Shirts in Paris?

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:39 pm

Hello Gentlemen,
My situation has slightly changed and I would like to take the plunge and have bespoke shirts made, my ready to wear shirts are erm... Falling apart I should say. I live in Paris as some of you know. Right now the only source for shirts that I know is Charvet and they are way too expensive. For a hard wearing cloth, french cuffs, fly front and a traditional collar they quoted me 350 euros plus about 200 euros for the embroidery of my Crest... Much too expensive, I think in the UK bespoke shirts cost around 180-200 pounds with the embroidery being only something such as 70 pounds on top. Unfortunately I can't go to the UK... Anyway, I have a budget of 1500 Euros and I am set on finding a shirtmaker who can offer a durable product. I am not very eccentric when it comes to cloth, rather conservative, I like whites, blues, whites with blue stripes and the occasional pink. So a huge choice in cloth is not necessary. Does anyone have any ideas? By the way, 1500 euros is really the maximum budget, I can't go even one cent beyond.

As always very appreciative of your advice, thanks gentlemen! :)
Costi
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Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:31 pm

If you want to maximize results on a fixed budget, you could start by dropping the embroidery... even at 70 pounds it's 40% extra on the shirt price.
Don't take a plunge (as in ordering a dozen shirts from the first shirtmaker you encounter). Get in slowly, as you do when the sea is cold. Have a shirt made, get the pattern perfected, try another one. Develop a relationship with one shirtmaker. I'm sure someone can recommend where to start.
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Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:05 pm

Costi wrote:If you want to maximize results on a fixed budget, you could start by dropping the embroidery... even at 70 pounds it's 40% extra on the shirt price.
Don't take a plunge (as in ordering a dozen shirts from the first shirtmaker you encounter). Get in slowly, as you do when the sea is cold. Have a shirt made, get the pattern perfected, try another one. Develop a relationship with one shirtmaker. I'm sure someone can recommend where to start.
Thank you Costi, yes the embroidery is not the priority. Most shirtmakers seem to have a minimum order of 4 to 6 shirts it seems to that is quite a big budget which is why I was not able to make such expense until now. The shirts I currently have aren't very good and all are very ill fitting as my neck size rarely goes with the right arm size. Since I don't wear T-Shirts and only wear Polo Shirts when I'm doings sports or am on Vacation I really need to replace my shirts. Of course I don't intend to order a dozen at once but I am thinking at least two if there is no minimum order. If there is one then I will take whatever number that is! :)
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Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:54 pm

Actually forget that. I just talked to someone at Turnbull & Asser, they are much cheaper than I thought. Perhaps I should go to England to have my shirts made? I know of the reputation of Turnbull & Asser but can anyone tell me whether they are indeed as well made as their reputation seems to claim? How long does a bespoke shirt like this last? Five years? More? :D
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Mon Jul 04, 2011 4:24 pm

PS: I just looked at prices to get from Paris to London and back the same day and almost fainted. Over 200 Euros... Any ideas?
Rowly
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Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:18 pm

Try Courtot, Rue de Rennes....and let us know what you think...

http://chatolufsen.blogspot.com/2008/08 ... urtot.html
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Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:12 pm

Rowly wrote:Try Courtot, Rue de Rennes....and let us know what you think...

http://chatolufsen.blogspot.com/2008/08 ... urtot.html
Thanks Rowly, any idea about pricing? Any contact number?
J.S. Groot
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Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:16 pm

I've tried Courtot with relatively pleasant results. The quality is good as is the services offered (hand-sewn button holes for example) and the cloth stock. I wasn't terribly experienced when I had my shirts made which means the fit isn't absolutely perfect (in retrospect, I think I stood too erect during fittings), but the collar, which is as I see it the most important aspect of a shirt, is good. Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to employ him on a regular basis as I don't live in Paris anymore, but I think you can get great results if you build a relationship with him.

I think I paid around €200 per shirt, but if I remember correctly they start as low as €140.

Do report back if you visit his shop. It is really very charming and both him and his wife are very friendly.
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:24 am

J.S. Groot wrote:I've tried Courtot with relatively pleasant results. The quality is good as is the services offered (hand-sewn button holes for example) and the cloth stock. I wasn't terribly experienced when I had my shirts made which means the fit isn't absolutely perfect (in retrospect, I think I stood too erect during fittings), but the collar, which is as I see it the most important aspect of a shirt, is good. Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to employ him on a regular basis as I don't live in Paris anymore, but I think you can get great results if you build a relationship with him.

I think I paid around €200 per shirt, but if I remember correctly they start as low as €140.

Do report back if you visit his shop. It is really very charming and both him and his wife are very friendly.
Wow, 140 Euros for bespoke shirts that is a really great price, I hope the bad economy hasn't put their prices too high up yet (Hopefully they're still under 230 euros)
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:06 pm

I just placed my order, price was 215 which I think is very reasonable for Paris where bespoke seems more expensive than anywhere else. I decided to order only one shirt as sort of trial. The owner of the company was very nice, I was quite surprised by how young he was (thirty-ish). I'll keep you posted!
Rowly
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:23 pm

That's great ! No minimum order requirements? What about cloth...was the choice good? Were many measurements taken? Did you see any finished work?..Will there be any fittings? Did you need an appointment?..keep us informed!
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:42 pm

Rowly wrote:That's great ! No minimum order requirements? What about cloth...was the choice good? Were many measurements taken? Did you see any finished work?..Will there be any fittings? Did you need an appointment?..keep us informed!
No appointment needed, 10 or so measurements but I can't say for sure, I did see some finished work with butterfly gussets, mother of pearl buttons (apparently the same that are used by Charvet), no minimum order requirement but you need to leave a deposit (in France this is common practice I think), there will be a fitting with the unfinished shirt as I understood it, if anything is wrong they take it apart completely and redo whatever needs redoing. Cloth-wise he had some very nice cloth but from what I saw the cloth is quite conservative, so no really fancy stuff if that's your thing. I think his selection was amazing as it matches my taste quite well (Whites, Blues, Pinks, Stripes, Evening Shirt Fabrics, Sea Island Cotton, Italian Poplin, Oxfords etc...) basically everything a conservative gentleman's heart might want. He also said that when his customer's collars started showing signs of wear after many years he could replace them and did this quite often. They made a good impression on me, now I'll have to see the finished shirt which will take between a month and six weeks to make (A bit longer right now because they are closing for all of August I think). Prices range from 195 Euros to about 250 for the most expensive shirts I think. Initials, Coronets or Arms are a possibility but this is done by an outsider and the price starts at 30 euros for two initials.
Rowly
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:21 pm

That sounds exciting. The cloths you describe sound good. I like 2 ply 100's to 120's usually, but from quality mills..Alumo, etc. I would max out at Sea Island ( around 140's ,I think ) ...any more is too flimsy. High armholes would be the main attraction for me with bespoke. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is where I like to stay , when I get a chance to visit Paris......so, I will try them on my next visit. I'm glad your experience was good. It will be interesting to hear how things progress...thanks for sharing..Rowly
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:37 pm

Rowly wrote:That sounds exciting. The cloths you describe sound good. I like 2 ply 100's to 120's usually, but from quality mills..Alumo, etc. I would max out at Sea Island ( around 140's ,I think ) ...any more is too flimsy. High armholes would be the main attraction for me with bespoke. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is where I like to stay , when I get a chance to visit Paris......so, I will try them on my next visit. I'm glad your experience was good. It will be interesting to hear how things progress...thanks for sharing..Rowly
I will post pictures, maybe... Once the shirt is finished if I don't forget! Thanks for the advice!
Costi
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Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:28 pm

What do you mean, if you don't forget? What do you think we are here for? :wink:
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