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Combatant Gentlemen Review

“Courtesy Of” is a series on This Fits in which I write about products that have been gifted to me for review. While I strive to be objective, I think it’s fairer to you, the readers, if I disclose when I’ve received merchandise for free.

Exclusive discount for This Fits readers: use promo code THISFITS for 10%off your total purchase at www.combatgent.com. Expires 12/31/14.

When Combatant Gentlemen first contacted me about reviewing a few of their products, I ignored the request, intending to politely decline. I'd just read Dappered's review of one of Combatant Gent's suits, and concluded that there was nothing worth writing about.

Shortly thereafter, I discovered the Combat Gent thread over at Dappered's forums, and just for giggles read through the whole thing, wondering how they'd handle a less-than-stellar review from Joe. After all, it seems there's a repeated narrative lately of smaller menswear brands not handling online criticism well: they get angrily defensive, blame shift, lash out at critics, or simply slink away--becoming unresponsive to legitimate inquiries from paying customers.

Combat Gent surprised me by doing none of these things. Their CEO stuck around in the thread, acknowledging and addressing concerns about their product and making sure every question was answered--in fact, personally answering most of them himself. He kept this up even when the questions got really tough, like when a couple users found suits made in the same factory selling for less on eBay. Rather than get upset, the CEO acknowledged the discovery and made a compelling case for why Combat Gent still offered a better value.

Within a few days, the CEO had won over the thread with honest and transparent conversation, winning new customers, giving forum members in-person tours of their LA facilities, and soliciting their feedback for future product development. Impressed, I contacted Combatant Gentlemen and told them that I would do a review after all, specifically noting that what convinced me to go forward was seeing how their CEO handled himself in the Dappered thread. They've continued to actively engage various online menswear communities far more than most other brands, regularly responding to questions both at Dappered Threads and frugalmalefashion.

Combatant Gentlemen's value proposition is a familiar one to anyone following current menswear trends: a vertically-integrated operation, they aim to offer great value at reasonable prices by cutting out the "middle man". It's been years since I took a supply chain management class, so I asked Combat Gent what "vertically-integrated" means. While they don't own most of the garment factories they use (save the facility that makes their chinos), they own or control almost all other aspects of production. This includes the very sheep from whom they source their wool, which is kind of unique and cool.

The cost-cutting makes it clear that Combatant Gentlemen is targeting young men who have a need for a "grown-up" wardrobe and don't have a whole lot of cash.

I can relate. The blogosphere is full of articles about purchasing a first suit out of college, and most seem to recommend options starting at around $400 (for entry-level SuitSupply) up to $750 or so (for full retail J. Crew). I remember when I was fresh out of college, working my first job and floating on a credit card for a month while I waited for my first paycheck to come in. My card had a balance of $460 or so, and that terrified me. The idea of spending that much on a suit would have seemed ridiculously exorbitant. My first suit--purchased a couple years out of school at a department store--was around $220, tax and alterations included. And although I didn't know it at the time, the fit and style of that first suit were pretty terrible on me, and the quality wasn't too great.

Combatant Gentlemen hopes to differentiate themselves in the crowded entry-level suit market by offering a better quality product than what's available at your typical department store or mall retailer--not to mention a product that fits well and retails for under $200. "Good quality", "good fit", and "affordable" are the impossible-to-find trifecta of characteristics that recent college grads want in a suit. With the year drawing to a close and this year's crop of college seniors looking to life after their last semester, I decided to see how well Combat Gent can outfit a young guy for the two big suit-wearing affairs he's likely to encounter right out of school: job interviews and weddings.

A silver tie, navy suit, and solid white shirt is the classic, can't-screw-up wedding outfit for just about any guy. Swap in a dark tie--and optionally, a blue or striped shirt--and you've got a can't-screw-up interview outfit.

Combat Gent liked the idea, and graciously offered to send me samples of almost everything they carried at the time: a suit ($160), a dress shirt ($40), two ties ($16 each), and--for kicks--a cashmere-cotton blend sweater ($45). Since then, they've aggressively expanded to other garments, including casual shirts, denim, chinos, and outerwear.

THE SUIT

It's generally agreed that solid navy or charcoal are the best choices for a first suit, and I opted for navy since it's less funereal than charcoal--cheerful enough for weddings, formal enough for interviews.

Combat Gent's "Fit Tech" predictor did a terrible job of recommending a size--I'm a 38 Short, and it recommended a 42R (it's since been updated, now recommending 40 Short). Thankfully, customer support was really helpful, and after consulting with them, we ultimately settled on a slim 38 Regular.

They're not kidding when they say slim. I was about 15 pounds overweight when I first received the suit, and not surprisingly I couldn't button it at the waist without a lot of pulling. I'm now more like 5 pounds overweight and I still can't cleanly button the suit. It fits correctly in the shoulders and the chest and is the right length, so it seems choosing a 38 was indeed the right choice, though perhaps next time I'd benefit from their fuller "Modern" fit.

I've gifted the suit to a slimmer, ultramarathon-running friend, and it looks really good on him--details like the narrow lapels, shorter jacket length and higher button stance work well on that kind of trim, athletic frame. Frankly, it looks a lot better on my friend than it does on the model wearing the navy slim suit. The shoulders have a pleasing slope, without unsightly bumps in spite of the fairly strong shoulder pads. The chest fits cleanly, and the armholes are very high. Combat Gent replaced the wool-poly blend that Dappered reviewed with 100% Super 140s wool. The fabric is a very dark navy with a nice hand, and as WhenToWear noted in his review of the same suit, the twill weave likely lends the fabric a durability not normally associated with such a high Super number.

My conclusion? Ever since Lands' End discontinued their old Tailored Fit suit a few years ago, I've been on the look out for another sub-$250 suit that I could feel comfortable recommending.

This is it, at least for slim guys. I may check out the Modern Fit in the future to see how well it fits me.

The suit looks and feels like something you'd find at a retail store for two or three times the $160 price tag. If you're a slim college student or recent grad with a suit budget under $400 or so, Combat Gent is definitely worth considering, and is likely the best value out there right now.

THE SHIRT

Picking a shirt for a wedding outfit is simple--stick with plain white and a spread collar. Unfortunately, the timing of my interaction with Combat Gent was at a point when their staple white shirts were out of stock, so I decided to just request an interview-appropriate shirt.

What you're wearing in an interview shouldn't rock the boat, so its best to stick to conservative colors and patterns: white or blue (the latter being more flattering to more complexions), solids or very simple stripes. For the review shirt I chose widely spaced blue-on-white stripes with a spread collar--you'll want to forgo buttondown collars for formal occasions.

As with the suit, the shirt fits very slim, with high armholes and a trim waist. I wouldn't say it's an overly tight fit--there's no pulling at the buttons--but it's trimmer than I prefer. If you like a true slim fit, you're going to love the fit of these shirts; if you need a bit more room, you may want to look elsewhere. They're noticeably trimmer than the extra-slim fits from Brooks Brothers and Charles Tyrwhitt, especially in the waist.

I like the size and shape of the shirt collar, and the stitching throughout generally seems to be well done with a high stitch count. However, the finishing could be better, as there are plenty of loose threads, most notably on the placket and most of the buttonholes. The pattern-matching is also not great at the shoulders. Both of these issues are more about aesthetics than construction--I expect this shirt to last a while. But aesthetics matter.

The fabric is sourced from a nearly century-old Italian mill--it looks nice, has a good thickness, and a nice hand feel. However it's heavily starched, which gives it a scratchiness that hasn't gone away with washing, and generally discourages me from putting it on. Combat Gent tells me they chose to starch the shirts for longevity and to accommodate general customer preferences for wrinkle-resistance without using the chemical treatment used for a non-iron finish, which they believe ruins the hand feel of the garment.

Overall, while there's a lot to like about this Combatant Gentlemen shirt, I think you can find better options at $40. Charles Tyrwhitt, for example, offers a better-finished shirt for as low as $35.

THE TIES

Confession time: I peeked at some other Combat Gent reviews before writing my own. Based on that pre-reading, I expected the worst from the ties.

You know what? They're not that bad.

When you're picking solid ties, like I did, I think it's a good idea to opt for texture to add visual interest and a bit of sophistication to your overall outfit. The silver tie I picked is comprised of a grid of little raised squares, while the maroon tie is more matte than shiny at a distance, but up close reveals interesting variations of color. I was able to knot up my usual dimpled double four-in-hand with no trouble.

These aren't amazing ties, but they're perfectly serviceable at $16. Honestly, you'll probably get a better value at The Tie Bar, but if you'd rather have the convenience of ordering everything from one place (and not forking over $6 for The Tie Bar's flat-rate shipping), Combat Gent's ties are just fine.

THE SWEATER

I was quite skeptical when I read that Combatant Gentlemen's sweaters are 85% cashmere and 15% cotton. Usually you see the opposite mix (lots of cotton with a bit of cashmere blended in for softness and warmth), and $45 seems awfully low for a mostly-cashmere sweater, even if it's low-grade cashmere (which it almost certainly has to be). Even the name of the sweater emphasizes the cotton over the cashmere, which seems a bit odd, and there's no tag anywhere on the sweater that details the fabric composition. However, Combat Gent confirmed for me that the sweater is indeed 85% cashmere--they emphasize the word "cotton" in their descriptions to make it abundantly clear to customers that their sweaters are made of a fabric blend.

While I've had the sweater for months, I've yet to have the opportunity to wear it outside. California's long hot summer weather extended deep into October, and I just started wearing knits in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, when I finally pulled out the sweater I realized I ordered a size too big. So what can I say about it? The fit appears slim and it appears to maintain its elasticity at the cuffs. It's very soft, but that's not necessarily a sign of quality cashmere anymore. Combat Gent assures me that they don't treat their cashmere with emulsion.

The only way to judge the sweater fairly is to actually wear it for a few months. If it resists piling and keeps its shape while also keeping me warm, it represents a good value. If not -- I think Combat Gent ought to forgo the cachet of cashmere and see if they can source a decent merino wool for the same price.

Maybe they can even buy the sheep themselves.

CONCLUSION

Combatant Gentlemen's products are somewhat hit or miss, with the suits offering the most compelling value for the young budget-minded guy--quite possibly the best suit around retailing under $300, and easily the best I've encountered under $200. Dress shirts and ties are so-so, with better options on the market at the same price point. The jury's still out on their sweaters.

That said, I've seen an incredible commitment on the company's part to listen to customers and the online menswear community, soliciting feedback and iterating quickly to create better products. That's commendable, and compelling enough for me to shell out my own money to try a few more of their offerings.

Once again, This Fits readers receive an exclusive discount: 10% off your total purchase with promo code THISFITS. Code expires 12/31/14.

To see all of Combatant Gentlemen's products, visit www.combatgent.com.

#combatantgentlemen #combatgent #review #COURTESY OF

WIWY: Points Up

I’m usually a square fold guy when it comes to linen squares, but old voxsartoria fit pics inspired me to mix it up a bit.

Suit: eHaberdasher Benjamin, Classico model Shirt: c/o Combatant Gentlemen* Tie: E.G. Cappelli Square: Robert Talbott (eBay)

*Review forthcoming

#thisfits #ehaberdasher #combatgent #combatantgentlemen #me