Bespoke shirts: the Details

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

-Honore de Balzac

ks
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Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:36 am

Ha ha ha! Fair enough; fair enough.

Definition of bespoke means that I can do what I want with my shirt and you can do what you want! Original poster wanted suggestions. These were mine. Bespoke means that you never have to buy the shirt that I design!

....and i never have to wear the shirt you design!

;-)
belimad
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Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:52 am

ks wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:36 am
Ha ha ha! Fair enough; fair enough.

Definition of bespoke means that I can do what I want with my shirt and you can do what you want! Original poster wanted suggestions. These were mine. Bespoke means that you never have to buy the shirt that I design!

....and i never have to wear the shirt you design!

;-)
The original poster asked the question 16 years ago, I really hope he has gotten his shirts by now! 🤣

Joking aside, I think Andy’s point goes more towards the fact that these suggestions seems to do very little for form and function (except for the chest pocket, which by the way most formal shirts will not have anyway), and are more in the realm of floritures that don’t necessarily age well from a style point of view.
isakuhyogo
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Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:23 pm

andy57 wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:16 pm
isakuhyogo wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:42 am
Such a concise thread. Excelent!
What is the BKM on shirt back darts ?
I don't know what "BKM" means, but a well-made, properly fitting shirt should not have or require darts on the back of the shirt or anywhere else.
Best Known Method.
Neither require, nor have. It resonates right with me. Why would a shirt tailors like/suggest it ?
andy57
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Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:48 pm

isakuhyogo wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:23 pm
andy57 wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:16 pm
isakuhyogo wrote:
Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:42 am
Such a concise thread. Excelent!
What is the BKM on shirt back darts ?
I don't know what "BKM" means, but a well-made, properly fitting shirt should not have or require darts on the back of the shirt or anywhere else.
Best Known Method.
Neither require, nor have. It resonates right with me. Why would a shirt tailors like/suggest it ?
The only time I've had a shirt maker suggest darts on the back of a shirt was at Charvet, a few years ago. I was in Paris and, as one does, went into Charvet to explore. I started to talk to a member of the staff about shirts and, given my time constraints, he suggest MTM. Fair enough. The problem was that their MTM blocks are rather billowy and would have required rear darts to give the shirt body some semblance of a fit. I declined to pay Charvet prices for an MTM shirt with darts and we agreed that bespoke was the best option. But I did not have time to undertake that process and I don't think I've been back to Paris since. And, in the meanwhile, I've come to realize I'm very happy with Budd so I'll stick with what I know. Maybe.
andreyb
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Mon Dec 06, 2021 2:13 pm

Darts on the back allow to make a shirt fit again when the wearer becomes roomier.

Just like inlays in suits.

Andrey
Last edited by andreyb on Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
ks
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Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:58 am

belimad wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:52 am
ks wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:36 am
Ha ha ha! Fair enough; fair enough.

Definition of bespoke means that I can do what I want with my shirt and you can do what you want! Original poster wanted suggestions. These were mine. Bespoke means that you never have to buy the shirt that I design!

....and i never have to wear the shirt you design!

;-)
The original poster asked the question 16 years ago, I really hope he has gotten his shirts by now! 🤣

Joking aside, I think Andy’s point goes more towards the fact that these suggestions seems to do very little for form and function (except for the chest pocket, which by the way most formal shirts will not have anyway), and are more in the realm of floritures that don’t necessarily age well from a style point of view.
Oh wow. The original post just came up on my feed, and I did not check the original posting date. Yes, I am sure the original poster got his shirts. Too bad he did not follow up with what he ended up getting.

No, I take the point that my comments did not have much to do with form and function, and I am copying all the suggestions made in the other comments into my file for future shirts.

That said, I still think that one beauty of bespoke is the ability to do anything you wish. I did not find out until my second pair of John Lobb (UK) shoes that I could customize the inner lining. They are of yellow leather and every time I lace them on, they make me smile. Nothing to do with the form or function of those cap toes, but if bespoke doesn't make you smile when you wear it, what's the point!

And since they are the inner linings, when I wear them, no one is the wiser. Just a little secret between my shoemaker and me! (And now all of you!)

:D
pur_sang
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Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:59 am

andy57 wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 4:05 am
ks wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:14 am
Other possible modifications.

• If you will wear your shirt casually without a tie at times, the distance from the second button to the collar. Too much distance and you will look like Magnum PI when you wear with the top button unbuttoned. Too little, and it looks…off. Once you've established that distance, your tailor will spread out the other buttonholes accordingly. With a V-neck undershirt please. If you have chest hair coming out, you really will be Magnum PI!
• You could have the bottom-most button hold done in green or some other color thread (since it will be tucked into your pants and never seen – it’s a little secret between you and your dry cleaner).
• Different color fabric under the collar or inside the cuff – but so many off-the-rack shirts do this now that you may seem more Jersey Shores than bespoke. But again, it’s under the same principle that if you wear the shirt correctly, no one should know that you’ve modified it like this.
• How do you want the collar to meet above the tie. Does the collar meet and from an upside down “V” above the tie or is there space between the two sides of the collar. But maybe that is what is meant by zero tie space in the comments above…?
• No breast pocket -- all off-the-rack shirts have breast pockets. And since you're never putting anything in this pocket, don't have one in the first place
• Monograms (please put on the tail and in a light color like yellow so again it’s not viewable when worn correctly and please never on the cuff and since you don't have a breast pocket, you can't put in on or above that pocket!)

But these are sort of fun suggestions rather than having to do with fit and function. But as others have said, part of the fun of bespoke...is the fun!
I'm sorry, but I think these are all rather poor suggestions.
I have to agree... my personal opinion is that it is quite often a mistake to make bespoke items different just because you can... it does not appeal to me conceptually or stylistically.
andy57 wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:48 pm

The only time I've had a shirt maker suggest darts on the back of a shirt was at Charvet, a few years ago. I was in Paris and, as one does, went into Charvet to explore. I started to talk to a member of the staff about shirts and, given my time constraints, he suggest MTM. Fair enough. The problem was that their MTM blocks are rather billowy and would have required rear darts to give the shirt body some semblance of a fit. I declined to pay Charvet prices for an MTM shirt with darts and we agreed that bespoke was the best option. But I did not have time to undertake that process and I don't think I've been back to Paris since. And, in the meanwhile, I've come to realize I'm very happy with Budd so I'll stick with what I know. Maybe.
In regards to darts. This is very interesting, as I did pay bespoke prices for a Charvet shirt with darts, but I think that shirt fits well. However, the salesperson at Liverano once told me that when they see a shirt with darts they know it's a bad shirt, he then went on to sell me a shirt with a pocket, which I absolutely resent but only found out when I returned home from Florence (I think he picked out the wrong one in the colour and size that I want). Back to the darts, for me, this is not a hard and fast rule, I'm sure for some physiques, darts are needed to achieve certain fit.
Noble Savage
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Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:39 am

ks wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:14 am
Other possible modifications.

• If you will wear your shirt casually without a tie at times, the distance from the second button to the collar. Too much distance and you will look like Magnum PI when you wear with the top button unbuttoned. Too little, and it looks…off. Once you've established that distance, your tailor will spread out the other buttonholes accordingly. With a V-neck undershirt please. If you have chest hair coming out, you really will be Magnum PI!
• You could have the bottom-most button hold done in green or some other color thread (since it will be tucked into your pants and never seen – it’s a little secret between you and your dry cleaner).
• Different color fabric under the collar or inside the cuff – but so many off-the-rack shirts do this now that you may seem more Jersey Shores than bespoke. But again, it’s under the same principle that if you wear the shirt correctly, no one should know that you’ve modified it like this.
• How do you want the collar to meet above the tie. Does the collar meet and from an upside down “V” above the tie or is there space between the two sides of the collar. But maybe that is what is meant by zero tie space in the comments above…?
• No breast pocket -- all off-the-rack shirts have breast pockets. And since you're never putting anything in this pocket, don't have one in the first place
• Monograms (please put on the tail and in a light color like yellow so again it’s not viewable when worn correctly and please never on the cuff and since you don't have a breast pocket, you can't put in on or above that pocket!)

But these are sort of fun suggestions rather than having to do with fit and function. But as others have said, part of the fun of bespoke...is the fun!
These are good suggestions.
Manself
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Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:54 pm

While we're on the subject can anyone recommend a shirtmaker based in London? Who are members using these days? And are they able to produce a shirt with a soft button-down collar?
Anikolov1
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Wed Jan 19, 2022 3:27 pm

I haven’t tried him myself but Wil Whiting looks promising to me. Unfortunately, extortionately expensive.

The usuals are Budd, Dege and Skinner. I got a recommendation for Deema Abi-Chahine.

However, no personal experience with any of them.
belimad
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Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:14 pm

Manself wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:54 pm
While we're on the subject can anyone recommend a shirtmaker based in London? Who are members using these days? And are they able to produce a shirt with a soft button-down collar?
I’ve been using Santamaria lately. MTM that is very good quality for the price and very efficient. They’ve gone out of their way to accommodate pretty much everything I’ve asked for. Then again, I’m not a complicated customer when it comes to shirts.
davidhuh
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Sun May 08, 2022 4:46 pm

Manself wrote:
Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:54 pm
While we're on the subject can anyone recommend a shirtmaker based in London? Who are members using these days? And are they able to produce a shirt with a soft button-down collar?
Dear Mansell,

happy with Budd & Mr Butcher since a dozen years. He made some soft button-down collars for me.

Cheers, David
Concordia
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Sun May 08, 2022 4:51 pm

There is a very famous dude running the operation at Hilditch and Key now. Are things going well with that?
rjman
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Mon May 09, 2022 9:54 pm

Is David Gale still there Concordia? In 2020, Hilditch & Key London said that their bespoke shirts were being made in Brescia, Italy now.
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