Seattle Sunday: J.Hilburn. Custom Menswear without Leaving your Home or Office.
Few things are as satisfying as feeling confident in what you are wearing. That moment when you look in the mirror and you know that you look exactly as you should. You look like YOU. As a personal stylist for women, I spend my time helping clients achieve that goal. Of course, men should also have that opportunity. And, when I come across something too good to pass up, I have to share.
Enter J.Hilburn, a men's bespoke clothing company that maximizes the fun and creativity of custom clothing, while minimizing the back-and-forth between the client and the clothier. We recently had a custom shirt made for my husband, and we were thrilled with the results.
How it works.
The process starts with a J. Hilburn representative coming to your fella's office and taking his measurements. The client then chooses fabric and details for his custom shirt. We worked with Ashley and I'd recommend her, for sure. Lucky for me, that also meant I got to help mastermind the shirt. After all of this is done (it takes less than an hour depending on how indecisive you are), she sends off the order. The shirt is made by hand to the client's specifications. Ashley also gave background on the factory, etc. so that we were assured of the working conditions of the tailors.
Then, you wait as in you sit and fantasize about the shirt (or pants, or blazer, or suit) of dreams that is about to come your way. It's not long, about 2-4 weeks, depending on your specifications. When Ashley returns (that's right, the stylist personally delivers the order) she's carrying the one shirt (or pants, or blazer or suit) to rule them all. (More on that later.) She meticulously checks the fit and if anything is slightly off, back to the tailors it goes. Then, ultimately, back to you.
Why I'm Loving J.Hilburn
1. The level of service.
High quality service can make or break any experience. Ashley was attentive to our needs, flexible about scheduling and always on time. The entire experience was professional and enjoyable. And, she answered questions about our decisions but didn't try to push us toward her style, which is a rare gift. We needed our shirt sent back for slight alterations and I really appreciated that she pointed that out without us needing to. You often expect the fitting to be a rubber stamp situation. It was not. We ended up with a gorgeous chambray shirt, just right for my husband's office which is a pretty casual tech start up.
2. The quality.
The shirt is gorgeous. The fabrics, the level of detail, the whole thing. Plus, there are all those little hallmarks of bespoke clothing, right down to the monogram on the inside of the shirt collar.
3. The business model.
How cool is this? The representative comes to your office for the initial measuring. From then on, the measurements are used as a template for all future orders. Not only is my husband sporting an impeccable shirt, he's also able to order another or even a suit with just a quick communication with Ashley. That also means that I can surprise him with a new item by reaching out directly. This is a big plus for me.
4. The price point.
In the final tally our shirt came to $180. It can be done for less, of course, depending on what options you choose. It can also be done for more. In the past we've ordered custom shirts from larger retailers at similar price points. However, the selection was much more limited and we needed to travel to the store.
Interested in salivating over some menswear? Just check out the website. Feeling like reaching out to Ashley? Let her know Poplin sent you.
P.S. A Poplin Style Direction event is scheduled at Vince in Bellevue Square this fall. Want to come? Only clients and folks on the Poplin email list will be invited to this intimate event. Make sure you are signed up!