Review of Formosa Suit from NMWA

[jedwards]

Confused - why would you buy a jacket, try it on, ill fitting, then take to the tailors for alterations, then ask for a refund from original merchant?

Seems odd to me.

Should have been sent straight back upon arrival if it didn't fit correctly.

 

[The Noodles]

I recently purchased a Formosa suit from NoManWalksAlone. I will only state facts here for the benefit of potential buyers.

I ordered my 4th Formosa suit. The previous three suits have been awesome. My review is on the Formosa Minnis grey Fresco suit.

I ordered a size 50R. But to my dismay the shoulder and chest measurements were not within acceptable range.

Chest measurement was 107 cm. NMWA website says 110 cm for size 50R. Off by 3 cm.
Shoulder measurement was 46 cm. NMWA website says 48 cm for size 50R. Off by 2 cm.

For the listed price of $2,175, are the differences in the measurements acceptable?

 

[The Noodles]

Well, I hope people chime in if they've had any similar experience with different brands.

 

[Claghorn]

There is some variance in measurements between the Suit Supply Washingtons I have. Very different fabric though, with one being flannel and the other being wool-silk-linen-cashmere (why SS loves kitchen sink blends is beyond me)

 

[The Noodles]

Well, the three pre-existing Formosa jackets that I measured were spot on. I have never experienced this before.

 

[DLJr]

It depends. From Formosa's operation (hand cut suit in small runs done in the same shop as their bespoke operation) I would expect more issues with variance. I certainly would try on every piece I received from them, and if it varied that much, it should be fairly noticeable as that's about a size difference. If I'm ordering from Formosa, I'm ordering for house cut and construction, the downside of that would be tolerances that are not as tight, though this seems like more of a mislabel (which I could also see happening in their environment). Perhaps I'm making excuses, I don't know, but this is something I might not expect at that price point but would certainly expect from that sort of production environment.

FWIW, I don't think any of my bespoke suits match in shoulder or chest measurements (when comparing to the same tailor obviously). All are slightly different. I would compare Formosa RTW more to a bespoke environment than someone like a Suit Supply.

 

[emptym]

As everyone has said in other threads and the pms you've initiated:

It was your responsibility to determine whether the jacket was fine before you wore and altered it.

To ask anything more from Greg after that is unjust.

The NMWA return policy clearly states:

Quote:

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



Confused - why would you buy a jacket, try it on, ill fitting, then take to the tailors for alterations, then ask for a refund from original merchant?

Seems odd to me.

Should have been sent straight back upon arrival if it didn't fit correctly.

This is the part of the story that I don't get either. If the fit of the suit was significantly off relative to his other Formosas, why didn't Noodles return the suit instead of taking it to his tailor for alterations? If neither Noodles nor his tailor noticed that the fit was off, how big a deal could the deviation be? This seems like a case of Styleforum OCD that afflicts many of us. ("Am I showing 1/8" too much shirt cuff? Is my pant hem extending past the very top of my shoe?") Just wear the suit and enjoy it.

 

[Claghorn]

Alright, so something I'm not clear on:

Is the jacket a 50R that Formosa fudged the measurements on? Or is the jacket a 48R that Formosa accidentally mislabeled?

I know it isn't relevant to your thing between you and NMWA, but I do think it's something that the rest of us would benefit from knowing in terms of Formosa's production.

 

[The Noodles]

It has the tag labeled 50R and the measurements are off.

As for where the fault lies, me for taking it to a tailor without trying on. Why? I already had three Formosa suits and they were all awesome.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



As for where the fault lies, me for taking it to a tailor without trying on. Why? I already had three Formosa suits and they were all awesome.

I feel bad for you, but due diligence man . . .

 

[The Noodles]

I feel bad for you, but due diligence man . . .

yes. the only way would have been to measure with a tape ruler.

 

[ter1413]

Great read in this and the main thread. Ha.

 

[DLJr]

As for where the fault lies, me for taking it to a tailor without trying on. Why? I already had three Formosa suits and they were all awesome.

yes. the only way would have been to measure with a tape ruler.

I'm between a size 48 and 50 in Formosa, I happen to be a bespoke customer, but when I simply tried on the 48 vs the 50 (which I had done to see if I'd be happy with their RTW) the difference in fit was very obvious. The difference in measurements you listed are pretty close to a 48R, so the difference between this suit and your other Formosa's which fit is a whole size. It's something, if the measurements are accurate (and weren't affected during any alterations you had done to the suit) should have been immediately noticeable without a tape ruler IMO. All you had to do was put it on. This sucks, but if you knew what you were buying (a small scale operation which cuts a couple suits by hand in each fabric, for each size in a bespoke workshop) and took the time to double check before doing something that would void the return policy, this wouldn't be an issue. Rather than saying this isn't what I expect from a $2K+ purchase, I would say wouldn't you be a bit more careful double checking a $2K purchase before making any returns impossible?

 

[dieworkwear]



yes. the only way would have been to measure with a tape ruler.

It really bothers me that you pretend to be so dense. Do you really think that the "only way would have been to measure with a tape ruler?"

When normal people get a new piece of clothing, they try it on to see if they like it. If they do, they keep it; if they don't, they return it. It's not rocket science.

You either tried it on and decided you liked it, or didn't try it on at all. Either way, you had the garment altered and wore it around for a while. Now that you decide that you don't like it, you're demanding a free suit from NMWA, otherwise, you'll file some kind of lawsuit.

This, coupled with the fact that you ignored a chargeback from your bank against NMWA for another $2,000 suit purchase, just shows you're bullying the company. How do you ignore a chargeback filed by your banking institution? Whenever I get a chargeback notice, I contact the company to confirm or deny the purchase -- I don't just let things "work themselves out" and hope that the vendor gets his due money in the end. What would have happened if Greg didn't catch the notice in his email box or accounting software? He would just be out $2,000?

Not so long ago, I bought a pair of MTO Edward Green boots. When they arrived, I was busy and threw them in the back of my closet. Six months later, I tried them on and noticed that the insole was incorrectly attached, so there's this uncomfortable bump on the right boot, where the insole meets my foot's arch. This was well outside of the store's return policy, so I just sucked it up. I should have tried them on when I got them, and brought up the issue within a reasonable time. I don't go to the store six months later and demand a refund -- and certainly wouldn't threaten a lawsuit if they said no.

Your situation is even more incredible because you altered the suit and wore it around for a while. As Greg said, this is like if someone Topy'd their shoes and wore them for a week, then decided they didn't fit well, and that the store ought to give them new shoes.

Instead of pretending to be so dense, it would be nice if you recognized your own actions in this mis-sized suit situation and the chargeback incident, rather than play like you're an innocent customer and it's all been the fault of the store or suit manufacturer.