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.

Alpha Industries M-65 - An In-Person(ish) Review

Remember a few weeks back, we posted an article on the classic M-65 fatigue jacket? Alpha Industries was kind enough to send me a sample a few weeks back, and I've finally found the time to snap some pics and write up a post!

Fresh outta the box.

First impressions? This thing seems like a beast. As in, it's much heftier and rugged than I was expecting - in a good way. I mean, it is a military-based jacket, so it makes sense that it would be built to take a beating, I just found myself impressed right off the bat. It also seems like it would be pretty darn warm, especially if you opted to add the additional liner.

Comes ready to insulate with buttons for an optional quilted liner.

Now, notice that I said 'seems,' and you'll find the biggest downfall - fit. And it's not even that it fits terribly. It's just super, super large. Using the sizing chart (and sadly, not doing my own research on the web), I started out with a small in the slim fit (for the record, I normally fit well into a 36R blazer). When the jacket came in the mail, I was swimming in it. Probably could have fit a whole second 'me' in the jacket with me. Oops. Ok, time to swap out.

Second time around, I went with an extra-small, crossed my fingers, and hoped I'd be off to a better start. Unfortunately, while not quite so comically large, the extra-small is still much too large for my scrawny self.

Still might be able to fit another smallish human in this bad boy.

So! First lesson: these jackets run big. If you are anywhere near a small guy, you probably want to look elsewhere. If you aren't so tiny, just be sure to order at least one size down.

Second lesson: even sized appropriately, this is definitely not a 'fashion' coat, and is built for a military man to be able to move and operate comfortably. Most significantly, that means very wide sleeves, as well as a less fitted cut throughout the body.

Though the picture doesn't do it justice, you can get an idea of the width through the sleeves.

That said, some tailoring can make these look pretty damn sharp. Check out this entry by The Nordic Fit for some more information on your alterations options.

Now, after all that, I don't want this review to come off entirely negative by any means. Besides the aforementioned durability and warmth, there's still a lot to be admired. Since I haven't gotten to wear the jacket out, I can't comment too much on comfort or break-in, but I did put together a little list of attributes I dig, as I sit here wishing I could grow a few sizes overnight:

Removable Hood: For some reason, I expected this to roll up bulkily in the collar, but instead, the collar pouch extends into the back, and the hood becomes almost unnoticeable when stashed away. Maybe this is par for the course for a jacket of this type, but I'm a newb to the style and I'm impressed.

Durability: Yep, I know I've said that like, twice already, but it really is a huge part of the appeal - for just $150 you're getting a jacket that will withstand the test of time. And even as it does start to break in, it's just going to look better and better, and likely become more and more comfortable in the process.

Pockets Pockets Pockets! 

So many pockets, but well placed - you could find places to store half of your worldly belongings, but it doesn't look like a walking duffle-bag. 

So, not a real in-person review, but hopefully there's some useful information here. If any of you have had the pleasure of rocking an AI M-65 of your own, and would like to give your review, I'd love to hear it and maybe share it with the crowd!

Also, the PR folks who hooked me up with the AI connection are working with me to look into an alternative that will fit better for a more thorough review, so keep your eyes open. 

Weekend Casual - Brand Spotlight & Review

It was crazy, right around when we decided to move to New York, I got flooded with review and collaboration requests. In the interests of keeping my sanity together (and making it back to the East Coast mentally and physically intact), I put a bunch of things on hold. Now that I’m settled in and waiting for my full-time job to kickstart, I finally have time to get back to these! First on the list is a new accessories brand, Weekend Casual, who were kind enough to send me some samples as an introduction to their products.

Brand Background:

As is tradition here on Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets, I’ll kick things off by letting the brand say a bit about themselves. This isn’t me being lazy, I swear! I just feel they can do a better job telling their story than I can. Kunal Parikh, the founder, had this to say:

"Our main idea is that you don't need to spend a million bucks to look like a million bucks - we want people to be able to utilize what they already own and change up their look by adding accents to their look. And at our prices, you can afford to keep changing your look and staying up to date with the latest styles and trends on a regular basis."

The 'About Us' section on their site goes into a bit more detail:

"Our goal at WC is to deliver to our customers a simple, attractive and streamlined outlet for men to keep their style updated and on trend, with collection of ever-changing accessories. Every WC customer can trust in the knowledge that our design house creates and manufactures our quality men's accessories in the finest facilities shared by such designers as Ted Baker, J Crew and more. We're here to bring you the most engaging and efficient shopping experience. High quality at affordable prices is all part of the program. Keeping it real is what we do best."

Head over to their site to learn more.

The Selection:

So what do they offer? At this point, it’s a pretty solid selection of all things menswear accessories. The focus is on ties, but from there they branch out into bow-ties, pocket squares, cufflinks, tie clips and pins, suspenders and socks. The selections themselves range from classic and conservative to modern and fun.

Classic and conservative...or modern and fun. Your choice.

In particular, they seem to really have a knack for the floral trend, but it will be interesting to see if this gets played down as we enter fall and winter (and what might replace it).

Floral, floral, and more floral!

I’m also personally a huge fan of their equal emphasis on knit ties - sometimes these companies with more selective offerings skip over knits, which are my absolute favorites, so it’s great to see them getting their due!

Ties, bow-ties, cufflinks, and suspenders clock in at $19 a piece, only nominally more than at The Tie Bar, while tie clips are actually cheaper at just $9.  Pre-tied bow-ties are knocked down to $17, pocket squares are $12, lapel pins are $9, and socks are $8. Big apologies if I got any of those mixed up!

What They Sent Me:

To introduce me to their duds, founder Kunal was kind enough to send me a variety of neck ties and pocket squares. I received four ties and two pocket squares:

The ties were the highlight, in my mind. My favorite was this 100% wool tie in blue and grey stripes. It’s incredibly versatile - even in a wool fabric, the texture is loose enough to be appropriate well into the warmer months:

Styled by yours truly. Check out that perfect dimple.

The blue and grey color scheme fits my blue-centric wardrobe perfectly, and the wide stripes are business appropriate, but preppy and bold enough to avoid being relegated to solely office-wear. I’m not seeing this exact one on their site at the moment, but it’s very similar to these other striped options (here and here), which are woven from a wool/silk blend (one of my favorite tie fabrics), and bound to be winners as well.

My second favorite was, predictably, their 'Modern Black' knit. Most of my knits now are from The Tie Bar - in comparison, this knit from Weekend Casual was a bit looser-woven and just a tad wider, which I enjoyed - slightly less hipster, but still slim enough for my own slimness:

Again, styled by yours truly. A solid knot, especially for a knit tie.

I also love that they went beyond the solid, flat black and added an almost heathered effect - it just punches up the visual depth enough to keep a classic from getting boring.

Now, I haven’t had a chance to wear much of the rest yet, but I’m looking forward to it. The khaki tweed tie is just a bit too hefty to rock until the temps dip a bit more, but once they do, I think it will be the perfect fall/winter fabric. It’s got a definite vintage-y feel to it, and I see it adding some perfect contrast to a spread-collar denim shirt:

Already loving the color contrast and the fabric pairing.

The other three samples (light blue floral tie, and blue and red floral pocket squares), do well to showcase the brands penchant for floral patterns. Unfortunately, the tie is 100% polyester (more on that below), but the pattern is subtle, and I could see myself pulling this out for a slightly-dressier brunch, along with a lightweight white shirt and a blue cotton suit:

All set for the next sunny brunch.

As for the squares, I love the patterns - but just haven’t had the right dressed-down-but-suited occasion to wear them since they came in the mail. I especially dig that, while the patterns are bold, the color scheme is limited to one color (and white), which makes them so much easier to style, and less likely to come off as too dandyish.

What’s To Like:

First off, the quality of the ties is pretty impressive considering the uber-affordable price point. Construction seems on par with The Tie Bar, with neat, clean stitching, properly attached keeper loops, and a consistent shape. The fabrics themselves (besides the poly) seem, if anything, to be a step above The Tie Bar - these things just knot and drape perfectly, with just the right amount of heft. Sidebar - I hate when wool ties are too thick, leaving a knot the size of an apple, or knit ties are too thin, leaving a weak shoestring knot. These hit the balance just right. The wool and tweed are toothy without being rough, which I guess isn’t so much of a comfort issue, but still something you can notice just by looking. Well done, all around.

Also, something that struck me when talking with Kunal before receiving the samples was our discussion of their selection in comparison to The Tie Bar (probably the closest brand in terms of price and quality). Kunal said, “Rather than be a warehouse of accessories, we like to curate our collections and make our products with limited quantities so that we can continually rotate in new styles,” a mindset that I think makes a huge difference. As opposed to the Tie Bar, which can be great if you know what you are looking for, but can be a nightmare if you just want to browse for something nice. For example, in skinny silk ties alone, there are 38 pages of results to browse. There are plenty of stylish options, but they are mixed in with some, well, not-so-stylish options. Weekend Casual takes some of the legwork out of it, offering instead a more curated collection of options that is much easier to navigate. They might not have everything, but what they do have is solid and well-chosen.

Of course, I’d be horribly remiss if I didn’t point out their Essential Cause program. Real quick, I’ll let Kunal chime in one more time:

“A lot of companies do the whole Toms "one for one" kind of thing or donate to charity. We do this a little different than most, currently we have 2 causes we work with, we'll have 4 shortly - but we give our customers the option of choosing which cause suits them better, and let them choose where they want a portion of their sales to go.”

So yeah, not only does Weekend Casual embody the entrepreneurial responsibility that we value so much in our favorite brands by giving back, but they actually let you, the customer, help decide where the proceeds from your purchase are being donated. It might not be a mind-blowing feature, but I think it really goes to show where Weekend Casual’s values lie: with their community, and with you as an individual, rather than just as a consumer.

What’s Not To Like:

Polyester! Ugh, honestly one of my favorite things about The Tie Bar is that, even at their price points, they offer only 100% natural fibers - wool, cotton, silk and linen. Weekend Casual has plenty of natural-fiber options as well, but peppered into the mix are some 100% polyester ties. I guess it’s not the end of the world, but I just prefer to avoid polyester ties - and if they can offer natural fibers at their standard price, I’d say just drop the poly! Minor beef.

Editors Note: Right after posting, Kunal informed me that they are actually on the same wavelength here. His words: "That blue tie that I sent you was a product we received as a sample from one of our suppliers - I loved the pattern, and thought it was unique so I sent it your way. But at the end of the day, it's against our policy to stock polyester, so we decided against making it available." So boom, NO POLY!

One more minor beef is that both of the pocket-squares I received were one sided, meaning there is a distinct front and back to the square, with only the front really being desirable to have visible. The way I fold my squares, both sides show, making double-sided squares much more desirable. Again, just a minor beef, as all it takes is a slightly different fold.

My last ‘dislike’ has to do with the site, and web design for new brands tends to see improvements quickly and early, so I’m not too worried. It would be nice in the future to be able to filter selections more, be it by color, pattern, or fabric. However, the fact alone that Weekend Casual intentionally offers a more limited selection makes this distinction almost negligible.

In Conclusion:

I think Weekend Casual makes a fantastic alternative to The Tie Bar - and even better, I don’t really see one eliminating the need for the other (or having both be overkill). The Tie Bar comes in handy when you know exactly what you want and are willing to pick through a lot of similar options to find it. Weekend Casual comes through when you are ready for something new, don’t have anything super specific in mind, and want to browse a well-put-together collection. The price is hard to beat, and the style is spot on.

BONUS: For all of you Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets readers out there, Weekend Casual was awesome enough to provide us with a discount code, ‘WCWETW’ for 25% off your order!

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 Weekend Casual. 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. 

Trashness - In-Person Review

Be proud, this post was done without my personal computer whatsoever. Also, keep that in mind if critiquing any formatting and/or spelling errors.

I had seen shirts by a brand called Trashness popping up here and there on the internet at pretty awesome prices, and ended up suggesting that you all check them out in one of my 'Deals and Steals' posts. I also commented that I hadn't seen a ton of reviews around the web, and a few weeks later, Trashness shot me an e-mail to see if I'd like to help fill that void, so here we go!

The Brand:

As has become tradition, first we'll give the folks from Trashness the chance to tell us about their brand and plug themselves a little bit. I spoke with Amin Eftegarie, co-founder, via e-mail. Here's what he had to share:

"We're based in the Netherlands, in a small town called Nieuw-Vennep (suburbs of Amsterdam). The rent is low here. The Dutch are known for trying to save money in every situation you can think of. That state of mind helped us to cut costs. And as you noticed we offer free worldwide shipping on all products, so 99% of our orders are outside NL. (our top destinations: USA, Italy, UK, Japan etc). We care a little less about our profit margins, and a little more about getting students across the world the style and quality of clothing we wished some company was offering when we were broke students. 

We've been around since 12-12-12. At least officially, on this date we registered Trashness at the Dutch chamber of commerce. But my co-founder Maarten and I were obsessing about menswear long before that. We often discussed what other brands were doing. And sometimes we wondered why they were doing it (in such a way). Why aren't they doing it another, to us more rational/gratifying way? We went on a journey which ended with the establishment of Trashness. 

Perhaps all those company background stories might sound the same. The best communication we do, is trough the quality and branding of our products and the awesome custom service we give when something's not up to our standards."

I selected probably their most classically styled shirts, but they also have a lot of more aggressively styled options, including a wide selection of extreme cut-away collars (not quite my style, but if that's your thing, definitely take a look). They also offer accessories from ties to pocket squares to bracelets, and recently I saw a line of cotton cardigans pop up that looked mighty tempting.

The Shirts:

Trashness was kind enough to actually send me two shirts to try out. The fit on both shirts was pretty darn nice, for right off the rack. Trashness had actually cautioned me that their shirts run extra slim, and since I have yet to find a shirt that istoo slim for me, I was hoping this would be darn snug. It comes pretty close, there's still a bit of room, which is probably for the best, as most slim guys will probably have a few inches on me anyway. As it is, I don't think I will need to tailor it at all. Points! (Editors Note: Fit pictures will come, pending more cooperative outdoor lighting). 

The first shirt I picked was their white OCBD ($44 via the Trashness store). 

OCBD White | Trashness

http://www.trashness.com/product/ocbd-white

Not only is this shirt a staple that no man can have enough of, I've been on a huge kick with them lately, wearing them almost everyday. I love how much I can play around with the rest of an outfit when it's anchored by a classic like a white OCBD. Anyway, when it came down to it, this was the least impressive of the two shirts, mainly due to lower quality fabric. While the shirting felt sturdy enough, there was a lot of fraying along the edges, seams and buttonholes. 

One instance of fraying fabric.

Additionally, there wasn't quite a nice roll to the button-down collar...when worn with a tie I kept getting weird dents and crinkles, and the collar wouldn't just lay flat. 

Just not the best collar roll ever.

In all fairness, Amin also mentioned that they will soon be upgrading their OCBD fabric, so all this might be moot in a short while.

That being said, My second choice was a spread collar denim shirt ($44 via the Trashness store), which I thought was fantastic:

Spread Collar Denim | Trashness

http://www.trashness.com/product/spread-collar-denim

I've been hunting down a spread collar denim dress shirt that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg, and this fits the bill nicely. The fabric here is much cleaner, and I'm a big fan of the heft. It's a bit thicker than a lightweight chambray, but doesn't feel like you're wearing a jean jacket. Amin told me, "It's enzyme washed. We had another denim shirt which was great, and softer after a couple of washes. So this shirt is already pre-washed, giving you the softness right from the start." The spread collar and lack of chest pockets keep the silhouette trim, and I'd definitely wear this with a tie and/or a blazer. Just a few areas they could improve: why no collar stays? Or at least slots? A curled up collar can be so detrimental to a look, and it's such an easy fix! 

Some collars should roll, but these shouldn't.

Also, I can't decide if I like the contrast stitching (reminiscent of denim jeans). 

Contrast Button-Hole

On one hand, I like the way it hearkens to the stitching on your jeans, but on the other, I think it takes away from the formality of the shirt in a slightly out-of-place way.

My only other beef, with both shirts, is the embroidered logo at the hip. 

Too much branding! Also, more sloppy needlework.

I just like my shirts (dress shirt especially) to be logo-and-embellishment-free. I won't even buy Polo Ralph Lauren shirts if the little polo man is embroidered in a contrast color. While it's a nifty little logo, keeping it on the tag should be enough. It's not a huge deal, but I think it detracts a bit from an otherwise clean, sharp look. Maybe my tailor can pick it out without leaving any noticeable holes...

The Bottom Line:

There are indeed better shirts to be had, but they will be hard to find at $45. If fit is your biggest concern (rather than high fabric quality), this is definitely not a bad choice. Fit is sharp and modern, and better than you'll get from most OTR choices, but construction and fabric quality seem to be a bit sub-par, at least on certain options. The branding on the shirt keeps them from being 100% office-ready (although said branding is easily hidden under a cardigan or blazer).

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 Trashness. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself. 

An In-Person Review of Proper Socks

Justin Schachner of Proper Socks reached out to me a little bit before Thanksgiving to share their Kickstarter campaign. After a few e-mails back and forth, he was kind enough to send me a pair of socks for an in-person review. After giving them a try, I'm ready to report:

The Brand:

First, some background from the brand: 

"Proper Socks is the brainchild of Midwest-native Justin Schachner. As a management consultant in Washington, DC, Justin practically lives in his dress shoes and his socks are his way of interjecting person style into his business dress. Unfortunately, spending 12+ hours in unsupportive footwear took a toll on his feet. One night after a 10 hour work day, Justin traded his thin dress socks for a pair of his high-performance running socks to sooth his feet. Instantly feeling the difference, Justin began his search for dress socks with the same technology. After weeks of searching department stores and the Internet, Justin came up empty handed. With that, Proper Socks was born."

It's become the classic genesis story of menswear start-ups today: unable to find the perfect product, resourceful entrepreneurs set out to make it themselves. And so far, Proper Socks seems to be doing quite well at it, with their early-bird $20 three-pack offering selling out in just hours. Lucky for you folks, other offerings are still available through their Kickstarter, starting at $29 for three. 

The Socks:

After a solid day wearing these bad boys, I'm pretty impressed. First off, the fabric itself is definitely an improvement from my pairs from stores like J.Crew, The Tie Bar or Gap. Where my other pairs are thin and often not very stretchy, these are soft, plush, and slightly but noticeably thicker than your standard dress sock.

However, these aren't a hefty winter sock, by any means. In fact, their ventilated toe box is designed to keep your feet fresh and un-swampy through the day. I can't say I noticed the ventilation itself, but my feet have definitely not been roasting all day, as tends to happen when I wear my thick wool or ragg cotton pairs.

Proper Socks kicks up the comfort level another notch by adding right-vs-left-specific arch support and targeted padding that provides extra cushioning specifically where your feet tend to take the most abuse. Again, I didn't necessarily feel the padding, but the arch support is definitely welcome, and after a full work day (and a lunch-break running around Chicago completing errands), I think I can safely say my feet feel somewhat less of the standard strain.

As far as style goes, Proper Socks currently offers three different 'lines': the Washington in dots; the Brooklyn in stripes, and the Chi-Town in solid/color-blocked. 

One of each 'line'.

The options are solid...stylish but subtle. Nothing crazy out-of-the-box, but there's definitely been much more attention paid to the aesthetics than your average performance socks. My pair is the pink/blue Brooklyn design, and I'm a big fan (I love stripes, I love blue, these will fit my wardrobe excellently).

My only complaint is that the sock seems a tad big on first wear, and there is only one size offered.

Honestly, the only reason I even noticed was the contrasting heel sits high, as you can see in the picture above. It's barely an issue at all, however, and I'm pretty sure a run through the dryer will fix it right up.

All in all, it's a bit hard to judge socks after just a wear or two (definitely can't say anything at this point regarding durability, which can be a big factor). That said, these socks definitely have the potential to be big winners in my book. On top of that, $29 for three pairs is a pretty darn reasonable price, even for socks that do a helluva lot less for your feet. 

The final Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets judgment: I say go for it! Good price, comfortable socks, and a couple of every-day folks trying to make a positive impact on men's feet everywhere. What's not to like?

Contribute to the Proper Socks Kickstarter campaign and score some socks for yourself here!

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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 Proper Socks. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself.