Dress Shirts / Business Wear

[canadian_hustla]

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Banana Republic or Brooks Brothers are my go to. Brooks Brothers have gotten more expensive compared to before though when the exchange rate was better.

On average if you wait for sales, ~$50-60 a shirt at Banana, and $80 at shirt a Brooks.

Haha yeah i miss buying brooks brothers shirts for $25/$30 a shirt. I must have bought 50 of them over the various sales. The new pricing ($100) is just not worth it. I donated 40 of them to charity and kept my good ones

A bunch of people mentioned boss. I bought the slim line (red label), which fit awesome until i washed them and hung to dry which they say you can do. The sleeves shrunk by an inch or so, which makes them pretty much useless. I.e. 34 sleeves with shrink to 33. The sales guys say that they wont shrink, but its a lie lol.

Back to brooks brothers, i now spend $15 to dart them. Not perfect but not a parachute. Interested in other opinions

[R-Audi]

I buy most my shirts at the Bay... spend some time finding what fits the best and wait for online sales. The shirts that fit me the best are often on sale for ~$40.

Ive also got a few smoking deals on suits there as well, as there are usually a few higher end suits that are on large discount. ($1,200--> $400) Even if they dont fit you can return to the store without question.

[swak]

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A bunch of people mentioned boss. I bought the slim line (red label), which fit awesome until i washed them and hung to dry which they say you can do. The sleeves shrunk by an inch or so, which makes them pretty much useless. I.e. 34 sleeves with shrink to 33. The sales guys say that they wont shrink, but its a lie lol.

I have a couple Boss shirts, unsure of the line, red label or whatever... but they're boss. I just bought a sport coat at H.Rosen because I couldn't find one I liked anywhere else, and also picked up a boss shirt. To the contrary, the sales lady said that Boss always shrinks haha

[asp integra]

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Huey Lam. Full custom (made from a body scan taking 700 measurements). I think they are $69 a piece, which means they are more than cheap enough that you don't have to measure yourself and gamble online, or buy off-the-rack parachutes and have them darted/altered. I am 5'10" 165lbs (pretty normal - I think haha) and it is literally impossible for me to buy an off the rack shirt that fits properly and has a top button that can be done up. Especially if you like the "fitted" look, I'd just go get custom shirts, they are the same price or cheaper than a lot of off-the-rack stuff, even before alterations. Quality is excellent and you can see/touch the material before you buy.

http://www.hueylamsuits.ca/

Indochino has a store in Chinook now too but I don't know what the prices are like.

+1 for Huey, ordered a bunch of suits for friends weddings over the years. Just got a brand new one a month or so ago. Very nice stuff

[killramos]

Never had issues with my boss shirts, sleeve and shirt lengths are all great which is what I like the most about them. Easy enough to find shirts that fit across the chest its getting the length and sleeves right that fucks me up every time.

I even machine dry them lol idgaf.

I have a boss peacoat as well that has served me very well but it was pretty rich for my blood.

[Buster]

If you can justify the bump from Boss to Eton, it's worth it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't understand the rationale behind buying expensive brand-name off the rack shirts when you can get full custom with the same or better quality for so much less. Am I missing something?

A friend of mine is obsessed with Eton, I think they are $200+ at Holt. The quality is exactly the same as a $70 custom shirt, and he still has to pay to have them altered. He's had the elbows blow out on him a few times now too.

The way I see it, I don't know how you can trump full custom, so I just don't see the value in buying the super expensive off the rack stuff.

[killramos]

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I don't understand the rationale behind buying expensive brand-name off the rack shirts when you can get full custom with the same or better quality for so much less. Am I missing something?

A friend of mine is obsessed with Eton, I think they are $200+ at Holt. The quality is exactly the same as a $70 custom shirt, and he still has to pay to have them altered. He's had the elbows blow out on him a few times now too.

The way I see it, I don't know how you can trump full custom, so I just don't see the value in buying the super expensive off the rack stuff.

Because custom fit made like crap is still made like crap? I have never bought into the Indochino thing for this reason, was not all that impressed personally when i went to check out their boutique. The whole warranty thing is useless to me as well because i don't have time to ship my suits back to them 3 times to get them right like I have heard so many have to do.

If you can find a good quality off the rack that fits you well why go through the hassle of custom? Unfortunately I just don't like the price of the ones I like. Such is life.

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If you can justify the bump from Boss to Eton, it's worth it.

I have one great Eton shirt that I love, but it's set for french cuff's so it is relegated to special occasions. Have only worn it a handful of times.

[flipstah]

Selection of material does make a difference. Custom shirt that feels like it's made of tablecloths would be terrible.

[Buster]

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I don't understand the rationale behind buying expensive brand-name off the rack shirts when you can get full custom with the same or better quality for so much less. Am I missing something?

A friend of mine is obsessed with Eton, I think they are $200+ at Holt. The quality is exactly the same as a $70 custom shirt, and he still has to pay to have them altered. He's had the elbows blow out on him a few times now too.

The way I see it, I don't know how you can trump full custom, so I just don't see the value in buying the super expensive off the rack stuff.

I haven't seen a custom $70 shirt that is equivalent in terms of quality. I've seen lots of $70 shirts that CLAIM to be of equivalent quality. But that's a bit different. But I suppose that depends on your definition of quality.

With a company like Eton (there are others), you are also paying for design...which is an intangible and certainly can't be replicated by a custom shirt.

Does this all add up to being worth a couple of hundred more for an Eton shirt? That's up to you.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Because custom fit made like crap is still made like crap? I have never bought into the Indochino thing for this reason, was not all that impressed personally when i went to check out their boutique. The whole warranty thing is useless to me as well because i don't have time to ship my suits back to them 3 times to get them right like I have heard so many have to do.

If you can find a good quality off the rack that fits you well why go through the hassle of custom? Unfortunately I just don't like the price of the ones I like. Such is life.



I have one great Eton shirt that I love, but it's set for french cuff's so it is relegated to special occasions. Have only worn it a handful of times.

Nobody is talking about Indochino, so I'm not sure what you're talking about there. You can touch and feel the material before you buy custom, so you can pick whatever you want. I've compared my shirts to Eton and I literally see no difference when looking at material quality, stitching, buttons, etc. Only difference that I've been able to see is the fit is better and it's ~1/3 the price.

The plain white Eton shirt I tried on at Holt for a wedding was probably the thinnest fabric I've ever seen on a shirt.

You pick the style and fabric (cuffs, collar, etc.), so you should be able to mimic anything you see on a rack shirt. If they don't have patterns you like then I guess that's another matter, but even a lot of those are the same or similar in addition to all the solid colors.

[killramos]

Indochino is just an example that gets thrown around a lot, even by you. Calm down.

I agree with Buster that there is quite a bit more to a nice shirt than the fabric and overall measurements. If you don't think so, well good for you?

You can get Nappa leather in a Kia, even shape it the same way, but I don't believe for a minute the seats are anywhere as nice as the one's in my Mercedes.

[Buster]

Imma start wearing a timex. Quality of time keeping is just the same and costs pennies on the dollar

[A790]

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Imma start wearing a timex. Quality of time keeping is just the same and costs pennies on the dollar

Timex is a great watch brand that has as a long and interesting history. https://watchesyoucanafford.com/time...chmaking-icon/

[Buster]

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Timex is a great watch brand that has as a long and interesting history. https://watchesyoucanafford.com/time...chmaking-icon/

That's why I picked it.

[flipstah]

Bwhahaha nice cheap plug, A790.

[sabad66]

Like others have mentioned, Banana Republic... get on their mailing list then stock up during the 50% f&f event (4 times per year). Good for day to day.

That said, i have a few nicer shirts from Supreme Menswear (4th ave dt across from Shell Centre). Right now they have a promotion going on where 2nd item is free so basically you can get into some high end shirts for 50% off. They have this brand called Elite and i think they are regular price around $160, so with this deal you can get 2 for the same price. Really nice quality shirts and they will even tailor them for you for free. Would highly suggest checking them out... their sales staff also don't work on commission so it's no pressure.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Indochino is just an example that gets thrown around a lot, even by you. Calm down.

I agree with Buster that there is quite a bit more to a nice shirt than the fabric and overall measurements. If you don't think so, well good for you?

You can get Nappa leather in a Kia, even shape it the same way, but I don't believe for a minute the seats are anywhere as nice as the one's in my Mercedes.

I definitely agree that there is a lot more to a good shirt than fabric and measurements. Besides the fit (nothing off the rack fits my very normal body), that is the main reason I switched to custom shirts. I am able to make the smaller details just how I want them.

I'm genuinely curious why people are buying $250+ shirts off the rack and getting them altered instead of going custom, because you can spend the same on a custom shirt from a high-end place in Calgary if you still want $250 shirts. The place I use now is Huey Lam, and you can go and check out dozens of fabrics to see the quality or thickness before you order - there are no surprises. You don't send anything away if you don't like it, they fix it locally. And like I said, the one white Eton shirt I tried on was the thinnest fabric I have ever seen on a dress shirt - there was nothing quality about it. My friend has a closet full of Eton (some with blown elbows because the material was so thin), we compared them to some of my nicer shirts and neither of us could tell a difference when scrutinizing stitching, seams, buttons, etc. - he buys everything custom now.

Regarding styling or design, you can pick all of that with a custom shirt (buttons, cuffs, pocket, collar, cut, etc.) so you can make it look similar to an Eton if you want. You could probably even bring them an Eton shirt and have them copy all the design elements.

I guess what I am really trying to ask is, all else being equal, would you still choose to buy off the rack rather than full custom? I am not judging, I am genuinely curious. If they have a specific fabric or pattern that you love that you can't find anywhere else then that's totally reasonable. Or maybe you don't want to wait 3 weeks for your clothes and need something right away which is very understandable. Or maybe you just like the staff and shopping experience at Holt. Or maybe they use some anti-wrinkle technology or something cool like that I am not aware of.

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Imma start wearing a timex. Quality of time keeping is just the same and costs pennies on the dollar

Your analogy only works if with a Timex, you could also pick the quality and style of the components both inside and out, and still have it cost the same or less than a Rolex from the display case. The disadvantages being it doesn't say Rolex on it, you don't buy it from a fancy store, and you have to wait 3 weeks to get it.

[flipstah]

Diff'rent strokes, man.

[Buster]

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I definitely agree that there is a lot more to a good shirt than fabric and measurements. Besides the fit (nothing off the rack fits my very normal body), that is the main reason I switched to custom shirts. I am able to make the smaller details just how I want them.

I'm genuinely curious why people are buying $250+ shirts off the rack and getting them altered instead of going custom, because you can spend the same on a custom shirt from a high-end place in Calgary if you still want $250 shirts. The place I use now is Huey Lam, and you can go and check out dozens of fabrics to see the quality or thickness before you order - there are no surprises. You don't send anything away if you don't like it, they fix it locally. And like I said, the one white Eton shirt I tried on was the thinnest fabric I have ever seen on a dress shirt - there was nothing quality about it. My friend has a closet full of Eton (some with blown elbows because the material was so thin), we compared them to some of my nicer shirts and neither of us could tell a difference when scrutinizing stitching, seams, buttons, etc. - he buys everything custom now.

Regarding styling or design, you can pick all of that with a custom shirt (buttons, cuffs, pocket, collar, cut, etc.) so you can make it look similar to an Eton if you want. You could probably even bring them an Eton shirt and have them copy all the design elements.

I guess what I am really trying to ask is, all else being equal, would you still choose to buy off the rack rather than full custom? I am not judging, I am genuinely curious. If they have a specific fabric or pattern that you love that you can't find anywhere else then that's totally reasonable. Or maybe you don't want to wait 3 weeks for your clothes and need something right away which is very understandable. Or maybe you just like the staff and shopping experience at Holt. Or maybe they use some anti-wrinkle technology or something cool like that I am not aware of.




Your analogy only works if with a Timex, you could also pick the quality and style of the components both inside and out, and still have it cost the same or less than a Rolex from the display case. The disadvantages being it doesn't say Rolex on it, you don't buy it from a fancy store, and you have to wait 3 weeks to get it.

Lots of expensive watches use the same ETA movements as a lot of cheaper watches. Why do people buy the more expensive ones?