Gentlemen, but they have a “Fit Tech” system in place to help. Some basic details: height, weight, neck size, and jean size are all it takes to suggest a size. When the moment of truth arrived the jacket fit great. Having had a bit of a gut my whole life I default to a looser fit around the stomach and may end up having it let out a bit, but the fit would be spot on if not for my confidence issue. The pants too were perfect at the waist and come un-hemmed so you will have to have that done to the proper length. Additionally, the two dress shirts were spot on all around.
My order consisted of a suit, two dress shirts and two ties and came out to just under $250 shipped. I know, too good to be true, right? Wrong. Granted I haven’t combed over the stitching with a magnifying glass, but suit and shirts hang in my closet next to some recently purchased Brooks Brothers ones and you’d be hard pressed to spot a difference. And if you were able to to notice I don’t think you’d ever know the Combatant Gentlemen clothing was 80% less.
While I do love the convenience of buying online it’s the look you get for the price that excites me most about Combatant Gentlemen. Short of a funeral, suiting up and looking good should be fun and I have a hard time doing that wrapped up in a grand worth of clothing. Give me the style of Combatant Gent with the peace of mind that if I spill on it or snag it on something it’s not a large part of my paycheck to replace.