2019 UPDATE: Five Four Club is now Menlo Club! We haven’t tried Menlo Club yet but I am considering it as a gift for Christmas or birthday this year. Website says it’s the same curated men’s fashion and still includes Five Four clothes but also new options from the brands Grand AC and New Republic. I’m curious about it!
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Five Four Club is a monthly men’s clothing subscription service. For $60 per month (often less via online deals and coupons) you get a selection of clothing items valued at about $120 (they advertise it as a 50% discount). Five Four Club used to be a retail brand but the clothing is now strictly available through this subscription service.
Customization is limited to a very basic style profile where you choose from two basic categories: one very casual with simple colors and patterns (that’s what hubby chose) and the other brighter and trendier, and featuring more patterns and brighter colors. Returns are not allowed, and exchanges are permitted for sizing issues only. Also worth noting, if/when you want to cancel Five Four Club you must do so by calling in and speaking to a representative (there is no option via the website).
I’m updating this post in 2019 to consolidate all of our Five Four Club boxes into one post. Below are all of the months we received a Five Four Club delivery, including what we received and what we thought “in the moment.” I’ve also updated a few with notations of clothing pieces that became favorites, or in the case of one sad pair of socks, never got worn at all.
Before getting into that I would also like to share a quick review of the actual Five Four brand clothes — what they send out in these subscription boxes.
Five Four Clothing Review
October 18, 2019: Sharing our updated opinion of the clothes after having them and wearing them for over 4 years! That’s a pretty good test I would say. Hubby got his first Five Four clothes in June 2015 (see the below review, at the very bottom) and he still wears a few as favorites. They aren’t all awesome though, here’s the breakdown:
Overall impression of Five Four clothes: Retail prices seem high ($40 for a plain tee) but the clothes are high quality and do last, if you take care of them per label instructions.
Details of our experience: When we first started Five Four Club they included an invoice with the name and full retail value of each clothing item, presumably so you could see how much money you were saving by being in the monthly club. That ended pretty quickly though, and they moved to an invoice with just the items names and no values (and since the Five Four brand was available exclusively through the monthly subscription club, there was no way to find retail values online). The values they included that first month were high, but the clothes were also high quality — both in construction (cuts were flattering, stitching even and all that) and fabric use (tees were a medium weight with linings around the collar, jeans sturdy and had interesting style features, etc).
Five Four clothes are well designed — at least for my tall and lean husband they have a flattering fit with stitches and seams placed strategically to give simple staples like t-shirts and blue jeans a contemporary, and sometimes urban, edge. A few of the pieces we received had large, bold branding features (“FIVE FOUR” across the front of a shirt in gigantic red letters) which I really hate, but other branding was subtle and came in the form of patterned pocket fabric and stamped zipper pulls. Five Four clothes are not bold as a whole, but
Slim fits are common (my guy is tall and thin, and some shirts are still snug around the midsection) and sizes run small. My husband usually wears a L or XL, depending on brand, and XL was a close (and sometimes too-small) fit on him. At the time of our subscription Five Four did not offer sizes larger than XL, and they did not offer tall or long options either. He’s 6’2″ and sleeves were all either just long enough, or slightly too short (he wore some of those still, however, by rolling up sleeves).
Wash with care, THEY WILL SHRINK! There’s a pinking heather tee down below that we received that the hubs wore quite a bit for about 6 months, until it accidentally went through the dryer, shrunk a LOT, and had to get passed to his 15 year old son. Same happened with the 3/4 length navy blue henley he loved. We do our best keeping things out of the dryer but it seems it’s just a matter of time before something goes through on accident!
The clothes do hold up well to wear. All of the jeans are still in heavy, regular rotation 4+ years after first getting them, the faux leather coat still gets worn every fall and looks great, and the blazer he got in his very first box is in his closet ready for special occasions (1-2x/year). The tees and shirts have all moved on however. Average life-span for those in our house was between 6 mos to a year or so, before getting accidentally shrunk or just wearing out their welcome with the almost-too-short sleeves.
Five Four style is modern, urban, and classic. That’s how I would describe the items we received in the subscription box. Most items were basics and staples, with contemporary accents and edges in the form of understated pocket embellishments on jeans, 3/4 sleeves, and side panels stitched into a t-shirt. It’s a good thing! We like the clothes. They’re great for a regular guy like mine who wants to look updated, but doesn’t wan to reinvent his own fashion sense either. Also those slim cuts really do make everything fit in a very modern way.
So, that’s what we think of the clothes! On to exactly what clothes we got in our 6 months or so of received Five Four Club shipments.
Five Four Club review December 2015
Five Four Rochelle Jacket This was the only clothing item this month, since it’s a more valuable piece. It’s a medium-weight jacket with a cotton base and faux leather sleeves. It fits hubby well, and while it’s not something he’d ever pick out he does like it. It’s not quite heavy enough for our Minnesota winters (although he did wear it to Christmas dinner) but I think it will see quite a bit of use in fall and spring.
Note: The day hubby tried this on he also happened to be wearing his Five Four shirt from November and pants from October!
Five Four Sterling Scarf Lightweight and, as usual, coordinates well with the jacket. Hubby doesn’t wear scarves very often so this isn’t super useful, but it’s always nice to have.
Summary: This month was good, but not great. The jacket fits well, looks good, and is useful, although he has been getting lots of jackets lately so at some point it’s just too many (why not some sweaters, Five Four?). Also hubby isn’t really a “scarf for everyday” type, but it will get worn for the occasional dressier event or occasion.
2019 Update: Four years later and this jacket and scarf are still in the permanent rotation! The coat is good for fall only here in Minnesota (and rare mild winter day) but it’s a favorite that comes out every time the season rolls around. And the scarf too, being the only one he owns, makes an appearance every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. They are both holding up very well.
Five Four Club Review November 2015
They stuck with the branded all-black packaging again this month — seems they’ve found their style, ha.
No postcard this month but instead a pair of funky little striped “flag” stickers. You’re supposed to stick them “wherever your adventure leads you” to “let others know that you made it.”
The concept is fun in theory, but this is for grown men and in reality aren’t you just littering? It doesn’t have an inspirational or otherwise uplifting message that will make someone’s day if they come across it, and there’s no place to personalize it or anything (not that you would necessarily want to label your litter), so it ultimately just seems silly.
Anyhoo, this is what we got:
Five Four Crestone Button Down in Wine This looks like a solid color from afar but up close it actually has flecks of yellow in the somewhat rugged weave. Like most Five Four shirts it works as a basic, but has just a little bit of a twist to it. It fits well and hubby likes it!
Five Four Ritz Jacket in Navy The invoice says navy, but this is actually black and white. And this jacket is also, interestingly, reversible. It’s a heavy sweatshirt-like fabric, and fits well. This will get a lot of use!
Summary: Getting lots of button-downs, but hubby wears those to work so that’s okay. Plus he can always use more jackets and top layers, and the fact that the pieces always coordinate well together makes it easy for him to put things together on the fly/in the am. This was a good month!
Five Four Club Review October 2015
New packaging this month! An all-black bubble envelope with all-black branded tissue paper. Oh so very masculine.
This month’s package included this postcard from “Big Sur.” Not sure how that ties into the fashion choices exactly, but it’s a nice touch.
Here’s what we got:
Five Four Warsaw Button Down in Red Love this! Plaid is totally in right now, and yes those are elbow patches. Upgrades this from an old-fashioned plaid, and makes the whole look come off as a bit more intentional.
Five Four Clyde Relaxed Pants in Grey Like these! Hubby didn’t actually have a good pair of non-cargo khakis and while these have no notable style features they do fit great. A really useful staple.
Summary: Much better. Both of these pieces are useful, fit well, and will get worn a lot. And this month was an especially good value considering hubby is currently only paying $45/mo. (see last month’s summary for an explanation why).
Five Four Club Review September 2015
The bubble mailer packaging continues, and here’s what we got this month (t-shirt, jacket, and socks):
Five Four Dallen Graphic Tee It’s a heavy-weight, comfortable tee that fits well. T-shirts aren’t exactly why you sign up for a service like this (especially when they feature bold and obvious branding like this), but it will get worn.
Five Four Bleecker Jacket I like but at first this jacket was a small disappointment, just because it’s so outside of the hubby’s usual style. But as it turns out he’s wearing it quite a bit so far! It’s lightweight and perfect for fall, and features the cute duck print inside the collar, and a bright yellow pocket lining. A dud turned win! (P.S. Those are his Five Four Club jeans from July, he just happened to be wearing them when I nabbed him to take pics).
Five Four McNairy Socks Super fun, and also pretty silly for a rural guy who works in manufacturing. I’m sure he’ll wear them eventually, but for now they haven’t been opened.
Summary: At first this month felt like a bust. The tee and the socks are nice but not that useful, and the jacket was questionable. Turns out the jacket has become a favorite, but it was still hard to justify the $60 price tag for one item. Hubby decided to say goodbye to the subscription before October, but was talked into staying a bit longer when they offered to drop the price tag down to $45/mo for the next three months (FYI they require a phone call to process cancellations) with the option to pause for up to 3 months after that. So October here we come!
2019 Update: That jacket is still in the regular rotation 4 years later! Not quite as popular as the faux leather one from November 2015, but still getting some love. The socks never did, however! They were passed on to a family member who does the bright-and-crazy-socks thing.
Five Four Club Review August 2015
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I actually forgot to photograph it in the original packaging this time (oops!), so this a pic of last months box. It came exactly the same: plain white bubble mailer and branded tissue paper.
Good news: I did get photos of the clothes on the man! Stepping up our game here, people.
First up: Melbourne BLK Button Down in black Such a nice quality shirt, and a good pattern/color combo, but sadly it barely fits! You can see where it pulls across the chest a little and creates a button gap. It really runs small. He can possibly wear it open with a tee underneath, we’ll see.
Redcliff CHR Pullover in Charcoal Very nice sweater, we both love this. Lightweight but substantial, and fits great. Pairs well with the button down shirt, which conceals the button gap issue (we actually unbuttoned several buttons to loosen the whole thing up). Also in this picture you can see the fun blue plaid accent fabric on the inside collar of the button down shirt. Love that!
Summary: This month was a borderline miss because of the shirt. They do allow exchanges for sizing issues (no returns) but I believe XL is as big as they go. The button down is workable but isn’t ideal considering it represents half the cost of the box. The sweater is nice, and he will get a lot of use out of it, so that is this month’s saving grace. Also it’s nice that they curated them to go together, which will be the saving grace for the shirt. We’ve had a good run though, so we were due for miss maybe. I think hubby has decided to let it go one more month…
Five Four Review July 2015
First glance at this delivery: Two tees and a pair of jeans!
My husband is a traditional Midwestern “t-shirt and jeans” type, but this subscription started as a Father’s Day gift when he thought it looked like fun. And his first box was a hit, so he allowed it to continue for another month.
Calumet Tee, $35 This is dark blue with red lettering appliques. I’m really not a fan of bold branding like this, but it is a nice, heavy-weight material and the hubby doesn’t care about the logo. It’s crisp and new and he’s already worn it a couple of times. Win!
Ludlow Tee, $38 Another nice thick t-shirt, this one with a heather texture, contrast side panels and a fun little duck pattern inside the collar. I was worried the hubs wouldn’t go for the earthy shade of pink but, surprisingly, he likes it! He pulls it off, too. Another win!
Fulton blue jeans, $78 These are valuable, actually. The hubby was in kind of a jean rut and these have a great fit, perfect length, and these interesting panel accents that make them look just a little more upscale. These are a major win.
Summary: Of course the t-shirts seem totally overpriced (while he is wearing them he’d never spend almost $40 on just a tee), but this isn’t a bargain shopping box. He’s getting it more for fun and to stretch his fashion horizons/refresh his closet a little. And for that, this is a total win. There is a lot of value here, the pieces are unique compared to his usual Old Navy stuff, and they do seem to be pretty great quality. He’s going to let it go another month.
Five Four Review June 2015
My husband is a traditional Midwestern “t-shirt and jeans” type, but his adventurous side was sparked when he came across Five Four Club online. He debated about signing up for awhile but never did pull the trigger, so when Father’s Day rolled around I gave it as a gift. And I’m glad I did! We were both ready that it might be a total bust, and that that was okay because the ‘adventure’ of it was part of the fun. But as it turned out he got two really useful pieces that fit great. Win!
The “box” arrived as a no-frills plain white bubble envelope.
First up: The Five Four Club “Trabuco” in navy blue.
It’s a basic henley-style tee but updated with 3/4 length sleeves — which is extremely flattering on the hubby, and actually represents just the right amount of fashion bravery for him.
When we went through the basic style profile we went with XL in tops to be on the safe side (he’s somewhere between an L and an XL depending on brand) and glad we did because this fits perfectly.
Next up: The Five Four Club “Senwood” in a dark gray/black.
It’s a basic blazer (polyester) and something my husband doesn’t have but will definitely use for slightly dressier occasions, likely styled with the navy henley and a pair of crisp jeans. Also an XL and also fits great, although the long sleeves are just barely long enough (he has long arms and wears ‘talls’ whenever possible, which Five Four Club does not offer).
Summary: Loved it! Neither of these items are something he would have picked out for himself if he went shopping, but they work and he likes them! So this box definitely served its purpose in stretching his comfort zone (in a good way) and in providing a good value — especially for the blazer because it’s something he would not have invested in otherwise. Also we found a coupon code for $20 off the first box (it’s expired now but looks like there are always coupons coming and going so definitely check) so that increased the overall value even more. He’s so happy he decided to let it roll one more month and see what he gets next time. We’ll keep you posted!