Gabe and Max, we salute you.
Pillar 1: Only own silk underwear
Pillar 2: You can never be too over confident
Pillar 3: Just a little makeup
Pillar 4: Be yourself
UPDATED -> New Chart is posted here: http://propercloth.com/slim-fit-dress-shirts
Maybe you’re tall and skinny. Maybe you’ve got a thick neck and a narrow waist. Maybe you spend a lot of time in the gym and your shoulders and chest are massive. Whatever the case, you can never find dress shirts that fit right. Even most “slim fit” shirts don’t fit. You’re in great physical shape, yet you’re punished every time you go shopping. You’ve nearly given up finding a shirt that fits right. It will either be too short in the sleeves, too loose in the waist, or too tight in the neck… which compromise are we going to make this time?
Well, we’ve done some research on the topic here and thought we’d share what we found. Behold, our ranking of the most “Slim Fitting” dress shirts you can purchase off the rack. Our metric for “slim fittingness” is Midsection Width/Collar Circumference, so that the slimmer fitting shirts are on the top. We also looked at Midsection Width/Chest Width which measures the degree of taper the shirt has. To simplify things, we only rank shirts sized Large, or 16-16.5.
The results are interesting… By this metric, the most slim fitting shirts come from Ben Sherman, Esprit, DKNY, and Kenneth Cole. Banana Republic’s new “Heritage Fit” is also pretty narrow in the waist. Peculiar was that H&M’s Regular Fit was slimmer than the H&M Slim Fit – not by much though, and if we were to compare chest width to midsection width the Slim Fit would be considered slimmer. Finally, a lot of people recommend Brooks Brothers slim fit, so we were surprised to find that it’s nearly last on the list.
Of course, the problem with trying to find an off the rack shirt that fits is that once you do, you’re still going to have to worry about style, quality and price. If you don’t want to deal with all that, just head to Proper Cloth and get it right the first time. We can base your shirt on any of these sizes and even let you tweak the fit directly.
When you’re looking for custom clothing you need to know the semantics. Avoid embarrassment, read this and be ready to talk the talk when you’re on assignment in Milan.
Traditionally, bespoke refers to the process where the patterns for your suit or shirt are drawn completely from scratch to fit your body. Clearly this is an expensive process. Everything is done by hand. It takes a really skilled craftsman a lot of time and energy. Expect a second fitting when the suit is half made so that everything can be further fine tuned. If you want a bespoke suit, you’re going to be spending at least $3,000. Of course, if you’re shopping in the UK and the dollar keeps falling it will be much, much more.
In contrast, made-to-measure is when a shirt maker starts from a base size and makes modifications to this pattern so that it more closely fits your measurements. Yes, made-to-measure shirts and suits are custom made for you, but the process is slightly less personal and much more efficient.
Simple right? Not so fast. The problem now is that a lot of shirt and suit makers that use made-to-measure processes are marketing their products as bespoke. This of course really pisses off guys that think the term bespoke should only be used when the garment is made completely from scratch, completely by hand. So, now we have a new term to remember, and that is TRUE bespoke. This refers to basically the same thing bespoke meant before made to measure stuff started being called bespoke. Don’t you just love marketing?
So, is true bespoke worth it? Well, it depends… With technology advancements, made-to-measure has come a long way. Proper Cloth continues to push the curve of delivering great fitting clothes at reasonable prices. Our technology platform, although slightly less artistic than a bespoke tailor, is extremely controlled and reliable.
And finally, if you’re opting for true bespoke, be sure you find a good tailor and really communicate what you want. While bespoke has the potential to fit better than made-to-measure, an unskilled tailor will almost certainly charge you more and deliver much less.
Second year B-School students, we feel your pain. You’re $150,000 in debt, your pre-MBA company is on the verge of bankruptcy, you don’t have a job offer yet and you’re desperately grasping for a way to salvage your reputation as the effortlessly-successful-got-everything-under-control young professional.
You may have come to business school with the intention of “figuring out what you want to do”. But you soon realized that certain jobs are for losers and certain jobs are for winners.
You are a winner, and you’re not going to let something as petty as enjoying your work get in the way of winning.
You did some research last year, and realized the best industry to flaunt your winningness is finance. Constantly pestered with that nagging question of “why?” you perfected the ability to retort “I’m just really passionate about finance/banking/investing” with the same confidence that you’d say “assets = debt + equity”.
Of course, since you’ve been subscribing to the Wall Street Journal for a full 6 months now, you’re hyper-aware that now is the absolute worst time this century to be looking for a job in banking. That’s ok you tell yourself: “I’ve managed adversity before – I will adapt”. You begin to evaluate your options: Hedgefunds: No, Banks: No, Private Equity: No, General Motors: Definite No, Google: No, Technology Startup: Absolute last resort. Striking out here… Hmm, what companies thrive when the economy is in a slump? It hits you: Aha -
When profits fall, companies need to cut costs. When companies need to cut costs they need to fire people. When companies need to fire people, they hire consultants.
Brilliant!! You will be a winner after all.
We’re not making this stuff up. This is exactly what is going on. Oh yeah – we’re gonna some how tie this back to fashion. That is after all what we worry about at Proper Cloth. Here’s what we suggest:
Best of luck. Look good and be a winner!
OK, we have a confession to make. We read Maxim magazine. Not all the time – just every now and then – like at night – my roommate bought it I swear! In Maxim’s defense, the magazine is not all about heavily photoshopped pictures of hometown hotties in bikini’s… There are some great articles about important issues such as… the new chevy camaro, and how to tell if your girl friend is cheating…
There also is the occasional article about fashion and that’s where we found this helpful post titled: Shirting the Issues: Every moron knows a white shirt means business. But what details do you look for to really seal the deal? (yes, we aspire to this level of wittiness). We thought we’d post the article here for you to check out so that you don’t risk getting sucked into watching video’s of Diora Baird roll around by a pool for the next hour…
Here it is:
SIZE is determined by your neck’s circumference and the length of your arm. When a salesperson or tailor measures your neck, he should be able to slip one finger easily between the measuring tape and your Adam’s apple. To get your sleeve length, he will typically measure from the center of the back of your neck to your wrist.
THE PLACKET is the strip of fabric on which the buttons are sewn. In top-quality shirts, the seam has 14 stitches an inch. Fewer than 11 indicates an inferior garment.
BUTTONS on better dress shirts are things of beauty. They’re made of mother-of-pearl or a hard plastic composite backed with a thin layer of reinforcing resin. Cross-stitching ensures that they don’t pop off while you’re swearing violently at your boss.
COLLAR STAYS are flat, pointed plastic or metal inserts that slip into your collar to keep it from flapping about like Bozo the Clown’s ruffle. Look for a dress shirt that comes with stays (most do). Otherwise, make sure its collar has openings so you can insert your own.
STITCHING on the collar and on all seams, pockets, and buttonholes should be even, small, and tight. With single-needle stitching, a costlier technique, one side of the shirt is sewn at a time, resulting in an even line. With double-needle stitching, both sides are sewn simultaneously; the final seam sometimes puckers.
COTTON always offers a beautiful drape and solid performance. (Poly/cotton blends wrinkle less but fray faster.) Cotton options: Poplin is fine and soft; broadcloth has a supertight weave that gives it the silky luster of extra-luxe fabrics; oxford cloth is the most durable, with a rugged basket-weave texture that turns a traditional button-down shirt into a casual-Friday standby. Take your pick.
GAUNTLET BUTTONS—extra buttons placed along the opening in the sleeve—can be undone to make it easier to slip the shirt on. Buttoned, they give the shirt a smooth, neat look.
CUFFS should have two buttons about a half-inch apart. The cuff should be loose enough that you can wear a watch yet snug enough to keep the sleeve from sliding up and down annoyingly.
HEAVY NECKING
Don’t choke. There’s a collar style to fit every mug—even if you’re a thick-necked thug.
Tab-point collars accentuate this season’s chunky ties; guys with long, narrow, or “normal” faces can really pull off this look.
Button-down collars can be worn almost every day, except on super-dressy occasions. Round- or full-faced guys should stay away from this style.
Long Euro-point collars draw attention to that special tie your adoring intern bought you and can slim not-so-perfect pusses.
Ainsley, or short-point, broad-spread collars—often white, to contrast with colored shirts—are the dressiest business option. They flatter full faces.
Banded collars in solid colors work for formal events; print versions are better for casual wear. If you’re pencil-necked or narrow-shouldered, steer clear.
Hidden button-down collars fasten on the underside with special tabs. Their sleek shape is best for guys with full faces. And we don’t mean full of donuts.
You may be asking yourself this question soon. It seems many designers have plans to put bright colors on the shelves. According to Gillian Koenig, writer for DNR, “Vibrant Colors [will] emerge as the common thread in the accessories market for spring ‘09″. At the recent MAGIC fashion show, DKNY presented dress shirts in “pop colors of raspberry, orange and lime”, BCBG featured dress shirts in “vibrant colors”, Geoffrey Beene is planning to offer their sateen shirts in “52 different colors”, and Izod is bringing “brightly colored checks and plaids to market”.
Proper Cloth’s opinion here: bright and colorful dress shirts are not cool. This smells like a trend and we don’t like getting swept up in trends. Please, do not be “that guy”, who see’s the bright orange dress shirt on the front display in DKNY, thinks it looks really cool and wears it to work the next day. You will look ridiculous.
You might be telling yourself “I’m so cool, I am ahead of the trend, everyone must think I am so stylish”. Sorry Zoolander. It’s not true. Everyone thinks you look like a jack-ass.
We strongly recommend that this Winter and Spring, you don’t overdo the color thing. Keep your personal identity in mind and be yourself. If you’ve always loved bright colors and have been frustrated by the grays and blacks of recent seasons try some colorful cuff-links from Nautica, or a bright Ted Baker tie. If you pair these with a plain white dress shirt and dark suit, you won’t look clownish. For work, stick to the classics and stay professional.
