Compare Black Lapel Custom Suit Reviews

Looking for trusted reviews of Black Lapel’s online custom suiting? Modern Fellows has compiled Black Lapel suit reviews from across the Internet alongside some thoughts from our long history with the innovative online menswear tailor, updated for 2017.

I have had the chance to get to know New York-based online custom menswear tailor Black Lapel over the past several years, which has become one of my favorite destinations for online custom tailoring for men.

In 2012, I interviewed Warren Liao, who described Black Lapel’s mission:

From the beginning, and what we stand by now, is that we are making suits that are designer brand quality at half-to-a-third of the price. Our fabrics are just as good as anyone’s – say a Brooks Brothers 1818. It’s the same quality of fabric, and our construction is a standard half-canvas suit. These are things we are never going to sacrifice on.

In 2013, Modern Fellows reviewed the Black Lapel charcoal suit, concluding, ” Black Lapel fulfilled that promise and produced a suit that, with some effort, feels complete, personal, and like a suit ought to fit — much more than the sum of its parts.”

In 2014, Modern Fellows took a look at the Black Lapel 2013/2014 collection, observing that, “Black Lapel consistently impresses with fabrics, finishes and customer service. Their 2014 fabric line — combined with the updated fit and finishes and still-stellar customer support — is no exception.”

And in 2016, Modern Fellows went looking for the essential grey suit, and found Black Lapel’s cool grey custom suit to fit the bill.

But how do others feel?

Over at the Fine Young Gentleman, Justin Jeffers has reviewed Black Lapel suits no fewer than three times. In a June 2015 review, he offers great photos of his custom blue-grey birdseye suit and concludes that,

“…I still recommend Black Lapel. They have consistently shown themselves to deliver a solid product with solid customer service…they have addressed a few things such as deepening their seasonal collection and accommodating more customizations; for which I am grateful.”

George Hahn visited Black Lapel’s showroom in New York and was able to review the in-person experience.  He compared the suits favorably to “another brand” that he wore regularly, noticing touches like shoulder construction, button stance (“slightly lower than what I was getting before, hovering just above the navel and revealing less shirt below the button”) and overall quality.  His bottom line?

“the suit… is terrific. For men who aren’t millionaires or billionaires, i.e. most of us, Black Lapel is a fantastic resource for handsome, affordable and well-made custom suits. Big thumbs up.”

Over at Effortless Gent, Baron Cuardo has several Black Lapel suits. He concentrated a 2015 review strictly on how his Black Lapel suit fit out of the box, and concluded it fit well but needed a few slight alterations.  He notes —

“The jacket hugs nicely across the back and chest; snug enough without feeling tight and restrictive. The shoulders end where they should.

The pants’ rise feels perfect, with the waistband above my hips, right where I like it. The upper leg is non-restrictive and a bit roomy… a choice I made, since I don’t like how suiting trousers look when the leg is too tight.”

Black Lapel also receives praise from Styleforum.net members and reddit reviewers and consistently stellar reviews on Yelp.com (a perfect five star rating from 119 reviews as of this writing). Many customers highlight the great customer service and the experience they had getting measured up at their Manhattan showroom.

The Verdict

Five years after Modern Fellows received its first delivery, Black Lapel’s suits have held up remarkably well.

After wearing one set of suit trousers once a week, every week, for several years, the pockets finally began to fray. The great thing about Black Lapel is that you can order another set of pants, and — since many of their suits are staples rather than limited edition — you don’t necessarily have to buy that second pair of pants the same time you order the suit.

I regularly receive complements on my Black Lapel suits. I highly recommend them as one of the best online made-to-measure suiting options for guys based on fabric, fit, customer service and price.