Men's Shirts - a Minor Whinge

ToneControl

scrumhalf said:

A friend has a company that provides domestic cleaning services, among them a laundry. Her opinions about TM Lewin's collars are not very good at all.

I also never liked their shirts because they didn't do a 34' sleeve length.

I could not find one of theirs that worked for my arm length, Tyrwhitt have never let me down,  excellent customer service too

jonnyburgo

I can never fasten the plastic bit that they have under the collar it feels like I’m being choked. 

57Deluxe

I remember when a shirt bought for you by your Mum from M&S or C&A would be hurriedly unpacked to be put on you cos you had to be at tea at your Aunties and you had dirtied your only clean shirt whilst out playing just before your were meant to leave and against the stern warning - "Don't get it dirty!"

There was a plethora of packing detritus in the thing which inevitably ended up with a missed pin that stuck right into you making you bleed and, get the new shirt blood spotted...

Bastard things itched and rubbed too when worn straight out the packing...

axisus

randella said:

I'm six feet, reasonably slim, wear a 16 1/2" collar.  According to ye olde shirt sizing algorithm, I should have a 40" waist, a chest like a gorilla, and arms that end somewhere near my ankles.

I'm 6' with a 16 1/2" collar, but I have a 44" chest, broad shoulders and pretty long arms. No problems for me there other than the price tag. I'm sure the last shirt I bought was a tenner, although many years ago it was. I'm not a shirt wearer.

Legionreturns

What is a "formal" shirt? 
...said the outdoor instructor / freelancer / kids music session teacher. 

Formal dress = clean shorts with no rips. Right? 

randella

axisus said:

randella said:

I'm six feet, reasonably slim, wear a 16 1/2" collar.  According to ye olde shirt sizing algorithm, I should have a 40" waist, a chest like a gorilla, and arms that end somewhere near my ankles.

I'm 6' with a 16 1/2" collar, but I have a 44" chest, broad shoulders and pretty long arms. No problems for me there other than the price tag. I'm sure the last shirt I bought was a tenner, although many years ago it was. I'm not a shirt wearer.

@axisus - you want to buy a white cotton shirt, worn only once? 

scrumhalf

Who remembers the horror of the bri-nylon shirt? It was like being trapped inside a bag of boil-in-the-bag rice.

randella

scrumhalf said:

Who remembers the horror of the bri-nylon shirt? It was like being trapped inside a bag of boil-in-the-bag rice.

Yes.  Only too well.  If you shut your eyes you can still just about smell them after they'd been worn for a day.

Second only to those bloody bin-bag cagoules you had to wear as a kid before Goretex was a thing.  They stopped the rain but made you sweat like a pig so the net result was pretty much evens in terms of getting wet.

rlw

I've bought lots of shirts from the Brooks Brothers Outlet Store at Bicester.  I like my shirts baggy and the full on formal shirts bought in a size too large but slim-fit work perfectly for me.  Helps to disguise the extra bit in the middle you know.....

Check them out as the shirts are brilliant quality and their summer sale is now on.  £150 shirts for about £60 in all shapes, cuts and sizes.

jellyroll

thecolourbox said:

jellyroll said:

What's the thing with those loose plastic bits that go into the collar these days?

In ye olde days, all the bits of a shirt were built in. Now we have these bits that fall out, get bent in the wash, create creases when ironed....

Grump grump, grump...

That's because the plastic ones are rubbish and the loose ones are only meant to be there temporarily until you can replace them with the metal ones

I never knew dat!

Phil_aka_Pip

scrumhalf said:

Who remembers the horror of the bri-nylon shirt? It was like being trapped inside a bag of boil-in-the-bag rice.

yes they were horrible things. My mum said they stopped making them 'cos they never wore out so after they'd sold the first ones they didn't need replacing. I say it's because once you've worn one you never wear it again.

Gagaryn

Hawes and Curtis shirts are not bad. I'm 6' 5", just over 13 stone and the extra long 16.5 inch extra slim shirts from H&C fit me perfectly. They are cheap too, always have sales on - 4 shirts for £100. Still get all the plastic though. Company is owned by Touker Suleyman asking if they had considered less packaging and got no reply.

Jalapeno

fandango said:

Since discovering Charles Tyrwhitt and Hawes & Curtis shirts, never looked back.

This or bespoke is the answer

stonevibe

I get my shirts made at the tailor when I order my suits. That way they fit perfectly and I know I won't have to trawl through men shirt section in shops, which I abhor. 

Tailoring isn't exactly expensive and you can get a good quality shirt for around £100 or so.

57Deluxe

scrumhalf said:

Who remembers the horror of the bri-nylon shirt? It was like being trapped inside a bag of boil-in-the-bag rice.

they never stayed tucked in your trousers either...

Nitefly

57Deluxe said:

scrumhalf said:

Who remembers the horror of the bri-nylon shirt? It was like being trapped inside a bag of boil-in-the-bag rice.

they never stayed tucked in your trousers either...

The only thing I found in their favour was that they dried quickly and didn't need ironing!  Hang it on a hanger over the bath, drip dry, ready to wear in the morning.

Still crap, though...

SteveRobinson

jonnyburgo said:

I can never fasten the plastic bit that they have under the collar it feels like I’m being choked. 

The button?

Iamnobody

Gagaryn said:

Hawes and Curtis shirts are not bad. I'm 6' 5", just over 13 stone and the extra long 16.5 inch extra slim shirts from H&C fit me perfectly. They are cheap too, always have sales on - 4 shirts for £100. Still get all the plastic though. Company is owned by Touker Suleyman asking if they had considered less packaging and got no reply.

Ah you got the letter from Touker as well!

I  was going to respond by asking why he emails (spams?)  me ~ 15-20 times a month with various offers.

Theres almost always an offer on - which devalues the product. I’d never buy at full price so I don’t know why they don’t stop all the silly stuff and settle on an rrp of £25 for the formal shirts.

It’s decent kit and for the last few years I haven’t worn any other brand.

jonnyburgo

SteveRobinson said:

jonnyburgo said:

I can never fasten the plastic bit that they have under the collar it feels like I’m being choked. 

The button?

Plastic buttons, on my shirts? I don’t think so my good man.

bacchanalian

I used to wear Smyth and Gibson until I found out they made shirts for Gary Barlow. They do made to measure and have events in London.  If you go this route you need to really like the shirts as they are guaranteed for 25 years and they even hold a stock of material if you ever need the collars or cuffs replaced.
Great Shirts but my career no longer requires as much formality.