Most people buy their shirts – dress or otherwise – off the shelf. We rifle through stacks in search of our neck and sleeve size. Mine is 16.5″ and 35″. Then, we have to hope – unless we’re buying a brand and model that we’ve purchased before – that the neck isn’t too tight. Loosing the ability to speak while you wear a necktie is solid sign that your collar is too tight. And there’s also the possibility that your collar will be loose fitting making you appear like a turtle sticking his head out of his shell.
Two problems have plagued me forever. One is the neck. The other is the wrist. I have some shirts that will absolutely not allow me to wear a watch. And many other shirts will only allow me to wear the slimmest of watches (thankfully, I own a couple of razor thin watches, but they’re not my favorites). A third, but much less frequent problem, is sleeve length being too short. No doubt due to my big guns.
Some years ago I stumbled onto bestcustomshirt.com, an outfit run by Janine Giorgenti. This is NOT a paid (or compensated in any way) endorsement. I’ve purchased only a handful of shirts from Ms. Giorgenti. But the comfort and fit is superior to many shirts costing more. I’ve purchased and worn many brands of dress shirts. But none are as comfortable and dressy as those purchased at bestcustomshirt.com.
Beside the aforementioned issues I have some other preferences. Collars bug me more than anything. The various styles of collars today drive me crazy. Is there nothing uglier than those wide-spread collars? I see them everywhere and I’ve yet to see a single wide-spread collared shirt that looks good. It’s the crappiest look out there in dress shirts. And invariably it’s worn by a guy with a knot in his tie that’s bigger than his head. This picture is as good as a wide-spread collared shirt will ever look – probably because nobody is wearing it.
Don Cherry – famous hockey broadcaster (he used to coach) for Hockey Night in Canada – loves to wear really high collars with that narrow spread tab collar. I’m not much of a fan of that any more than I am the wide-spread collar, but Cherry pulls it off. It’s just his trademark look. That and wild looking suits like the one below.
Now THAT is a good looking Easter outfit, eh?
In dress shirts – shirts worn with a tie – I prefer traditional straight collars. Avoid button down collars when you’re wearing a tie or you’ll always look like Andy Rooney. I think it’s a horrible look. I also prefer a single button cuff. I do own some shirts with French cuffs, but I always feel pretentious wearing them. I can hear people mumble, “Well, look at you!” And I’m self-conscious about the cuff links, too. I also prefer a single pocket or no pocket. People shouldn’t put anything in the shirt pocket of a dress shirt. Pens can go in the inside coat pocket.
What I love about the Giorgenti shirts is the measurements that are considered in making the shirts specific to your build. Yes, this includes your wrist measurement. And she builds in extra for shrinkage. We’ve all purchased shirts that fit perfectly when we first wore them, but after a trip or two to the cleaners – the neck is too tight and sleeves suddenly need constant tugging. Not so with Giorgenti custom made shirts.
Priced from $45 to $165 these shirts are not economy shirts, but when compared to mid or upper end dress shirts – they’re a solid value. Given how much we spend these days on ties (when was the last time you bought a quality tie for less than $40?) it makes sense to spend money on quality shirts that last and last and last. And fit you well throughout their lifetime.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I beg to differ and partially agree. A finely made wide spread collar actually is a very distinguished look however, you must know when too big is too big when it comes to the tie. When wearing the wide spread collar, your entire outfit becomes all about the tie. When you wear other collar styles it becomes more or less about the entire outfit. Perhaps your issue with the collar is that those you have seen wear the the collars are wearing their ties too big in addition to wearing an ugly tie, now that’s a terrible combination that will leave a bad taste in your mouth for the wide spread collar.
Has anyone looked at Threadsbyseth.com for dress shirts. They are one of the only ready- to- wear shirt companies that offer no pockets. Also Made in the USA
I’ve migrated to Paul Frederick dress shirts with traditional collars, button cuffs (the Imperial 100’s). They’re almost always where you can buy 3 and get the 4th for free. They’re $49.50 each and I prefer them over any shirt I’ve ever purchased, including custom made ones.