Too expensive for factory? Should I go custom?

Asporadic

Mods: Im open to correction here, but I get the impression the Fashion forums are basically.... well exactly that. I think this might get a better response here as we do have suit threads and some excellent posters (come on Old Goat... i want your opinion on this )

Basically Im looking at a shirt, its 100% cotton, but its really top quality. Its one of those few shirts that when you see it you just know it wasnt cheap. Its a plain white shirt and would be perfect with a suit, or even just the shirt with top button open and a pair trousers if you wanted to be a bit more casual.

Anywho at nearly 180euro for an off-the-shelf shirt, Im just wondering would I better off going down the custom route? Has anyone ever had a shirt custom made?

Sugar Free

Asporadic wrote: »

Mods: Im open to correction here, but I get the impression the Fashion forums are basically.... well exactly that. I think this might get a better response here as we do have suit threads and some excellent posters (come on Old Goat... i want your opinion on this )

Basically Im looking at a shirt, its 100% cotton, but its really top quality. Its one of those few shirts that when you see it you just know it wasnt cheap. Its a plain white shirt and would be perfect with a suit, or even just the shirt with top button open and a pair trousers if you wanted to be a bit more casual.

Anywho at nearly 180euro for an off-the-shelf shirt, Im just wondering would I better off going down the custom route? Has anyone ever had a shirt custom made?

IMO, fit is far more important than quality, assuming the quality is not rubbish to begin with.

180E on a shirt that may fit like a tent is crazy. If you know the brand and know the style of their shirts it may be ok. However, you could definitely get two, possibly three shirts MTM by a local tailor for that price. Additionally, be wary of very high quality shirts. The cotton is often so fine that although the material will look luxurious, it will also have poor durability.

I have not used a local tailor yet - though I plan to do so - but have used online tailors several times. Their operations are based in Asia and the quality can be hit and miss, though I've found one where I'm satisfied with the price/quality ratio. It also takes a few orders to get the fit perfect.

My advice is two options:

Plan A) Use the 180E to commission 2-3 shirts from a local tailor. More time consuming and possibly more limited in choice depending on their swatches but not if you only want a white shirt. Your chance of getting a great fitting and great quality shirt though would be very high.

Plan Go to a high street place that sells decent shirts (e.g M&S) and that you know fits you reasonably well. You could easily get 3 shirts for 150E, then spend the remaining 30-40E having them tailored to perfect the fit of them.