Posted in Dress Shirts on February 23rd, 2010 by Seph
That’s right.
We bought new fabrics.
15 actually.
And they are awesome.
High thread count, perfect for the office, starting from just $129. Update your wardrobe with classic styles made from these premium fabrics. (10% off orders over $500 this month)
First we have American Psycho. Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my god, it even has a watermark. Kidding – no watermark.
American Psycho is made from our new 100 thread count two-ply Egyptian cotton ivory twill imported from Europe. Comes with thick Borelli Mother of Pearl buttons. Buy American Psycho in your size now>>
Next up is 7.6 Billion. Apparently Citi lost it last quarter. We found it. It’s glorious.
7.6 Billion is made from our new 100 thread count, two-ply Egyptian cotton lavender twill. Super shiny and smooth. Beautiful Mother of Pearl buttons. Buy 7.6 Billion in your size now>>
Finally we have Bonus Season. Approximately 17x softer than the bed cots JP Morgan interns are loaned to spend the night at work when it’s snowing outside. Whatever. It’s worth it when bonus season comes around.
Bonus season is made from our new 80 thread count two-ply royal oxford cloth imported from Europe. Mother of Pearl buttons and white contrast collar and cuffs. Buy Bonus Season in your size now>>
All joking aside – for our friends Wall Street, remember, when no one loves you, Proper Cloth loves you. We’re in Tribeca. Come hang out.
Stay Proper.
PS – checkout our fancy new invite system. Refer a friend to Proper Cloth and everybody wins!
Posted in Dress Shirts on February 19th, 2010 by Seph
We have new printed accents. Here’s a few designs that use them.
Easy Daisy is one of my favorites. The gray dobbie is wrinkle resistant and has a bit of texture, gray buttons are clean and mean, and dime sized daisies on the collar and cuff will make the ladies smile.
Finally, if you liked the movie with giant blue cat people then you’ll love Pandora. Made with light blue royal oxford cloth, mother of pearl buttons, and flying cranes, this design is simply beautiful.
Posted in Dress Shirts on September 29th, 2009 by Seph
This blog does not assume any fashion sense, so I’m going to state something that may be obvious: Tattersall is in style. If you haven’t noticed yet, you will soon enough as we move into fall and winter.
Introducing the Proper Cloth Black and Red Tattersall dress shirt. What you are about to witness is shirt-porn. If you’re not comfortable seeing a naked shirt twisted into unnatural positions, do not scroll down further.
Black and White Reverse Graph Check accents complement the Red and Black Tattersall.
Copied shamelessly from Wikipedia: Tattersall describes a check pattern woven into cloth. The pattern is composed of regularly spaced thin alternating even vertical warp stripes, repeated horizontally in the weft. The stripes are generally darker than the ground. The cloth pattern takes its name from Tattersall’s horse market, which was started in London in 1766. At that market blankets with this checked pattern were used for horses. Today tattersall is a common pattern, often woven in cotton, particularly in flannel, used for shirts or waistcoats.
Handmade in USA by nice Americans. Last month.
The pattern is Tattersall, but the fabric weave is Broadcloth. This one in particular is an 80 thread count broadcloth. Technically it’s 77 threads per inch vertically (warp) and 144 threads horizontally (weft). Some might call that 144 threads per inch.
Soft fabric that drapes nicely.
“Londoner Collar” is a pretty wide spread
Reinforced side seam gussets.
This is our new two-button mitered cuff. Not exactly like the virtual preview anymore, but works really well.
Posted in Dress Shirts on August 31st, 2009 by Seph
Austria. A truly amazing country. Nestled in the Alps, it’s the kind of place you dream of when city life becomes overwhelming. And it’s a beautiful dream… you’re surrounded by green fields and blue sky, high in the mountains, gently running your hands over the tops of the long grass (like that scene in Gladiator but happier). You breathe in the crisp, clean air and pause to hear the sounds of a nearby glacial creek gurgling, birds chirping and distant children laughing. It’s the most amazing feeling of freedom, and just when you didn’t think it could get any better, you see Austrian supermodel Mavie Hörbigerdressed up like a milk-maid picking flowers. It’s just you and her in the mountains and as you go to say hello, another famous Austrian supermodel shows up…
Yes, Bruno is also from Austria.
Wow, that dream just got weird…
Anyways, Austria is a great country. And it’s also the location of Getzner, one of the world’s oldest and most renowned fabric mills. And because Proper Cloth is so on top of things, we’ve added some of Getzner’s extremely desirable fabrics to our offering. These are all 100 thread count 2-ply fabrics. The patterns are (according to us at least) beautiful.
correction – this blue and orange stripe is 120 thread count two-ply fabric
They also feel amazing. Getzner was founded in 1818. They’ve been making premium shirting fabrics for a long time. They know what they’re doing and are famous for it. You want to get shirted this classy. Start designing now.
I’ve always bought my dress shirts from Brooks Brothers, size 16-34 Slim Fit. I believe this means my collar size is 16 and my sleeve size is 34. I’m now thinking of switching to custom tailored dress shirts, so I went to a tailor to be measured. According to the tailor, my sleeve length should actually be 35.5. What gives?
Did he mess up and exaggerate the sleeve length or is this just different in some way?
Thanks,
Long Armed in Los Angeles
Dear Long Armed,
Don’t be alarmed. The proper way to measure your sleeve length is from the center of the back of the neck, over your shoulder and down to the center of the back of your hand. It’s common for this sleeve length measurement to be longer than you’re used to. Truth is, you’ve probably been wearing the wrong sleeve length your entire adult life.
Try this – next time you prop your elbows up on the mahogany conference table while contemplatively rubbing your chin and mentally preparing your response to the analyst questioning the ‘employee morale’ expensesyou incurred in Greecelast quarter, take a moment and note how far up your forearms the cuffs of your shirt have moved. If you’re not wearing a custom dress shirt this will probably look mildly ridiculous.
You were probably convinced that your shirts fit fine because when your arms are hanging relaxed at your sides, the cuffs come just to your wrist. It would seem that if you add another inch, they will be too long. After all, you don’t want your sleeve coming over your hand.
You’re absolutely right that you don’t want the sleeve coming up over your hand. With custom fitting shirts this doesn’t have to be the case because can specify the correct cuff size. Most off-the-rack shirts have over-sized cuffs, made to be loose on even the largest wrists. However, a proper fitting cuff will have a circumference of just 2-2.5 inches more than your wrist’s measurement (to the skin). A properly fitting cuff will not slide up your hand when your arms are at your sides. It will hold the cuff in just the right spot at the base of your hand.
Long story short, custom shirt sleeves are usually made a bit longer because they should be. And with custom, they can be.
Posted in Dress Shirts on August 6th, 2009 by Seph
It’s been a while since our last post. Sorry we lost touch. We’ve just been spending so much time, relaxing in the Hamptons, living our fabulous lives. Ok, not really. We’ve been hustling on a whole lot of new custom shirt stuff and now it’s ready. Here are some highlights:
100 new fabrics
Yes. We’re serious. 100 new ones. It wasn’t easy. Actually, it was really difficult. How difficult you ask? Imagine taking the GMAT, LSAT and Series 7 back to back. Then multiply that level of difficulty by two. Anyway we did it. Now they’re here. Check them out.
For you trendy folks, keep an eye out for the plaid and gingham grid patterns that are popular this summer.
And, yes, there are still more fabrics coming.
“How to measure” videos
If you found our “how to measure” explanations and pictures even the slightest bit cryptic, you’ll be happy to see that we added video explanations of how to measure your body or shirt. Special thanks goes to French Guy Gaetan, Summer Partner Sheezan, and several bottles of Chardonnay for making these videos an informative, yet mildly entertaining success.
More is coming
We’re not even close to being done improving our custom clothing service and are already working on the next round of updates. Expect a growing selection and a continually improved experience. We love (and need) your feedback and new ideas, so keep them coming.
Ok, we’re interrupting the usual witty humor for something a bit technical. This post is for the true style nerds. I want to talk about something that most men could care less about, but true custom-shirt fans can appreciate. I want to share something I recently learned about the dress shirt split yoke. Something that in over a year of designing custom dress shirts and reading about custom dress shirts was never made apparent to me. But first, some background:
What is a dress-shirt yoke?
It is the panel of fabric that is just behind your collar that goes over the tops of your shoulders.
What is the difference between a “one piece yoke” and a “split yoke”?
A one piece yoke is made from a single piece of fabric. A split yoke is split down the middle and sewn together in the middle.
What are the benefits of a split yoke vs. a one piece yoke?
This is where it gets interesting. First, the three arguments you most often hear about are:
1) A split yoke uses more fabric and takes longer to make than a one piece yoke. While I don’t see this being a true benefit to the owner, many shirt snobs will suggest that because it takes longer, it costs more and is therefore superior. Not convinced.
2) In a split yoke, the two pieces of fabric are rotated such that the stripes meet at an angle in the middle and any stripe or pattern is parallel to the front seam of the yoke. It’s really a matter of taste, but many people claim (and we tend to agree) that this makes for a cleaner, more stylish look. But this is still a subjective matter and furthermore, if the shirt is a solid color then this argument makes no sense at all. In fact, one could argue that the extra seam across the back makes the shirt look less clean. Sort of, but still not convinced.
3) Another argument you will often hear is that split yokes provide for a better fit. I’ve been scratching my head over this argument for awhile. I suppose it’s possible that a really advanced bespoke tailor on Jermyn street would adjust the different sides of the yoke to accommodate for some unevenness in the shoulders and that that this could potentially provide for a better fit. But this is risky stuff. While an asymmetrical shirt might actually fit its owner better, it also might actually exaggerate the appearance of the person’s asymmetry. Furthermore, no made-to-measure shirt makers I know (including Proper Cloth) take this into account. Basically, we make the split yoke the exact same shape of the one piece yoke. Definitely still not convinced.
Now, the other day I was talking to an old tailor and FINALLY, I was given an argument that actually makes sense.
To understand this reason, you first need to understand how woven cottons stretch. If you have a dress shirt made from 100% cotton (most dress shirt fabric), you’ll notice that the fabric has threads running both vertically (warp) and horizontally (weft). For most high quality woven cottons, the fabric will not stretch very much at all if you try to stretch it vertically, or if you try to stretch it horizontally. However, if you try to stretch it diagonally it stretches pretty easily. (Go ahead – I can wait…)
So, the real benefit of the split yoke is that by rotating the fabrics to the angled orientation, we are basically adding stretch to the yoke across it’s width! I can see how this could make a real difference in comfort. When you’re tying your shoes, or driving a car, or lots of other every day activities, you put pressure on the yoke and if it is a split yoke it will stretch to accommodate your movement better. You learn something every day.
Posted in Dress Shirts on February 27th, 2009 by Seph
Even the best quality dress shirts need to be properly cared for. Here are some tips that can really make a difference.
1.) Iron the collar right
Some dry cleaners will get this right for you and some won’t – but the point is that the collar should have a smooth curve around your neck. If it has sharp angles – like the back is straight and it curves sharply to the front of the shirt – you have room for improvement. Take an iron and smooth this out before you head out the door.
2.) Lightly starch the front of the shirt under the collar
If you wear the shirt with an open collar (without a tie), then the trick to looking good is to have the shirt effortlessly hang open and stay in the right place. You’ve surely seen the guys with the top two buttons unbuttoned and the shirt sort of falling in on itself. This is easy to beat with just a little starch and iron to this part of the shirt.
3.) Don’t leave dirty white shirts hanging in the closet for weeks straight
If you live in a colder climate, you can usually get away with wearing a shirt two or three times between washings. (I am NOT saying this is ALWAYS OK – Be sensitive to the fact that you may have B.O. and adjust accordingly). While you may not sweat much during the day, there’s no avoiding body oils from your neck getting on your collar. Leaving these oils on your collar for weeks straight will cause that ugly yellow ring. Not cool. Wash it quick.
4.) Remove the collar stays from you shirt before washing
They’re removable for a reason. Two actually. First, if you put them through the washing process, they invariably become warped. The whole point of collar stays is to keep your collar straight – so this obviously doesn’t work very well. Second, it’s better to press or iron your collar without the collar stays installed. Many fabrics will reveal a faint outline of the collar stay if you iron the shirt with them in. (To remove this line, get the collar wet – removing any starch on it – and then iron it dry)
5.) Make sure your shirt fits.
There are so many fit points to consider. Midsections and sleeves are usually too baggy, collars are too tight, lengths are too long or too short… Let’s just say, you probably know if your shirt doesn’t fit right. You can try having a tailor fix your existing closet or opt for custom fit dress shirts to begin with.
The holidays are over. All that stressful gift buying is over. Thank God.
Or so you thought. On your toes because Valentines day is just around the corner. (By the way, not to sound cold hearted or anything, but if the holidays were a total train wreck you can save yourself a whole lot of trouble and GET OUT NOW!) If that’s not the case, well the first thing to keep in mind when buying gifts for your “significant other” is that girls and guys like different things. Exhibit A:
What to buy your girlfriend for Valentines Day
Assuming you didn’t royally screw things up on Christmas there’s no need to come home from work (if you work on Saturdays) with a florentine necklace. Valentines day is about being thoughtful. The thing is, the thinking needs to start ahead of time (like now). So, to make the day special for her, we suggest some combination of the following: Dinner, Flowers and Chocolate.
Dinner
Either reserve a table for two at a nice restaurant around town (if you don’t do this NOW, more thoughtful men will get the good tables and you will probably find yourself all dressed up in an empty restaurant at 6:00 pm feeling like a total moron) or plan to prepare her a nice meal at home. Dinner at home has several advantages. Negotiate who will prepare the meal in advance. We suggest offering to cook dinner for her. Then, when she INSISTS on cooking you can kindly give her the opportunity.
Flowers
Flowers are easy to buy, they look nice, they smell good and they have this tendency to make women very happy. It’s a nice touch to send them to her at work, but since Valentines day this year is Saturday that probably won’t make sense. So, surprise her at home with a bouquet. Doesn’t have to be a huge bouquet – it is the thought that counts.
Chocolate
Every girl likes loves candy and a nice box of chocolate will keep her happy for a week straight. Unless she eats it all in one night. If that happens, we suggest mild concern.
You just can’t go wrong with a Rolex. It is a beautiful and functional gift. That being said, it might not be appropriate for EVERY boyfriend. We suggest this gift only if you’ve been together more than 10 years and are so wealthy that you were personally concerned with the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme.
Thoughtful Scrapbook
Nothing says, “I am so in love with you and want us to be together forever” like a scrap book full of pictures of the two of you smiling and kissing each other. Now, the truth is most guys don’t really want scrapbooks. The actual scrap book is really for you, but the thought is nice and will always be appreciated.
Beautiful Custom Dress Shirt
In case you did the whole scrap book thing for Christmas already or you just know it would be completely out of character, we (of course) advocate the custom tailored dress shirt as the perfect Valentines day gift. At Proper Cloth you can design a shirt with a completely unique style. We’d suggest a pink shirt with a red accent fabric behind the French Cuffs. Proper Cloth shirts are extremely high quality and will last him for years. Furthermore, every time he wears it he will think of you and remember Valentines 2009 (what more can you ask for?). Copy one of his shirts to get a perfect fit if you want to really impress.
Custom shirts aren’t made over night, so you’ll need to order this in advance. Order by January 20th and you’ll have no problems. After that and you might want to call in to check and see how busy things are or make a personal plea for a rush. We’ll do our best to get it to you in time.
The Proper Blog is a collection of our thoughts on fashion, design, business, life and staying proper.
Enjoy. And if you don't already know, Proper Cloth is a custom clothing label in New York specializing in unique, tailor fit men's dress shirts designed online and made by nice Americans in 4 weeks or less.
