Awesome MTO Jeans - Love Neems Altho' Not (yet) Perfect
First, the good news. In my fairly experienced opinion, Neems produces among the best made-to-order (MTO) jeans at this or similar price points. Subject to the qualifications below about getting the best measurements, I would say that the fit is as good as you could possibly get without having in-person bespoke tailoring. Equally important, the quality of the denim is top notch - a modest amount of stretch to ensure a comfortable fit with the hefty weight (without stiffness) of top quality denim that many modern jeans don't have - these jeans have the best combination of good fit and high quality of denim. 4.5*. Bravo to Dani & Neems - I will be back to buy more of these.
My only teak critique, as I'll outline below, it's that it did take a bit longer to get the first pair the way I wanted them.
Without disparaging or limiting any of my positive comments above, Neems has a few challenges that they have to decide how to deal with.
The first and most important is the imperfection of the digital video measurement system. I had my doubts from the beginning, and they turned out to be accurate. I followed the instructions almost exactly and, with some help from my girlfriend, had proper video pics as instructed that the Neems app accepted. Nevertheless, the jeans arrived with three critical measurement errors, the last of which was slightly bizarre (almost comical) : the waist was a 1/4-inch too tight; the rise was 1 inch too low; and the inseam was 3.5-inches too short (yes - 3-1/2"!😏). Further, it took about a week for anybody from Neems to get back to me after I wrote them about the measurement problems, which made me a little insecure about whether or not they were going to rectify them.
When Customer Service finally did get back to me, they assured me that - even if it required making a whole new pair of jeans - they would make sure the measurements were correct. So, I told them the corrective measurements (which is measured manually) and they made a new pair of jeans (much more quickly than the first pair) ... and as I said above, they fit quite well.
My personal advice with respect to measurements is... don't bother with the video measurement system. Ask Neems what measurements they want, measure yourself (which isn't that hard if you have a flexible tape measure), and get the jeans made based on your personal measurements. I've done that with other companies that produce MTO jeans, and it's more reliable.
One more thing. If you prefer jeans that fit well but not snugly, than the high quality denim that Neems uses is perfect for you. But, if you prefer the part of the jeans around your waist, butt and crotch to be snug (without being too tight), particularly for women, then the material Neems uses isn't quite advanced enough for that kind of fit. There are other companies that use a true 4-way stretch denim material. It's a little less classic (softer) as it has more Lycra and/or Elastene in it, but it does give you the snugger fit. Neems hasn't (yet) added an option for that material - they'll have to decide if that's something they'll want to do to fulfill a broader level of customer needs.
