OT: suggestions for a quality broadcloth button-down shirt?

[wallymann]

for occasions requiring a suit, i'm good with brooks-brothers pinpoint button-down cotton kit, they fit me perfectly off-the-peg.

for less formal settings when i wear a sport coat, i prefer a broadcloth button-down shirt. in this niche i have a mish-mosh of hilfigers and eddiebauers and ralphlauren that i've accumulated thru the years. while they're fine when worn shirt-alone, they fit atrociously when worn under a sportcoat (sleeves too long, too much material on the body).

i'm poking around for broadcloth button-downs that are well made, fit well, and wont break the bank <= $50/ea is a good target. in basic white, of course!

edit: i might have gotten the pinpont-broadcloth backwards! the sequence from fine to coarse is thus: broadcloth -> pinpoint -> oxford -> twill. at least according to this website http://www.ratioclothing.com/t-howto-fabrics.aspx. although i just checked with my brother who works in the industry and he says it goes like this: pinpoint -> oxford -> broadcloth -> twill (which is more in line with what i understood to be correct). in any case, i'm looking for suggestions on a coarsly-woven not super-formal button-down shirt!

[MattTuck]

for occasions requiring a suit, i'm good with brooks-brothers pinpoint button-down cotton kit, they fit me perfectly off-the-peg.

for less formal settings when i wear a sport coat, i prefer a broadcloth button-down shirt. in this niche i have a mish-mosh of hilfigers and eddiebauers and ralphlauren that i've accumulated thru the years. while they're fine when worn shirt-alone, they fit atrociously when worn under a sportcoat (sleeves too long, too much material on the body).

i'm poking around for broadcloth button-downs that are well made, fit well, and wont break the bank <= $50/ea is a good target. in basic white, of course!

So, stupid question, what is broadcloth?

[Hardlyrob]

Costco wrinkle resistant Kirkland Signature - really nicely made shirts for about $20

LL Bean wrinkle resistant - another great deal

Cheers!

Rob

[wallymann]

it's a more coarsely woven material. if you look at pinpoint and broadcloth next to one another, the names make total sense.

edit: i actually got that backwards! in any case, i'm looking for suggestions on a coarsly-woven button-down shirt!

So, stupid question, what is broadcloth?

[jr59]

I don't like most of what they sell, but I really do like their dress shirts.

http://www.ralphlauren.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2004212&cp=1760781&ab=ln_men_cs1_dressshirts

[Vientomas]

Land's End.

[christian]

The best oxford cloth dress shirt for the price is the Land's End Hyde Park tailored fit. It's 95% the shirt the BB oxford is at 62% the price. And often found at 25-40% off.

http://www.landsend.com/pp/mens-long-sleeve-tailored-fit-solid-hyde-park-dress-shirt~194212_59.html

[jr59]

The best oxford cloth dress shirt for the price is the Land's End Hyde Park tailored fit. It's 95% the shirt the BB oxford is at 62% the price. And often found at 25-40% off.

http://www.landsend.com/pp/mens-long-sleeve-tailored-fit-solid-hyde-park-dress-shirt~194212_59.html


This shirt comes in second place in my book. A LOT of shirt for the money!

[hokoman]

I used to order ascot chang, and then found uniqlo shirts for $30-$40 that fit well. RL, Brooks Brothers, etc don't fit well in the body at all, maybe if I weighed 50 more pounds. Even my made to order Brooks Brother shirts don't fit that great.

[djg]

Costco wrinkle resistant Kirkland Signature - really nicely made shirts for about $20

LL Bean wrinkle resistant - another great deal

Cheers!

Rob

Costco -- yes, plus 1. I know it might seem ludicrous, but the Kirkland Signature all cotton button down "no-iron" shirts are really good shirts and very well priced. No, not custom, and not top shelf stock either, but a person could spend much more and do worse with a "name brand" at a nice department store. I'm wearing one now, typing on my lunch break from my office desk.

[danielpack22@ma]

The Brooks Brothers is my go-to broad cloth shirt. The classic fit fits me well.
They're on sale (15%-25% off) this weekend.:banana:

[Climb01742]

just to balance the options you've been given...

http://www.us.thomaspink.com/

very nice shirts and they fit quite differently than BB shirts.

[yngpunk]

Also check out:

www.ctshirts.com

They even let you customize to some extent with french cuffs, pockets, and sleeve lengths. Not the same as Pink, but still pretty nice for the price.

[christian]

If you buy an oxford cloth shirt from an English shirtmaker, I will personally come over to your house and kick your ass with my Alden tassel loafers. Pinpoint, fine, but oxford cloth is not what they do.

[EDS]

for occasions requiring a suit, i'm good with brooks-brothers pinpoint button-down cotton kit, they fit me perfectly off-the-peg.

for less formal settings when i wear a sport coat, i prefer a broadcloth button-down shirt. in this niche i have a mish-mosh of hilfigers and eddiebauers and ralphlauren that i've accumulated thru the years. while they're fine when worn shirt-alone, they fit atrociously when worn under a sportcoat (sleeves too long, too much material on the body).

i'm poking around for broadcloth button-downs that are well made, fit well, and wont break the bank <= $50/ea is a good target. in basic white, of course!

edit: i might have gotten the pinpont-broadcloth backwards! the sequence from fine to coarse is thus: broadcloth -> pinpoint -> oxford -> twill. at least according to this website http://www.ratioclothing.com/t-howto-fabrics.aspx. although i just checked with my brother who works in the industry and he says it goes like this: pinpoint -> oxford -> broadcloth -> twill (which is more in line with what i understood to be correct). in any case, i'm looking for suggestions on a coarsly-woven not super-formal button-down shirt!

I have not purchased an oxford since boarding school, but I do have one shirt from Ratio and am happy with the fit and quality. My main shirt source is/was Charles Tyrwhitt, which had replaced BB.

[559Rando]

Brooks Brothers does have an Extra Slim that fits me the best of their line up. Their extra slim is about as a standard fit from Express or Zara. It's not super skinny.

I like the Extra Slim fit under a sportscoat just fine. If you're ending up with shirts with sleeves too short, make sure you're buying the right size. I find that anything long sleeved that comes sized Small, Medium, Large, etc. don't have well-fitting arms. I have long arms and do best with "real" dress shirts with distinct neck and arm sizing (e.g. 16-36, 15 1/2-34, etc, etc)

D

[rugbysecondrow]

Just a plug for tailoring your shirts. I wear an 18 neck, 37 arm but have a 36 waist, so I have all my button up shirts fitted by a local seamstress. It is a good use of 15 bucks.

[EDS]

Just a plug for tailoring your shirts. I wear an 18 neck, 37 arm but have a 36 waist, so I have all my button up shirts fitted by a local seamstress. It is a good use of 15 bucks.

Or you could just buy a shirt that fits in the first place.

[54ny77]

don't forget the ruffles. it says, "i'm serious, but i like to party."

http://www.partyonfancydress.co.uk/photos/1.446697FUN2775s.jpg

[rugbysecondrow]

Or you could just buy a shirt that fits in the first place.

My man, they don't make many big and tall clothes in slim fit or athletic cut.

I would say that many people with dress or button up shirts could stand to have them fitted. Why spend good money on shoes and clothes just to not hve them fit right? Anyway, I have a hard time finding the right size so I go see Helga.

[559Rando]

My man, they don't make many big and tall clothes in slim fit or athletic cut.

And analogize shirts to something abstract, like say, oh, I don't know...a bike, custom will fit better or making adjustment to fit (that 100mm stem they put on the bike on the floor won't fit 100% of customers 100% of the time) can make a big difference.

I ordered a few shirts from "Everything Bespoke" about 3 years ago. I made the purchase through eBay, they sent me a document with pictures showing to how/where to measure my body. My wife measured me, we sent the measurements in and the shirts came back. They fit great and the fabrics were good, but I thought the workmanship was a little lacking (ie puckering, buttons not lying flat, seams a little unfinished).

[Fixed]

The Brooks Brothers is my go-to broad cloth shirt. The classic fit fits me well.
They're on sale (15%-25% off) this weekend.:banana:

My sons favorite too
Cheers

[Louis]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQYUEFkmy9L66v-A7Ut6OUrIPn7PgGxb6hAilN5cuVL6QodYvt7

[54ny77]

A MOST awesome episode.

Laughed out loud here, launched some seltzer at the screen.

Thanks for the chuckle....;)

[Tony T]

"Some of those heckles were really uncalled for: "Avast ye matey" - what the hell does that mean?! "20 degrees off the starboard side - the Spanish Galleon!" - there's no comeback for that!"

[19wisconsin64]

costco has great products at great prices....their shirts are very large running, though....double check the sizes, they run large.

i've found Uniqlo, a Japanese chain that has stores in the states, to have amazing prices on the shirts you mentioned. they run slimmer in sizing, and the quality of fabric is top notch. i usually live in these shirts.....great stuff!

[wc1934]

I have the same problem with Hilfiger and Lauren having too much material in the body.
J. Crew has more of a custom slimmer fit - Quality is pretty good.

[oldpotatoe]

for occasions requiring a suit, i'm good with brooks-brothers pinpoint button-down cotton kit, they fit me perfectly off-the-peg.

for less formal settings when i wear a sport coat, i prefer a broadcloth button-down shirt. in this niche i have a mish-mosh of hilfigers and eddiebauers and ralphlauren that i've accumulated thru the years. while they're fine when worn shirt-alone, they fit atrociously when worn under a sportcoat (sleeves too long, too much material on the body).

i'm poking around for broadcloth button-downs that are well made, fit well, and wont break the bank <= $50/ea is a good target. in basic white, of course!

edit: i might have gotten the pinpont-broadcloth backwards! the sequence from fine to coarse is thus: broadcloth -> pinpoint -> oxford -> twill. at least according to this website http://www.ratioclothing.com/t-howto-fabrics.aspx. although i just checked with my brother who works in the industry and he says it goes like this: pinpoint -> oxford -> broadcloth -> twill (which is more in line with what i understood to be correct). in any case, i'm looking for suggestions on a coarsly-woven not super-formal button-down shirt!

Mr. Manning, Manning Tailors in Kowloon, across the bay from HK. Great prices and shirts but the trip to get fitted may be expensive.

[rwsaunders]

I've purchased shirts from PF over the years and they have a great variety of fabrics, styles and sizes.

http://www.paulfredrick.com/PFDefault.aspx

[19wisconsin64]

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/

thankfully, they just went online this week. huge store great stuff.

i found the shirts to be as good as $200 shirts, but for about $29.99, and from that they even go on sale lower.

there are a lot of fitted and regular shirts, most of the sizes don't run large

[Orrery]

^Awesome. I didn't know about this. I love Uniqlo but was a pain to go to NYC to get clothes.