Check it Out: Dressing for Retail/E-commcerce Integrated Success

I'm not a man. But I am a wife, so I know the fear, expense, time commitment and general anxiety of buying a tailored men's suit. That's why my ears pricked up when I heard about My.Suit from a friend (thanks, Chet!). When I learned of its sales model, and how it truly integrates online and traditional retail, as a marketing journalist I got even more excited.

Simply put, My.Suit's integrated website and retail stores make it easy for men in the New York tristate area to order and purchase made-to-fit, made-to-order suits delivered in two weeks with a starting price of $495 — the cost of many off-the-rack suits men already have in their closets!

Here's how it's done:

1) Go to www.mysuitny.com and make an appointment to be measured at one of three greater New York My.Suit retail locations. You'll receive a confirmation/reminder via email.

2) At the appointment, a fitter and style consultant size you up in about 15 minutes to 20 minutes, entering up to 30 measurements into the store's database.

3) With the help of your in-store consultant, an in-store kiosk or MySuitNY.com's "Suit Builder" function, select the style for your suit. Options include the jacket or pant style, pockets, liner, button schemes … you get the idea.

4) Choose fabrics. In-store customers can see and touch model suits and a fabric bar. Online, you can view photos of textile swatches created with high-resolution photography and information about fabric weight and seasonality.

5) After your selections are in the system, a confirmation page asks you to verify the choices and calculates a price — from $495 to $995, based on style and fabrics chosen. Also, you can choose where the suit should be delivered once it's completed: either to a My.Suit retail location or another address.