Five Four Club September 2015 Review

And today. . . a men's sub! Five Four Club is a men's clothing subscription out of California.  They have a lot of celebrity clients (including Mark Wahlberg) and offer a variety of Five Four-branded clothing items.  It is a little pricey at $60/month (especially for Canadians since there is an additional $25 surcharge for us - boo! - and exchange on top of that!) but there are, occasionally, deals to be had.  We tried Five Four last year for a few months as part of my husband's birthday gift and he loved it.  The jeans he received are his favourite pair (mine too) and he reaches for his Five Four shirts more than any others.  Everything is still in great shape after a year as well.  And they're all just different and exciting enough that he gets compliments on them :) So, of course, when I saw a coupon code for 1/2 off two months of Five Four Club, we had to dive back in - I'd share it with you but it was a one-day only code, sorry!  I find autumn is an especially good time for a clothing sub as the items tend to be versatile enough to wear at other times of year as well.

When you join Five Four Club, you fill in a pretty detailed profile indicating your sizing and preferences so that your stylist can select the perfect items for you.  Last time around, my husband signed up for "Business Casual" and picked up a lot of button-down shirts.  This time, he opted for "Mix" to get a little more variety.  I notice that the style profiles have changed a bit from last year - Casual, Forward, Classic and Mix - which I like.

So, what did he get this month?

Ettrick Button Down

The first look at this one was. . . lacklustre.  A white button-down? Not really the unique, funky style we were expecting.  Then we looked a little closer.  This is actually pretty cool.  The body of the shirt is a standard (but quality) button-down but the sleeves are those of a long-sleeved t-shirt.  My husband wore it to work and loved that he felt a little dressed up but that it was easy to push his sleeves up when he had to get into something messy.

Here's a closer look at the sleeve detail.

And at the collar.  We love the signature Five Four striping and the teal stitching :)

So it's actually a nice shirt.  I'd even say I love it. . . if it were in a different colour :)

Conant Pullover

This is a t-shirt weight hoodie and I love it.  The striped black of the main shirt with a visible second layer of black at the cuffs and bottom are a great look for my husband.  Plus it's lightweight enough to be very wearable throughout the year but also very cuddly - really nice texture on the fabric.  

Here you can see the detail at the cuff as well as some of the teal top-stitching on the front pocket.

I love that the hood is lined with the black and that the strings to tighten it are also black - it looks classier to me.  And here you can see the teal around the inside of the collar as well.  This is really well-made.

While I didn't love the first piece (although I liked it), this one hit it out of the park! Love it :)

Overall Verdict:

If we lived in the States, we'd probably order from Five Four Club more often.  I do think that $60 for two stylish items of this quality is reasonable, albeit pricey for a monthly offering (you can skip but you have to contact them as there is no easy "skip button" on their website - there should be though!).  That said, $60 + $25 Canadian surcharge + exchange makes this sub more like $100 a month (even a little more?) and I'm not sold on its value for us.  There was a month last year when my husband got jeans and a button-down shirt and I felt that was worth it (nice jeans are expensive!).  This month? Not so much.  I like both shirts and would gladly pay $30-40 for each of them. . . but not $50. . . and certainly not over $50!  I'm happy with the value we got with our 1/2 off coupon though.  And since it's something we only do for a few months a year, I'm happy with the splurge.

I'm also happy with this:

While I do think Five Four consistently offered a variety of items, this suggests that each season will endeavour to be more cohesive.  I expect that means that we can expect a higher ticket item or two (pants? jacket? sweater?) in our next two shipments to make for "more pairing combinations".  If that's the case, then the fact that this particular shipment wasn't very high value (in my opinion), could be offset if we stay subbed for the whole season.  So we might do that.

What do you think of Five Four Club? And, as always, if this makes you want to try out this sub, I'd love it if you'd use my links :)