Overdressed Underprepared: OWNONLY Online Tailoring Review*

Online menswear tailoring has intrigued me since it first began. It's a brilliant idea that can save you a considerable amount of money, yet I have never decided to go forth to actually buy anything. The likelihood of measuring myself wrong and ending up with something that is useless to me has always been enough to make me think twice and shy away from it. So, when offered a suit from the online custom tailored suit retailer, OWNONLY, how could I say no? Honestly, I couldn't have been more impressed with the results.

The process is simple and can be very quick. Although I would recommend spending some extra time on it to ensure that everything is spot on. The customisation options include everything from the cut (my choice: slim fit), to the lapel (my choice: slim peak), and even the lining inside (my choice: half lining in burgundy). Almost everything is customisable, allowing me to finally get a suit with a working cuff as I have always wanted - it bugs me that the buttons don't work - along with an inside pocket for your phone, with an unnoticeable headphone wire hole.

The suit that I customised is the Business Dark Grey Two-Piece

Your measurements can be made manually, including 16 steps for you to go through to get your fit, or you can opt for the measurement estimation, which will allow you to go for a suit without the help of anyone else. Considering my lack of a tape measure at the time, and the desire to really test out the system, I opted for the measurement estimation. Both options include inputting your height and weight, then the estimation is based around your average jacket and trouser size, then how you would describe your body (e.g. square or round shoulders; muscular, flat or large chest etc).

Obviously the system isn't absolutely perfect... no system is. In the case of the suit I received, the jacket was absolutely perfect and redefined the way I look at my other jackets. Sadly the trousers were considerably longer than my legs and I needed to get them altered. However this is possibly the best thing about OWNONLY. They know that people measuring themselves/the system making an educated guess is likely to come up short (or long) every now and then, so they have created the "Risk-Free Fit Promise".

This promise states that if any alterations need to be made, take your suit to your tailor and OWNONLY will pay $79 (£54) toward it. This will cover pretty much any minor alteration needs (for me, this included taking the length up and tapering the trousers by an inch). Also, on the rare occasion that the suit cannot be altered to fit at all, OWNONLY will remake the suit for free. If that still doesn't work, they will give a full refund.

Now to explain the first picture: During the shoot for this suit, this stunning little cat came along and stole all attention away. It turns out that it quite like the camera and was quick to head toward the sound of a shutter. The reason I bring this up is because bending down to stroke our new friend required barely any extra effort. If that's not a sign of a well-fitted suit, I don't know what is.