Blank Label Suiting is all About You

Our initial visit to the Washington, D.C., outpost of Blank Label was an experience that reinforced our understanding of what makes this brand so interesting and refreshing. Now, it’s time to take a look at the finished product, and think about what this brand brings to the table in terms of quality, detail and wardrobe options.

Blank Label is one of the better known players in the latest iteration of easy-access made-to-measure (MTM) menswear. Moving beyond the virtual world, Blank Label re-introduced the idea of bricks and mortar to what has been primarily a brick-and-clicks business model.

While the flexibility and easy access of online shopping can make the process or buying menswear easier and for many men, more accessible, it poses certain challenges when things come to tailored clothing. Accurately translating specific and sometimes complicated measurements and exploring fabric and tailoring options can be a significant barrier for many guys.

Blank Label’s approach is to pair economies of scale with personal attention via their “pattern rooms.” Part showroom, part fitting room, part clubhouse, the D.C. pattern room allows a client to find the best fit, select fabrics and lining, and choose the various details that make a garment personal. Currently, there are three pattern rooms: DC. Chicago, and Boston, the label’s home town.

For this review, we opted for a navy blue two-piece suit with a deep purple lining, horn buttons, working sleeve buttons, and double vents. As promised, the suit was ready for an initial fitting after about two weeks. The intake process is well organized and the staff ensure that the client understands that after the order goes through, additional fittings will likely be necessary. While this should be obvious, in a world of “I want it perfect and right now,” such sartorial education is both necessary and simply helpful for setting expectations. Tailored clothing is not a one-and-done sort of thing.

By design, we went for a look is contemporary and slimming, but not faddish. It’s by no means a skinny suit, but it has a clean, trim cut that can stand the test of time while still looking quite modern. In terms tailoring, two of the most important elements – shoulders and sleeve length – fit properly, which is vital as they cannot easily, if ever, be corrected. Additional tweaks were actually quite minimal. After letting out the jacket’s chest a touch and tweaking the trouser’s waist, we were good to go. Those alterations took another two weeks.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience and the suit itself is impressive. The fit, construction, details, and overall quality are excellent. After two months of regular use, it still feels and looks great.

Blank Label is also a brand with a wide ranging suite of options to tailor your clothing so that it fits you well without braking to bank. That’s not to say their clothing is inexpensive, it isn’t. However, we think it is most certainly worth the price. Additionally, it’s important to know that their offerings include far more than just suits. As with some of their competitors, Blank Label can produce MTM casual pants, shirts, odd jackets, shorts and even sweaters and topcoats.

Stay tuned, we may just have to check out these custom casual clothing options.