Disclaimer: Oliver Wicks was kind enough to provide one of these two suits for free for the purposes if this review.
We continue to build out our collection of online MTM reviews, especially with suits and tailoring. And no discussion of that would be complete without reviewing Oliver Wicks. They custom suits start at $549 and go up from there. They are a well-respected and well-known custom suit brand, but how do they stack up? Here is our review and comparison.
Style & Design
Both of the suits we’re reviewing here are winter suits, and both of the fabrics are absolutely stellar. The grey flannel is from VBC while the Guncheck is a wool/cashmere blend from E. Thomas. These fabrics are top notch, and are drop-dead gorgeous (just LOOK at that Guncheck!). Ain’t no two ways about it. When it comes to online MTM, there simply isn’t another option if you want these top tier fabrics. Indochino, by comparison, uses crap fabric from Asia, while Black Lapel only offers this level of fabric at their $1,000 price point. So when it comes to fabric selection, Oliver Wicks takes the cake by a long shot. They have a large, but well curated collection, and they add new fabrics seasonally across their price range. When it comes to fabric selection, Oliver Wicks hits the absolute ideal sweet spot for me. Some classic, some modern, some edgy. It’s well selected, not overwhelming, and all super high quality.
The customization process also allows for some nice details, like wide peak lapels, a 3-roll-2 jacket, a nice ticket pocket, and more. You can also pay a bit more for a fully canvased garment. Overall, Oliver Wicks offers more customization options than any other online MTM company we have tested. It is super respectable and very impressive. The one thing missing? A butterfly lining. Even their “unpadded” and “unlined” jacket is still quite rigid and structured. Yes, this is British tailoring, not Italian, but I do wish they had a more truly unstructured option. They are also surprisingly flexible with customization options “off the menu.” I preferred different types of side tabs than their default, a bigger cuff, and a functioning rolled buttonhole — and they could do it all. Their “stock” design is not quite to my taste, but you can change that by simply requesting it. There are certain elements — like their vest button stance being too high for my taste — that they can’t quite change, but some of this stuff is simply their more British “house style”. Overall, though, there is really not much else to complain about here. It’s excellent. A
Ordering Process
Their website is clean and easy to navigate, though their checkout process is a bit confusing. It’s a bit hard to figure out you can get any suit in a 3-piece, for instance, and working through the various customizations is a bit cumbersome. There is no live preview, and some options are a bit too hidden. Still, once you figure it out, we’ve seen a lot worse. In the end, there is room for improvement here.
Shipping is also perhaps the other knock against Oliver Wicks. They have the longest turnaround time we have seen with online MTM, with a 4-6 week wait in our experience. So, factor that in when ordering. B+
The Fit
The photos you see here are actually a second attempt by Oliver Wicks. The first fitting was actually not all that different from what you’re seeing, but it was enough that I had wanted a remake. Oliver Wicks, without an argument at all, gladly remade the suits and ended up getting a pretty damn good fit. The reason for this is twofold. First, Oliver Wicks allows you to measure either your body, or your current best fitting garment, per measurement. This means you can tell them that you know you like an X-inch leg opening, but you want them to determine the thigh based on your body measurement, and so on. This means that, with the combination of information you give them, they get a very, very good idea of how your body actually is.
The second reason is what we speak about all the time with MTM: communication. You can actually email, or even call, Oliver Wicks to discuss your fit with them, and they will have their team look it over, and suggest changes. Plus, with each subsequent order, you know that you can simply email them requesting a slight change or tweak, and that each new order will come in fitting better than the last. That is really what is so important here, and what makes Oliver Wicks so great. In addition to everything else, they actually know what they are doing, and will help you develop a good fit over time. Unlike with places like Hockerty, you know that you can email them after you first suit and tell them you want the next pants a tiny bit shorter, or the jacket a bit less tight, etc.
There is actually a third reason too, that most don’t speak about: their pattern software. All online MTM uses some sort of software to develop and alter your patterns for the fabric to cut for your suit. Some, like Indochino’s, are terrible and basically just alter Off The Rack sizes as a tailor would. Oliver Wicks’ though is the most robust and flexible we have seen. Just about any possible slight tweak you would like, they can accommodate and do. I got super nitty gritty with the fit of my sleeves, and while they couldn’t adjust my thighs independently to help with some bunching (see below), just about everything else, down to changing the armhole shape, they could do. This was super impressive, and way more flexible than anywhere else we have tested.
Being honest, even in the second suit from them, which is their third “attempt”, the fit still needs work and would need to see a tailor. The waist is a bit too tight in the jacket, and the seat of the pants is a bit off as well. The vest also needs a lot of work. However, this is actually due to me requesting certain changes from the grey suit to this one — I had wanted, for instance, to try to get rid of the bad “shelfing” in grey trousers by the crotch. They did a good job at doing so, but the seat is now too tight. The vest also was supposed to be improved, but for some reason took a step backwards. Why the jacket got tighter, I am not sure. It could have to do with the fabric. However, Oliver Wicks covers alterations for up to a year after ordering, so I know I can tweak these minor things at the tailor, and then shoot them an email with the results asking for tweaks to my profile for my next order, and feel confident they will be done. Black Lapel is the next best when it comes to this, but Oliver Wicks takes the edge here. They know what they’re doing, they’re responsive, and they stand behind their product 100%. You can, and will, develop a relationship with them over time. They take service seriously, and it shows. A
Quality & Construction
We have already discussed the fabric quality — it’s sourced from some of the top mills in the world and is excellent. It is better than anything else offered by any other online MTM — especially in this price point. For what you are getting, it is a steal.
The actual construction is very, very good, but not perfect. I noticed some stray stitching in areas like the side tabs, or the cuffs of the pants. There also seem to be slight inconsistencies from one order to the next with pants being a tiny bit longer, and things like that. It’s super minor, but it is there. All stitching is overall clean, the jackets are all half-canvassed standard, and they feel and drape very nicely and cleanly. This is a very well-made garment, and I would have to put it at the smallest step below SuitSupply. Again, the fabric is the same level, if not even higher, but the build quality is the tiniest step below. I think that is high praise, though, overall. For their prices, like I said, it’s a steal. With amazing fabrics that take to the canvassing well, and the ability to do things like 3-roll-2 jackets, Oliver Wicks is the highest quality online MTM garment we have tried. They could tighten up some minor details, but overall, it is very impressive. A
Value & Conclusion
Oliver Wicks Suits — $549+: With some of the top fabrics from around the world, solid construction quality, excellent support and a knowledgable staff ready to help your suit fit better with each order, Oliver Wicks quickly shot to our top pick for online MTM. Their delivery time is a bit on the long side, their site is sometimes confusing, and there are minor aspects of quality that could be improved. But with one of the most robust and quality systems overall, if you’re in the market for an online MTM suit, we think Oliver Wicks should be your go-to. (Just know, as is always the case, good fit takes time, won’t happen with the first cut, and likely will continue to develop over several more orders and iterations as you dial it in. But Oliver Wicks is a company you can actually do that with — which is why we like them so much.) Final Grade: A