20 January 2010

MTM- Yellow University Stripe Popover Oxford

How could I not?
Popover sans pocket

Yoke to sleeve pattern matching

It started with that fabric sample. Yellow university stripe oxford is a mother to find. Hell, Charvet in Paris didn't have it and they have everything or that's what the nice lady told me before I knocked over a bolt of fabric that knocked over another and another and another..."The Falling Bolt of Fabric Theory" was not appreciated and I was kindly asked it there was another color I was looking for and if there wasn't I could take the elevator downstairs. Which I took to mean, "Don't let the fabric bolt hit you where the good lord split you.

Go figure I find the fabric in the booming downtown hubbub of Wilmington, Delaware. Wright & Simon has been around since the 30's. Len, the owner, had a four shirt minimum so after picking this stripe I cruised through a decent size book of fabric samples. The most fun I've had with my clothes on.

Individualized Shirts in Perth Amboy does MTM for a number of retailers and some surprising names like Brooks Brothers, J Press, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's and, of course, my guys at Wright & Simon. The fitting is unique in that you try on different sized collars and shirt bodies with allowances for shrinking. We'll see how well this fits after three or fours washings.

The true sign of a custom shirt is pattern matching where the yoke meets the sleeve. Always ask for it when you're looking at custom. Made to Measure just can't do it but I got lucky with this shirt. The pattern matching on both sleeves is very close. By the way, that's how you recognise custom shirting. Not by monograms.

I went with a popover sans pocket because that's what the original Brooks Brothers shirt was. No one needed a shirt pocket because of vested suits. The placket will be hidden by a tie but I like the look of it. I've never been one for monograms. I've had my last name embroidered on the tail of custom shirts but the cleaners always write my last name on the other tail so what's the point. So no monograms for me.

I like the way this one turned out. We'll see how it does over time. That's the real test. As I wrote earlier, I still have three custom shirts from 1999. They were considerably more than this shirt's price of $130 but I figure in another ten years most people will be going to work in tee shirts, cargo shorts and flip flops. I'll post the Royal Oxford tomorrow. By the way, go buy Wally's book.

11 comments:

  1. You knocked it out of the park and for $130 no less. This is going to look great without a tie and some chinos.

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  2. That is the perfect popover. Four buttons, pointed placket, awesome. The collar looks great as well.

    Tom Buchanan

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  3. Great looking shirt. Us DE guys often forget how the rest of you live with all of those extra taxes. Enjoy the shirts!

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  4. Man that is some great shirt.

    ML
    mlanesepic.blogspot.com

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  5. Tom- Good to hear from you. It worked pretty well. The collar is the largest BD they offer. Called the University, it's 3 3/8" long.

    Brian- Len's gotta sale going on. Some interesting stuff.

    M Lane- Did you win?

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  6. To be honest I'm not crazy about the popover concept but I can see it's appeal and they've done a nice job....like you I think monograms are strictly for Donald Trump.....the price was very good so I'll look into the vendor

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  7. Bravo on the material and the popover (I always call them smocks)...

    I have one madras shortsleeve smock by Polo of all people, bought for a pittance from an outlet.. Always on the lookout for more, but I hadnt considered MTM.. I think Turnbull & Asser might raise an eyebrow if I suggest it next time I'm in there!

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  8. Great shirt. Solid, straightforward and unique. The personal construction and stylistic touches really make the shirt.

    off topic but what happened to heavy tweed jacket'd blog?

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  9. That collar is fantastic...I'm more than a little jealous.

    Fantastic Tin Tin.

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  10. This is one _great_ looking shirt. A yellow candy stripe shirt was one of my all time favorites from Brooks back in the 80s. It still mystifies me why they no longer stock this color. In ten years they probably will still not be offering it, but they may even be offering flip flops and t-shirts by then. What's next - an oxford striped fun shirt?

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