Tailor-made vs. off the rack shirt.

WARNING!!!!! Once you go ‘made-to-measure’ you cannot go back to wearing off the rack shirts. It is addictive because these shirts are tailored to your body and personal preferences.

There are many stores and brands offering made-to-measure shirt services. I would advise you to always have them done by a professional in a physical store, and not via the Internet. Those Internet services will ask you to measure your body at several points. But you are probably unskilled and will therefore measure the wrong things. In addition, the salesman in the store can tell you which great things are possible with made-to-measure wear.

The typical process goes like this (Sometimes you will first pick the fabric and have them measure you later)

• 1. You make an appointment with a professional:

• 2. You show up and receive a real Italian espresso
• 3. Someone will measure you and hand you over a shirt to try on
• 4. From this shirt he will note down the ‘alternations’. He will measure your collar size, waist, shoulder width, arm length and width, upper body length and width.
• 5. If you are interested he will explain a number of features to personalize the shirt. Would you like the left arm length of the shirt to be half an inch shorter for your watch sir? Or would you like the bottom of the left wrist a bit wider for the watch? How slim-fitted would you like the shirt to be sir? Are you going to wear a tie with the shirt? (If it’s a casual shirt then you may chose a smaller collar size which often looks better when unbuttoned since the collar won’t fly outwards) Do you want the shirt to be long in order for you to stick it in your suit pants or are you going to wear it outside the pants for casual occasions? (For suiting, you would want the shirt to be long enough to never pop out of your pants and show your boxers. The lowest button on the shirt should always be below the belt). Would you like your initials or perhaps a few words on the shirt? (Typical places to put your initials are on the cuff of your writing hand; on the waist above the belt or more subtle below the belt on the hip area)
• 6. Then you will be asked what type of collar and cuffs you want. The type of closing at the wrist (Hidden button/button/no button). Would you like open whale bone holes? (Your choice to be able to insert your own whale bones in the collar or have them insert the regular plastic whale bones that cannot be replaced) I would advise you to buy a pair of stainless steel whalebones that make the collar stiffer, hence nicer. What type of buttons and in which material and color do you want them? (Chose between mother-of-pearl or plastic with a coating, a whitish color is the most formal. On casual shirts you may chose a different color) What color do you want for the button holes and the thread that stitch the buttons to the shirt? (Formal shirts have whitish thread) Please don’t ask for a chest pocket, this is against the suiting etiquette.

Pick the type collar and cuffs:

Pick the color buttons and threads:

• 7. Pick your fabric(s). It’s up to you if you want to have one fabric for the entire shirt. You may pick a different fabric for the inside of the double-cuffs, collar. Some stores and brands even have features such as epaulettes. Rule of thumb, the more formal the shirt the less distractions it should have.

Watch how Bobby is contemplating between ordering made-to-measure boxer shirts in blue or pink or both:

• 8. Certain stores have the possibility to order a pocket square in the same fabric as the body of the shirt. Tom Ford and LCT (La Chemiserie Traditionnelle) also allow you to order a boxer short in this fabric.
• 9. Receive an e-mail or call when the shirt arrives in approximately 3 weeks. Make an appointment to try the shirt and see if it came out nice. If it’s still too large around the waist then you should ask them to alternate it at their tailor.
• 10. Enjoy wearing your made-to-measure shirt.
• 11. Make another appointment for a new shirt!

Share your made-to-measure experience with us! Comment on this post!

SuitSociety regards,

Lance