MTailor Made-To-Measure Shirting Reviewed

Howdy folks! After a brief hiatus, we've taken advantage of some down-time from the daily grind to finally get this piece ready to publish. MTailor is one of the newer made-to-measure brands to hit the scene, and co-founder Miles got in touch with way back before I moved from Chicago to NYC to set us up for an in-person review. Here we go:

The Brand: As usual, we asked the brand to provide us with a little background. From Miles:

"At MTailor, we are bringing professional quality custom shirts into the modern era. We make it easy, convenient and fast while maintaining an amazing fit and quality shirts.

To do that, we measure you with your phone's camera using the latest in machine learning algorithms. We're 20% more accurate than a professional tailor. There's no tape measure involved (no need for a second person or second guessing yourself on all the measurements), and you're done in less than 5 minutes.

While we officially launched June 28, we've been working on MTailor since September 2012. Right now, we're just 2 people: Miles and Rafi. We spent over a year developing the core technology to make the measurement process easy and accurate. We then spent months testing over a dozen suppliers and shipping lots of beta shirts to customers, and we only launched once we and our customers were satisfied.

We really stand behind our shirts: if you dislike an MTailor shirt for any reason (not just fit), we'll remake it for free or issue a full refund, no questions asked."

The Ordering Process: This is probably the coolest feature of MTailor - or at least the feature with the highest coolness potential. Where other made-to-measure services require you to either measure yourself or a shirt you already own, MTailor uses a cellphone app to digitally scan your body type, requiring no actual measuring at all. Pretty damn snazzy, right? And the feature is really cool - it takes a few minutes to set up, and took me a few tries until I got myself framed properly in the camera (the process involves propping your phone to fit the image of your body inside an on-screen frame), but it was painless and actually kinda fun.

Now, all that said, there are a few things I wish were a little different - the largest of which being that MTailor is only available via app. As in, you can't browse the fabrics or customization options on your computer. I'd imagine there's an iPad version as well, which would be better, but as I just have an iPhone, I was limited to selecting a fabric off of my small phone screen. Not the worst thing in the world, but it would have been great to be able to check out some larger pictures. I'd also love to see a wider range of casual fabrics, although there is something to be said for simplicity as well!

To that point, I actually enjoyed the more limited variety of customizations that were offered - seemed to cover all the bases without overwhelming you with a million choices. In the end, I ended up choosing a dressier fabric in a blue and brown small-scale tattersall, with a widespread collar, one button cuff, the longer 'tucked' cut, and a slim fit. Though MTailor was kind enough to provide the shirt free of charge for this review, the final price would have been just $69 (their base rate), which is really quite reasonable (and affordable).

The Fabric and Construction: Starting off on a very good note, the fabric and construction are pretty entirely beyond reproach. As a matter of fact, I'd consider this one of the best fabrics I've gotten for a made-to-measure shirt. Even my Thomas Mason fabrics have come just a bit stiff and...shiny - but this shirt feels far softer and just more natural, as I'd expect a 'luxury fabric' to feel. The weight is perfect for a relatively year-round shirt. It's not flimsy by any means, but not a heavy robust flannel either.

As for construction, the bases are all hit - smooth stitching, clean button-holes, sturdy and well-attached buttons, removable collar stays and stitched (as opposed to fused) collar and cuffs.

The Fit: To be perfectly honest, when it came to fit, I was a bit disappointed when I first received the shirt. The MTailor app lauds itself as 20% more accurate than a professional tailor, and with promises like that, I expected a darn-close-to-perfect shirt on the first try. Things weren't horrible, by any means, but just not quite up to snuff. Thankfully, MTailor offers a complementary remake of your first shirt in order to nail your pattern.  This is pretty common with MTM shirtmakers, and I've actually come to kind of expect to have to tweak things throughout the first order - and for any other company, I wouldn't have been as upset. It's just that those promises made by the high-tech scanning system were so...promising! Ah well, not the end of the world, but just know their model has some kinks to be worked out.

Anyway, back to the specifics. Mainly, the cut was just a bit big throughout, with slightly long sleeves, and too low of armholes.

Just a bit too big throughout, and some funky draping.

The sleeves in particular were long and baggy.

Low armholes definitely contributed to the draping and general fit being off.

Now that we were past using the digital scanning, I decided to compare the shirt with another custom shirt of my own in order to give Miles the most precise directions for adjustments.

After sending him some measurements and talking things over, we settled on the following changes for the second time around:

• Shoulders: -.5 inches
• Sleeves: -.5 inches (-.75 inches net with shoulders)
• Chest: -2 inches for full circumference (-1 inch when flat)
• Waist: -2 inches for full circumference (-1 inch when flat)
• Hips: -2 inches for full circumference (-1 inch when flat)
• Biceps: -2.25 inches for full circumference
• "We have edited how we calculate biceps and this is the new measurement we would make you. The shirt we sent you must have been way too big in the biceps! Shrinking this will tighten the armholes and the forearms."

The Fit (Part 2): And here's the good news, fit-wise! After a remake, the shirt fits almost perfectly. Nice and trim through the body and waist, sleeves falling at just the right length, and a comfortably snug collar and cuffs. Boom. 

Much trimmer, an a far better drape.

Sleeves hit right at the wrist without excess pooling fabric.

My only complaint is that the armholes are still just the slightest bit restricting - minor enough that I wouldn't complain for an OTR shirt, but a bit too noticeable for a custom shirt. Really, you can't even notice it with my hands at my sides - just when I raise my arms, the fabric pulls from the armpit across the chest.

Still some slight tightness across the chest.

The Customer Service: Gotta say, I was pretty blown away by just how attentive Miles was throughout the ordering process. I'm usually all over shipping tracking myself, but he saw that the shirt was scheduled to be delivered before I did, and shot me an e-mail to make sure delivery went smoothly. When my post office mixed things up, he stayed right on top of everything until the package was in my hands. Even more importantly, he seemed eager to hear my impressions and feedback, and legitimately interested in leaving me with a great shirt, rather than just making another buck. Two thumbs, way up. Beyond that, processing and shipping came in at just under 3 weeks (not exceptionally short, but also not exceptionally long), and all communication was quickly and promptly responded to by either a customer service agent, or more often Miles himself.

In Conclusion: All around, I'd say MTailor is definitely worth a try. The ordering process is admittedly cool, and if they can continue to work out kinks in their digital-fitting model, it could end up being one of the more convenient options available. Past ordering, the customer service and product quality leave these guys right up with some of the best shirts that I've had, and all with a price point that isn't too painful.

This was a sponsored review, and the products reviewed were provided to me free of charge. The article, however, remains objective and unbiased and is published without prior editing or review by MTailor. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself.

Trashness - An Updated Review

You may remember back in the fall, I reviewed a few shirts from the up-and-coming brand, Trashness. While my review was generally positive, there were a few aspects I thought they could improve upon, especially regarding the OCBD I tested out.

A few weeks ago, co-founder Amin got back in touch with me to let me know they had made some of those very improvements, and sent me a new oxford cloth shirt for an update. This time, I requested a spread collar version, just for some variety:

Product image via the Trashness online store.

You can see the much cleaner finishing on the shirt on the right, from the button-holes to the edge of the fabric itself.

The logo on the right, from the new shirt, is much cleaner. The tonal stitching helps it stick out a bit less as well.

Just another shot of clean stitching along the placket.

Fantastic spread collar.

First, I have to say how much I appreciate Amin reaching back out to me. You hear me praise good customer service left and right, but another (not-as-often examined) aspect of client/customer relationship that I think is just as important is the ability and willingness to take feedback and criticism and grow from it. So right off the bat, Trashness moved up a notch in my book as a brand, regardless of their products.

That said, the new shirt is pretty sharp too! My previous complaints had mainly centered around some sloppy construction - there were a lot of frayed stitches along the seams and placket, as well as some sloppy needlework on the logo at the hip. This update is much cleaner, and compares much better with the denim shirt they sent (that I was much happier with). Check out the comparisons below:

I’m also loving the soft spread collar - normally I’d be a bit peeved at the lack of collar stays or slots, but I honestly think a stiffer/more structured collar would kill the kind of Neapolitan, relaxed-but-sharp-as-a-tack look that I’m really enjoying. While I didn't get to shoot any pics of the full fit of the new shirt, I've worn it a few times, and you can see how it looks in this #WIWT Instagram picture (follow @WideEyesTWBlog, I'm sure you'll see me in it again):

As for the fabric itself, it’s not mind-blowing, but hell, their shirts only run about $40, so I honestly have very little complaint. It’s as hefty as an oxford should be, not flimsy in any way, and the fit remains nice and slim. Granted, I may have mine taken in a tad at the waist, but I’m definitely skinnier than average, so I don’t think they are going wrong with the fit at all. The hand-feel is a tad rough, and I wouldn’t mind it a bit softer, but if previous oxford-cloth experience tells me anything, this will break in just fine over a few washes.

All around, I’d mark Trashness a winner for a solid budget shirt. And again, a solid company run by some good dudes who are really taking the time and effort to listen to their community and put out a quality product.

This was a sponsored review, and the product reviewed was provided to me free of charge. The article, however, remains objective and unbiased and is published without prior editing or review by Trashness. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself. 

Deals and Steals for the Weekend - 4/25/2014

Wooo the week is almost over, and you know what that means: time for Deals and Steals. This week, I'm re-visiting some pieces from older posts that have just now popped up at some better-than-usual prices:


30% Off Select Styles at J.Crew (code GOSHOP):
I think I've said this before, but it seems like J.Crew is running a perpetual sale, and they just filter in and out the items that the discount is applied to. 99% of the time, this means that they exclude anything from their Ludlow collection (which stinks, because their Ludlow suits are pretty darn sharp but very darn expensive). This time around, that rule doesn't seem to be applying...at least not for this incredibly tempting unstructured cotton blazer that I was eyeing up in a post about two weeks back:

Ludlow Sport Coat in Mini-Houndstooth Cotton | J.Crew

Honestly, the regular price of $188 ain't too bad for a J.Crew blazer, but the 30% discount takes it down to barely over $130, which is like, Frank and Oak prices. I was just given an almost identical jacket as a gift, or this would be on the way to my house right now.

While at J.Crew, check out the rest of the sale - like I said, items seem to be coming and going so it's worth a browse, even if you've looked recently. Previous discounts have been limited to already-marked-down merchandise, but this one branches out, so be sure to check the full-price listings as well. For yet another item that I would buy now if I hadn't just gotten something similar, check out these 'striped' linen trousers:

Bowery Slim in Navy Stripe Irish Linen | J.Crew

The stripe really looks to be super-fine, maybe even a textural thing? Like a whipcord? Anyway, from the looks of it, they appear pretty much solid, making these a great summer alternative for your standard navy chinos. Marked down to $70 (originally $100), they aren't cheap, but don't expect to find good-quality linen trousers for much less.


Spring Sale at Frank & Oak (plus $25 off with our referral link):
Sales only pop up at Frank & Oak every so often, but when they do, they tend to last a while and have increasingly well discounted items. This one is already well underway, and as I was browsing through, this varsity jacket immediately popped out at me:

French Terry Varsity Zip-Up | Frank & Oak

Remember last week's piece on testing new trends? This would have made a perfect selection to go with my black/white ensemble, and the reduced price of $42 plops it well into that sweet spot of cheap enough to not be a huge risk. Plus, even if Frank & Oak are hit or miss at times, I'll be willing to bet this is better quality than the Forever 21 number I picked out before - bonus.

Like I said, sales at Frank and Oak tend to get better the longer they last, and this one is no exception. I just got an e-mail in the past day or so announcing further reductions on shirts, and they have a few marked down to only $20 - over half off and cheaper than even Target! There's a nice variety available, and my recommendation goes to this blue plaid shirt:

New Haven Plaid Shirt | Frank & Oak

If you're looking to transition your fall and winter plaid styles into a more spring/summer friendly outlet, this shirt is the way to go. The colors are very spring-timey, with light blues and greens, but doesn't take the full dive into over-saturated madras (though I do love me a good madras shirt).

Feel free to use our referral link for an extra $25 off if this is your first Frank & Oak order.


New Arrivals at the Knottery:
Ok, this one is admittedly a bit of a stretch to pull from an old blog post, but I did mention The Knottery back in my post on rainy-day essentials. At that point, I was highlighting their bright knit ties as a way to fight the spring doldrums, but now I'm coming back to them as they release a new handful of options specifically for the summer season. I'll go ahead and give credit to Valet for pointing out these awesome new pieces made from Japanese cotton:

Indigo Stripe Tie | The Knottery

Indigo-dyed Japanese cotton is huge these days, and the attention is well deserved, because it's a fantastic-looking fabric. Lot's of character, bright but not bold, deep and rich...what's not to love? Ok, so the normal prices on this stuff are probably not to love. These ties, however, remain solidly affordable in standard Knottery fashion, clocking in at just $35.

They've also added some 'summer knit' ties, which are more loosely woven. I don't necessarily think the weave is more summery as much as it is just an alternative style (Lands End, I believe, makes loose-knit ties year round), but I still love the look.

Solid Silk Summer Knit Tie | The Knottery

I'm a navy/blue addict, so I would grab this one, although there are a few other colors and patterns available. Again, these are marked at $35, a great price for a 100% silk tie of this caliber.


SuitSupply at Huckberry:
Alrighty, we'll close it out with a quick peek at SuitSupply on sale. This like, never happens. Yeah, they had their 'Outlet' with some crazy markdowns last fall, but that was pretty short-lived and there has been less and less word about it coming back. Point is, you can imagine my excitement when I saw just a few SuitSupply suits hanging out in 'The Wedding Shop of Camp Huckberry USA.' There look to be only three options available, but they are smart picks - summer fabrics and staple colors (SuitSupply is kind of known for their more fashion-forward fabrics, so it's nice that the limited selection isn't too out there). Of the three, I love this blue cotton suit:

Copenhagen Suit in Blue | SuitSupply via Huckberry

It's cut in their Copenhagen fit, which they describe as their slimmest fit, which is perfect for a scrawny guy like me. I also love the way that a slim, tailored cut plays with the more relaxed, unstructured construction for a balance that can be dressed up or down as needed - versatility is the name of the game, as always. Best part, Huckberry knocked about $70 off of each option, with this one coming to just under $400 after the discount. Snag em while you can.

Deals and Steals for the Weekend - 1/31/2014

Finally back on the grind with a working computer. Also home sick today, so I have some time to throw together a Deals and Steals!

Free Shipping at J.Crew Factory (Today Only, Code FREESHIP):
First off, J.Crew Factory is offering free shipping today (and today only, so jump on this fast). There aren't any other markdowns, but this is a great opportunity to snatch up some cheap accessories. I'll be grabbing this wool tie at just $15.

Wool Triple-Stripe Tie | J.Crew Factory

I've been a big fan of every J.Crew tie I've bought, and the clearance discount plus free shipping puts this one at a less-than-Tie-Bar price. Easy pick.

I also recommend picking up this card-holder/wallet. A slim wallet like this is a great chance to reduce your bulk and keep your silhouette trim. I have one myself, and the leather is nice and has aged well over time.

Leather Card Holder | J.Crew Factory

Again, the clearance markdown to just $15 makes this an easy buy on any budget. I'm a big fan of the classic brown, but they have a few other colors available as well.

BONUS: My girlfriend is a big fan of J.Crew (and factory) necklaces, and they've got a 40% off sale going on in their women's jewelry section. V-day is coming up....


Additional 40% Off Sale Items at Bonobos (Code TOASTY):
This one has been going on for a while, but now everything is knocked down to Final Sale. Stinks if you are unsure of your sizing, but this also means that the seasonal sale is probably on it's last legs and won't be around much longer. So, if you're thinking of grabbing something, now is the time! I'm a huge fan of the fit of Bonobos pants, and even with the Final Sale, you should be safe going with your regular size, in a slim-straight fit. Sizing is getting pretty limited, but luckily they have these maple brown cords in my size:

French Corders in Maple | Bonobos

I have yet to pick up a pair of cords this winter, and they are one of my favorite seasonal fabrics, so I'll most likely be jumping on this last chance, especially at the affordable price of $40.

It's also worth taking a look beyond the pants that Bonobos is known for. I bought a few of their sweaters lately and have been loving them (slim-fit in the merino wool and you can't go wrong). This time, I'm looking forward to spring and taking advantage of some super low prices on tees. I'm really digging this one in a nautical stripe:

Vintage Wash Tee | Bonobos

At under $10 with the discount, I'll probably grab one or two in classic white as well...it's a menswear wardrobe staple, and mine are getting a bit worn.


Additional 30% Off Sale Items at Original Penguin (Code OPSALE30):
I don't shop at Original Penguin too often, but everything I've gotten from them has been solid and stylish, and this sale has some good deals available. For one, I'm still on a huge warm-sweater kick as the weather stays nice and crappy here in Chicago. OP has a V-neck lambswool option for under $25 after the discount:

Hector Lambswool V-Neck Sweater | Original Penguin

Not much more to be said...that's a steal of a price and a darn cozy-looking sweater.

While you're at it, you can grab a sharp dress shirt to wear underneath. They have several options, but this windowpane is classy, and would be very versatile as well:

Windowpane Dress Shirt | Original Penguin

I don't have personal experience with Original Penguin dress shirts, and there isn't a fit description, but at $30, you should have a few bucks left over in case this needs a quick trip to the tailor.


Clearance Sale at Imogene + Willie:
Ever since Imogene + Willie was featured in an episode of Alternate Route (by the way, Esquire is killing it with their TV Network), I've been dying to get a pair of their jeans. Unfortunately, their super-premium denim is usually way out of my price range. However, there are some HUGE discounts in their sale section right now that have me tempted to whip out my credit card. For example, these black rigid straight-legs are sharp, and marked down to just $105 from an original $275.

Willie Black Rigid | Imogene + Willie

Everyone is all about their indigo blue jeans, but black can be just as versatile and sometimes even better-looking. I've been on the lookout for a pair, and might not be anymore.

The rest of the sale ain't cheap, but the discounts are still hard to beat. If you've been considering dropping some dough on a premium button-down, Gitman did a line for Imogene + Willie, and this dark blue shirt stands out in the shop:

Navy Gitman for IW | Imogene + Willie

Like I said, $80 for a shirt isn't a steal, but when you consider the original price of $165, it just might be a deal.


I'll leave you with a final recommendation: check out sales in person! I'm an online shopping addict and do most of my buying from the comfort of my couch, but you can catch some crazy good discounts in-person. Perfect example: I stopped in at Gap on a whim last week, walked out of the store with a pair of buttery-soft and cozy-warm moleskin Chinos for less than $10. I can't even find the damn things online, so there's no way I would have gotten a deal like that without actually walking into the store. Goes to show, it's worth getting off your ass every so often!

Hucklebury Shirts - In-Person Review

About two weeks ago we featured a brand spotlight on Hucklebury, an up-and-coming men's shirting company with a current campaign on Kickstarter. Parag followed up with me and sent me a shirt to see and test for an in-person review, and the results are in! Check out the brand background over here, and get the lowdown on the shirts below:

Quality of Construction:

The main thing to stress here is the fantastic quality. First of all, the 100% Egyptian Cotton fabric is comfortable as hell and drapes wonderfully when wearing. The collar is a workhorse, and will definitely never flop, with a tie or undone for some drinks after work. Personally, I prefer a bit softer of a collar, but I know menswear aficionados all over the net clamor for stiffer, heartier collars, and they won't be disappointed here.




Other small details continue to point to the high quality of construction. The pattern matching down the sides of the shirt is pretty damn perfect, the mother-of-pearl buttons are a classy touch (and more durable than cheap plastic alternatives), and the single-needle stitching, especially on the placket, offers a sleeker, more streamlined look than standard double-needle work.

Contrast stitching on bottom 

There are just a few areas I found slightly lacking. At this price point, I would hope for a split yoke along the shoulders, but it's definitely not a deal-breaker (for the record, a split yoke allows for greater freedom of movement in a shirt, but is much harder to construct as it not only adds an extra seam, but also an entire new dimension of pattern-matching). Additionally, the stitching on the contrasting bottom button-hole seemed a little rough, and it would have been nice to have gussets at the side seams for extra durability, but the 365 day guarantee (which is such an awesome promise, and worth mentioning again) pretty solidly negates the need.

Fit:

As fantastic as the construction of the shirt is, I have to admit I'm not entirely blown away by the fit. From my understanding, the shirts are still in pre-production, so Parag didn't have a ton of sizes sitting around to send me. Therefore, I had to settle for a trial shirt a bit off of my sizing, and went with a 15' neck, rather than my usual 14.5'. Knowing this, I reasonably expected the whole shirt to run a bit big and definitely took this into consideration during the review. Take a look at the pictures:

Honestly, everything is so close. I do love that the shirt comes already darted...a lot of shirt-makers refrain from doing this as it adds yet another seam that, if not made entirely straight, throws off the pattern on the back of the shirt.

Can you pick out the darting seems at the sides of the pictures? Subtly well done.

Hucklebury does a great job here, and the darts definitely add a taper to the shirt that most off the rack shirts do not have. For a size too big, this shirt fits way better along the waist than I would have expected...

Fit at the waist (front).

Fit at the waist (side).

...and that's gotta be due to those darts. Nice touch, Hucklebury!

Also, take a look at the armholes, and the mobility around the shoulders.

Once again, for a shirt admittedly a size large, the armholes are very reasonably high and fitted, and there's no unseemly bunching or movement of the rest of the shirt when I raise my arms.

Really, my hesitation when it comes to fit results largely from the fact that, while those areas mentioned above are close enough that a size down would more than likely alleviate any concerns, I'm not sure I'd be able to make that switch. The collar and the shoulder seams on this size are a pretty exact fit for my body, and I'd worry that sizing down would make those areas too small. At the same time, a few other areas, such as the sleeves and looseness at the upper chest make this size too large for me to wear. I'll have to give the 14.5' neck a try to see if I can make it work, because damn, I want to make these work!

Another shot of the fit (keeping in mind this is a size too large):
Close to perfect in the waist.
Great fit at neck and shoulders.
A bit too roomy in the sleeves and chest.

The Bottom Line:

Undoubtedly, Hucklebury offers an incredible deal when it comes to quality for the price. The construction and fabric alone are enough to make these shirts worth buying at $78. As for the fit, the darting and resulting taper in the body are there, as are the higher armholes. If you're a super-skinny guy like me, you may still need some tailoring or alterations to get the perfect fit, but someone with a bit more meat on their bones will more than likely be very pleased with the dimensions. If the fit works for you, this is a helluva buy. If you want to get in on the introductory pricing and support their kickstarter, head over here to for more information regarding contribution options.

Spectre & Co. - Reviewed

I was recently made aware of an up-and-coming shirting company by the name of Spectre & Co. I expressed some interest in their products, and they were kind enough to send me a shirt to review.

I'll begin with the standard disclaimer. This was a sponsored review, and the products reviewed were provided to me free of charge. The article, however, remains objective and unbiased and is published without prior editing or review by Spectre & Co. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself. 

About the Brand:

I'll be perfectly honest, I'm going to skimp a bit on this section, not because I don't think it's worth looking into, but because Spectre & Co. was just featured in a fantastic article on Forbes.com that does a way better job exploring the company and what it does than I could ever do. Here are the basics, but definitely check that article out.

The company is run by founder Jeffrey Zhang, who quit a consulting job a little under a year ago to start Spectre & Co. He told me that the idea came about through his own troubles finding a "perfect white dress shirt" for a wedding. After he paid a whopping $135 to get the shirt he wanted, he decided to take a step in offering affordable but high quality dress shirts. In his words, "My family being in the garment industry, I knew how much things actually cost, and I came up with the idea to bring truly high-quality shirting to the market at the right, affordable price. Everything we have ranges from $45 - $65, and we offer free shipping in the United States and free returns for first-time customers."

Jeff was also kind enough to go into some detail explaining to me just how they are able to maintain a high level of quality and integrity while keeping the prices so low. 

"We're also completely vertically integrated, in that we own everything from production and distribution to retail. We cut out all of the middlemen to pass those savings to our customers. We also pride ourselves with responsible sourcing and fair labor practices. One of the driving forces when finding our production team was to not only prevent tragedies like the one in Bangladesh with the fast fashion retailers, but to well exceed the standards of fair labor. Instead of employing low-wage laborers, we hire local artisans and shirt-makers in Shanghai who have a passion for the craft. It's more expensive for us, but it's the right thing to do, and it also shows in our final product when it comes to quality, stitching, and pattern-matching. Our production team has over 100 years of combined experience in the garment industry, and have pedigrees from renowned shirt-makers such as Ascot Chang."

Long story short, his family has been in the biz long enough to know how to put together a quality product, but by paring the business down to an e-commerce-only shop and just skipping right past all the overhead associated with traditional retail, Jeff has found a way to bring that quality at an affordable price point.

What I Ordered:

For my first pick, I went with the Navy Gingham with a cutaway collar. I was debating trying one of the oxfords, as I'm enjoying OCBD's as my go-to shirt this fall, but I've been dying to have a strong gingham dress shirt in my rotation and thought this was a perfect chance.

Straight out of the box.

I originally ordered in my regular sizing (15" neck with standard sleeve length). The shirt I got was a pretty close fit, but was looser than I prefer around the waist and had some room to tighten up in the collar as well, so I decided to take advantage of the free first return and sized down to a 14.5" neck. I did ask them to keep the sleeve length at the size associated with a 15" neck, and they were happy to oblige. 

What You Get:

First off, overall this is a great shirt, especially for the money. We'll start with fit:

As you can see, the shirt fits almost as well as my MTM shirts. Just right across the shoulders, slim through the body, and almost no billowing at the waist. I was a bit worried about the neck when I sized down, but it still buttons comfortably. I'd say my only complaint (and it's a tiny one at that), is that the cuffs of the sleeves are tight. As in, there's no way I'd be able to come close to using the tighter button, and even the looser option doesn't really let the shirt hang on my wrist the way I like. It's not a huge deal, but it affects the way the sleeves look under a blazer, and just isn't perfect in my opinion. Maybe it's something they will adjust for over time.

The fabric itself is more than satisfactory as well. Spectre & Co advertises "100%, long-stem, two-ply cotton" in the shirt description itself, but you have to dig around a little more to find thread count information. Honestly, those numbers don't mean a whole lot to me, but what does is how smooth and comfortable this shirt felt on its first wear. As a non-technical observer, I'll turn to comparisons here to judge the quality: I'd say it well exceeds to feel of my shirts from Gap and Express, and definitely seems a bit more luxurious than my shirts from Frank and Oak (although most of those are more casual by nature to begin with). My MTM shirt from Modern Tailor was made from their low-tier fabric, and the shirt from Spectre is definitely softer and less wrinkle-prone. I'd put it on par with what I have from Charles Tyrwhitt and J. Crew, both of which retail for MUCH more than $45 a pop.

Spectre & Co really talk up their collars on the site, and don't disappoint here either. The result is a collar that isn't stiff or unforgiving, but still holds up with or without a tie, and lays very nicely under a blazer.

Great-looking cutaway collar.

Collar sans tie or blazer.

Collar seen under a blazer. 

Spectre & Co also points out their higher-than-standard armholes, and once again they deliver. You'll remember a post from a few weeks back featuring a shirt from Target.Loved the shirt, except the armholes were cut low which caused some very unpleasant bunching when I raised my arms. Not so with this shirt...the high and well-fitted armholes let me move my arms without moving the rest of the shirt.

Notice the lack of bunching at the shoulders.

 Other promises from Spectre & Co., such as stitch count and pattern matching are also solidly met.

Shoulder construction and pattern matching. Not perfect, but still solid. 

Side seam construction and pattern matching.

Of course, this shirt is still only $45.00, and no matter how many costs they can cut in their process, no one can offer an entirely luxury shirt for that glorious of a price. Things you might miss include split yoke in the back, gusseting along the seams for reinforcement, mother-of-pearl buttons, metal collar stays, but honestly, if any of those details will keep you from buying an otherwise fantastic shirt, you probably should be adjusting your budget to well over that $50.00 mark.

No gussets on side seams.

Additional Notes...

The Pros:

• Free shipping! Always high up my list of appreciated perks. Plus, that first free return gives you a level of confidence you don't often have with e-commerce.

• Customizable Sleeve Lengths: - Wouldn't think on my own to include this in a list of 'wants' from a brand, but it definitely came in handy. Jeff tells me that at some point they will offer a range of sleeve lengths with each neck size (a la more established shirting companies), but their small-scale production doesn't allow for it just yet. Meanwhile, this customization more than makes up for that.

• Business Model: I'll say it over and over again, I think this idea of cutting out the middlemen, paring everything down to a simple-online experience, and therefore being able to offer top-of-the-line goods at affordable prices is THE FUTURE of the apparel industry.

• Selection: Great selection of colors, collars and patterns. As it's not a custom shirting company, each shirt does come in only one collar option, but they have done a good job styling and all of the individual specs seem well thought-out and attractive. 

• Great Website: Full disclaimer, I will totally overlook a shitty website if you are delivering strong products, but Spectre & Co. manage to deliver those goods while putting up a polished front, which is sometimes a bit of a struggle for these smaller, cost-cutting operations (ahem Modern Tailor). 

• Style Advice: You might remember, one of the things that got me hooked on Tie Society was their feature offering free style advice. While I haven't tried it out with Spectre & Co. just yet, I love the fact that they have this option. Which leads me to...

• Overall Vibe: Honestly, I just like the way Jeff approaches business. From the writing on the site, to the interactions I had over e-mail, to the services Spectre offer, everything is friendly, conversational yet professional, and looking out for your best interests. I always felt like Jeff wanted me to look (and feel) great with my purchases, and never that he was only trying to make a buck off of me (complimentary shirt aside).  

The Cons:

• Just for balance here, some things were a bit of a dig to find on their website. For instance, product descriptions describe the fabric as 'high thread count' without offering an actual number, which had me a bit skeptical at first. Turns out the info is there, but it's tucked away on their FAQ page in the explanation of price differences between products.

• Along the same lines, this one isn't really a con, but just seemed odd to me: Spectre's Oxford-Cloth shirts land at a full $20 more than the rest of the options. It turns out this is perfectly well explained by a higher thread-count fabric, but I was (and still am) just a bit surprised to see this, considering I tend to think of Oxford Cloth as more casual and a bit rougher. More to the point, I've never picked a more expensive OCBD because of a higher thread count. Not bad, just not what I'm used to seeing.

• While for the most part the pattern selection is great, there aren't very many strong plaids. This will probably change with the seasons, but just a personal thing now, as I'm in the mood for a big, blockish plaid. That's just me.

The 'Depends How You Look At It':

Just two quick things to note, that you can take as good or bad depending how you look at it:

• While there is collar and pattern variety, no variety in other details (plackets, cuffs, etc.). For those of us picky enough to care about these things, it's a bit of a disappointment (but at $45.00, again it's not much of one). For others, this might come as a relief, as it streamlines the process (I spent an hour last night designing a MTM shirt after I had chosen the fabric) and you can't really go wrong with any of their selections.

• They only offer free returns on your first order. This isn't horrible (at all) and is in fact pretty smart on their part. As an online merchandiser, they understand the hardest thing about buying online is being confident in the fit. By offering one free return, they give you a chance to perfect your fit with their brand. That way, moving forward your only risk is in the patterns and cloths you choose, but you can be sure you're ordering the right size. So really, if you need more than one return, it'll be due to your own indecisiveness, so just make up your damn mind and stick to it!

Bottom line, I would definitely recommend these shirts to anyone looking for a quality dress shirt without the budget to go full MTM. You may be able to find casual options within this price range from stores like Frank and Oak, but as far as dress shirts, this has been the best bang-for-your-buck option I have yet to find.


Has anyone else gotten the chance to try Spectre & Co. out? Thoughts? Feedback? Any other brand recommendations? On any given work day, I may or may not wear a blazer, may even go without a tie, but I always wear a dress shirt, so I love to hear what people think.