Club in Trunk, Trunk, Trunk.

A fitting room drape made of GLADSON guncheck and Cali-friendly suit lining.

*DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to disparage the company with the above title. I’m just a really big fan of Sisqó.

I can sum up my first and only experience with subscription goods with the following: “Fool me once . . .”

San Diegoahns in search of red & white delights head north to Temecula, a stretch of road lined with award-winning vineyards. I once underestimated a multi-stop tasting tour, which ended with me in my friend’s wedge heels “to feel taller,” and a wine club.

“Clubs are fun, and free!” I hiccuped to myself.

Two weeks later, I learned that wine clubs are, in fact, not free, and that I really only need a glass of Sutter Home every six months. I thank the customer service rep on the other line for understanding my mistake and cancelling my membership.

In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed subscription services make their way into the menswear community. Of these, two stand out: Bespoke Post, and Trunk Club. On a chance encounter, I visited the Los Angeles branch of the latter.

Since it was acquired by Nordstrom last August, Trunk Club has expanded real estate in major cities, adding a face to a name, as well as inviting potential and regular clients to take suit measurements. Entering their LA warehouse of sorts, stylist Tim O’Neill welcomed me for a brief tour.

Inside the shop, you can take a look at the merchandise that’s boxed and shipped every month: sunglasses to sandals, well-known to up-and-coming, domestic to foreign. For custom suiting and shirting, fabric books from English mill Gladson are available.

The patterns and dimensions of the showroom suits definitely fit a youthful aesthetic. Not much for my old man style (I may have uttered “whippersnapper” under my breath), but I’m always happy to see options available for men looking beyond the rack.

What I’ve always appreciated about any well-done clothing store is feeling comfortable in my skin among the presence of items that may be out of my league, and shopkeepers who shake off more panache than I could ever hold onto. Trunk club Los Angeles achieves this with local microbrews on tap, lumberjack-friendly furniture, a pool table racked up, and the service of individuals like Tim.

Tim is new to Trunk Club, as well as to the clothing industry: he previously waited tables at successful restaurants, always complimented for his warm demeanor and easygoing sense of style. For that I commend Trunk Club for hiring attitude over experience.

Would I join the Trunk Club? Fool me twice?

One thing to consider is that by its design, you receive a regular shipment of clothing and accessories; pay for the keepers and return the rest. Derek Guy – of Put This On and Die Workwear! – wrote excellently about the psychological catch of this business model. For the record, I would never trade my candy for coffee mugs.

This is where communication with your stylist is critical. Together, you determine the intervals of trunks (monthly, quarterly, seasonally), the taste profile within the contents, well as your budget for each arrival.

At the very least, Trunk Club Los Angeles proves a basic truth of any good business: give your shop personality, and hire employees who are personable.

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