What really goes into a custom shirt? What makes “the bespoke shirt” so special?
The quality that goes into a custom made shirt is much more than meets the untrained eye. It's more than a picture; it's a feeling you experience.
The feel of a custom shirt allows you to be more confident in your appearance, letting you feel relaxed in your movements whether you are with or without a jacket and tie.
“Gee, can a custom men's shirt really do all that?” one may ask. Well it's true! It's almost like a second skin only better!
1. Custom Shirts are Fully Personalized
What are my choices?
Customizing a mens dress shirt goes well beyond adding your initials to the garment, although that visible touch can often bring you further compliments.
Every detail is up to you. You can choose the spread of your own collar, and the style ranging from conventional point, spread, and button-down collars to more exotic options like a pin or tab collar.
You have the option of choosing the cuff shape that is dressier with rounded corners or squaring them off would provide a more masculine look. You might appreciate extra buttons for adjusting the cuff openings.
The front of your custom mens shirt offers some variation where you might want the buttons hidden or even a bit of framing like with a placket which will also add durability.
You can choose to add a chest pocket or two or, leave them off all together. The pocket shape is another area open to customization.
2. Custom Shirt Fabrics
Color, pattern, weight and weave
The custom shirt fabric you choose is is a big part of the picture and can be directly linked to your environment. If you live in a cooler climate you can choose a fabric that will give more warmth by choosing a heavier weight, a tighter weave or a blend.
For a warmer climate you have the luxury of choosing lighter colors as well as lighter fabric weights and weaves, all aimed to keep you feeling comfortable.
The colors and patterns allow you to create anything from a works-with-everything white dress shirt to a colorfully-striped weekend garment.
3. Bespoke Tailoring Means Personal Measurements
Provides ultimate comfort and ease
Applying your measurements to your choice of fabrics along with all of your personalized details is where it all comes together — now you can call it your own!
Your individual custom clothing measurements provide the ultimate fit that is meant exclusively for you.
A certain amount of ease is taken into consideration giving you the roominess you desire. You choose where you want the shirt to be tight and where you want a looser fit.
Just the right amount of ease around your neck, the perfect sleeve length, a generous body length if you are taller than normal are all worries melted away.
4. Focal Point is Collar Styling
Take your custom shirt one step further
The collar styling you choose can enhance your specific features; a long narrow face would do well with a wider collar point spread, balancing out your look.
Someone with a wider face and neck would do well with a more narrow collar point spread giving a more vertical appearance.
Taking this information into consideration when making your purchase will carry through and compliment your appearance.
5. Special Features
Provides increased quality and value
Freedom to have this choice in menswear increases value, so the choices you make here can help build life and longevity into your wardrobe therefore creating a better overall value.Your custom shirt will last longer if you choose to add features like the following.
French seams add value since the inside of the garment is clean finished, which means no loopy threads are showing. Threads won't get caught or broken, and therefore seams are more durable and secure.French seams can also help those with sensitive skin by encasing threads that can be scratchy.
Stress points like the lower side seams can have a gusset inserted to help ease the extra stress applied at those points which can prevent bottom of side seams from splitting.
6. Let your Custom Shirt Speak for Itself
A closer look at details
Matching stripes is also value added since your custom shirt will have a better appearance and balance. Our eyes value symmetry.
Additional buttons may be added in case originals gets lost or broken. They can also be added for adjusting the shirt cuff openings.
You may prefer specific features like pocket shape, and cuff angles, top-stitching or maybe none at all.
7. Fit Improvement Tips
Let your tailor guide you
A split back yoke will provide additional fitting benefits allowing a more accurate and comfortable fit across your shoulders and upper back.
Finally…
These decisions and more can be made by you, putting you in control of your wardrobe and your appearance, therefore building your confidence and self image. Or you may leave it to the tailoring expert to coordinate them for you.
This insight puts you at ease to know you are being judged less critically on your appearance and the focus will be more on you and what you have to say.
A few more great articles on classic men's fashion:
I'm Antonio Centeno, the founder of RMRS. I'm a former Marine Corps Officer with a BA in Evolutionary Biology and Philosophy (Cornell College 98') and an MBA from The University Of Texas at Austin (07'). I studied the Science of Style in London, Hong Kong, and Bangkok and have created over 5000 videos/ articles to help men dress better. Click here to discover more about our mission here at RMRS.
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