Suggestions for London shirtmaker for casual shirts?
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:41 pm
Hello everyone. Since this is my first post I'll provide some background before asking my question. Some of the background helps explain what I'm looking for from a shirtmaker.
I'm 5' 8" and of slim build (135 lbs). I've finally come to accept that it is getting increasingly more difficult to find any RTW jackets and shirts that fit me properly and, rather late in life (52), I have decided that bespoke is the solution to my problem. I am retired so I no longer wear suits on a regular basis - the main staples of my wardrobe are sports jackets, trousers, shirts and shoes.
I currently have my first jacket being made by Sims & MacDonald in Lamb's Conduit Street. Although I'm almost certain to try a Savile Row tailor at some point, I decided to start with Sims & MacDonald because (a) they seem to have a good reputation, (b) I don't want the very soft A&S style of tailoring and prefer a more structured cut which ruled out some alternatives, (c) It is very possible that I will make mistakes on my first few commissions so, while I am getting my eye in, it seems more sensible to risk being disappointed by an £800 jacket than by a £2.5K - £3K jacket, and (d) If I am to decide whether a Savile Row tailor is worth the premium (and my mind is perfectly open to deciding that it isn't) then it seems sensible to have a personalised baseline for comparison first.
I now find myself in a similar but not identical situation with shirts. I am aware of all the big-name Jermyn Street and Savile Row shirtmakers but, following the same logic as I outlined above, I would like to start my journey into the world of bespoke shirts with a less prestigious (and less expensive) maker. Essentially I am looking for the equivalent of a Sims & MacDonald in the shirtmaking world.
There is another factor influencing my search for a suitable shirtmaker which, possibly coloured by my own misconceptions, also steers me away from the more prestigious makers. I am not looking for dress shirts, I am looking for casual shirts to be worn to the pub, cinema, other low-key social events, or just out and about shopping or walking during the day. Most of my existing casual RTW shirts are in darker colours (a lot or earth tones) and in heavier materials (corduroy, flannel, textured cottons) and linen for the summer. My assumption is that Turnbull & Asser and the like would be a bit sniffy in dealing with such fabrics, and £350+ or more for shirts to wear to the pub seems a bit excessive.
At this point a few people reading this might be thinking to themselves "why not go made to measure?". That is an option that I've investigated and would still consider but the options (web sites) that I've looked at so far have been ruled out due to (a) not offering the range of colours or materials that I would want, (b) another of my bugbears is darker coloured shirts with white or cream coloured buttons on them and many of the made to measure web sites offer limited or no option to match button and fabric colours, and (c) I have come to understand the difference between true bespoke and MTM as far as jackets and trousers are concerned so I feel that I might as well do the job properly and go for true bespoke rather than MTM for my shirts as well. I just want clothes that fit.
A final option might be for me to buy RTW shirts purely for the fabric and then take them to a decent tailor to take apart and remake to my pattern. This option still leaves me needing to find a tailor who is adept at shirtmaking though so brings me back to my core question.
Ideally I'd like to find someone in the under £200 per shirt price range although that's not a firm limit. If I get a good feeling about a tailor then the typical 5 or 6 shirt minimum order wouldn't be a problem. Any suggestions?
- Julian
I'm 5' 8" and of slim build (135 lbs). I've finally come to accept that it is getting increasingly more difficult to find any RTW jackets and shirts that fit me properly and, rather late in life (52), I have decided that bespoke is the solution to my problem. I am retired so I no longer wear suits on a regular basis - the main staples of my wardrobe are sports jackets, trousers, shirts and shoes.
I currently have my first jacket being made by Sims & MacDonald in Lamb's Conduit Street. Although I'm almost certain to try a Savile Row tailor at some point, I decided to start with Sims & MacDonald because (a) they seem to have a good reputation, (b) I don't want the very soft A&S style of tailoring and prefer a more structured cut which ruled out some alternatives, (c) It is very possible that I will make mistakes on my first few commissions so, while I am getting my eye in, it seems more sensible to risk being disappointed by an £800 jacket than by a £2.5K - £3K jacket, and (d) If I am to decide whether a Savile Row tailor is worth the premium (and my mind is perfectly open to deciding that it isn't) then it seems sensible to have a personalised baseline for comparison first.
I now find myself in a similar but not identical situation with shirts. I am aware of all the big-name Jermyn Street and Savile Row shirtmakers but, following the same logic as I outlined above, I would like to start my journey into the world of bespoke shirts with a less prestigious (and less expensive) maker. Essentially I am looking for the equivalent of a Sims & MacDonald in the shirtmaking world.
There is another factor influencing my search for a suitable shirtmaker which, possibly coloured by my own misconceptions, also steers me away from the more prestigious makers. I am not looking for dress shirts, I am looking for casual shirts to be worn to the pub, cinema, other low-key social events, or just out and about shopping or walking during the day. Most of my existing casual RTW shirts are in darker colours (a lot or earth tones) and in heavier materials (corduroy, flannel, textured cottons) and linen for the summer. My assumption is that Turnbull & Asser and the like would be a bit sniffy in dealing with such fabrics, and £350+ or more for shirts to wear to the pub seems a bit excessive.
At this point a few people reading this might be thinking to themselves "why not go made to measure?". That is an option that I've investigated and would still consider but the options (web sites) that I've looked at so far have been ruled out due to (a) not offering the range of colours or materials that I would want, (b) another of my bugbears is darker coloured shirts with white or cream coloured buttons on them and many of the made to measure web sites offer limited or no option to match button and fabric colours, and (c) I have come to understand the difference between true bespoke and MTM as far as jackets and trousers are concerned so I feel that I might as well do the job properly and go for true bespoke rather than MTM for my shirts as well. I just want clothes that fit.
A final option might be for me to buy RTW shirts purely for the fabric and then take them to a decent tailor to take apart and remake to my pattern. This option still leaves me needing to find a tailor who is adept at shirtmaking though so brings me back to my core question.
Ideally I'd like to find someone in the under £200 per shirt price range although that's not a firm limit. If I get a good feeling about a tailor then the typical 5 or 6 shirt minimum order wouldn't be a problem. Any suggestions?
- Julian
He charges ~180GBP per shirt; minimal order is four shirts. Choice of cloth is very, very broad -- I'm sure you will find some nice casuals. Also, Stephen has extensive knowledge of shirt styles, so he definitely can help you with cloth and style selection. He trades under "Kent, Haste & Lachter" name -- do a search and you'll find details.
This could be a real choice.