Show us your custom shirts.

[Jovan]

Reviving this thread for some of the new members (whew, there's been a lot lately!) to peruse. That, and I have a new custom shirt and tie estimated to come in on the 22nd. Very late '50s/early '60s inspired. Took a lot of discussion, example pictures, and clarification to get the details right -- such as the back button detail of some old school button downs -- but I have great faith that it and the tie will come out well. Stay tuned!

 

[The Shooman]

http://www.filmnoirbuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1651

 

[Bugsy]

??

How do you gentleman keep track of your collar stays? That is a real problem for me trying to find out which stay goes with what shirt.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

Sometimes it's relatively simple, as the shirtmakers put their names on their bones; other than that, I can generally recall what goes with what by the shape and/or material - e.g. James Meade collar bones are quite long with a distinctive long point, De Havilland are clear plastic, short and squat, broader than the ones Ravi uses, whilst T.M. Lewin bones (generally labelled anyway) are very narrow, and long, whereas Charles Tyrwhitt bones are some sort of soft alloy with an antique bronze appearance, median length and well proportioned. And so it goes. Plus my wife has given me a nice green wallet to keep them in, which helps to keep them together and makes it easier to identify which is which.

 

[Jovan]

Simple, you don't wear collar stays. A lot of men back then didn't, and their collars were made relatively "floppy" compared to the ones now (though not as soft as some button downs). I may receive flak for this, but the boned, stiff fused collar looks a little too fussy for me.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Anyone else have some shirts to show?

 

[Anthony Jordan]

Simple, you don't wear collar stays. A lot of men back then didn't, and their collars were made relatively "floppy" compared to the ones now (though not as soft as some button downs). I may receive flak for this, but the boned, stiff fused collar looks a little too fussy for me.

Conversely I find that, on English-made shirts at least, leaving out the bones simply looks sloppy. Alistair Campbell (former Prime Minister's Press Secretary) used to do it sometimes (viz centre photograph here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3096327.stm ) and it really didn't do him any favours sartorially.

 

[Jovan]

It doesn't look that bad to me. I think any problems might lie in the collar shape not doing favours for his face, or the interlining not being beefy enough.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

It doesn't look that bad to me. I think any problems might lie in the collar shape not doing favours for his face, or the interlining not being beefy enough.

It's not the worst example I've seen, granted, but I think some crispness could only improve it.

 

[herringbonekid]

I may receive flak for this, but the boned, stiff fused collar looks a little too fussy for me.

no flak here. a collar without a stiffener folds around the tie shape more and, if it's a long pointed collar, smoothly curves where it hits the collarbone. it looks more 30s-40s this way (perhaps because it recalls the way a collar with a bar REALLY pulls the collar in and pushes the tips out). to me stiff collars look, well, stiff and uncomfortable in comparison.

 

[Tomasso]

Bones.......

There are bones which offer varying degrees of stiffness from ramrod sterling silver to pliable metal to wispy thin plastic. I think they each have their uses depending on time and place. When suited up (with tie), I like a firm collar for business and other sober occasions but for more casual social occasions I prefer a softer collar. When wearing a suit or sportcoat sans tie I wear thin plastic bones which allow the collar leaves to bend a bit while still keeping the collar from collapsing. When I don't wear a wear jacket of any kind, I don't use any bones; in fact the collars of most of my casual shirts where not even made to receive them. Well, that's my modus operandi (method of madness).

 

[herringbonekid]

Anywho, see the open space between the collar? it actually has a drop rather than the continuous collar stand. That way you see tie hanging between the collar opening and not collar stand.

......................


If you look closely at the collar stand you will see that it has a tiny notch before actually going to the regular curve at the edge... if this isn't clear I'll try to get photoshop up and circle what I'm talking about.

Matt, in the first quote are you just talking about a curved corner to the stand ?

In the second quote, does this tiny notch serve a function ?

 

[Jovan]

*sigh*

Well it came in ahead of schedule, but with problems. Collar too high on the shirt, the button cuffs have two adjustable buttons, which I didn't ask for. In addition, "soft" apparently means lightly fused to them. The tie that I also ordered was simply way too thin in the knot area to make a serviceable four in hand.

I'm almost ready to give up on these guys and shell out more if Hemrajani does a better job. For now, going to see if I can get these problems fixed.

 

[Tomasso]

....but with problems. Collar too high on the shirt

Maybe not, I've always thought that you could use a bit more height on your collars. Post a pic.

 

[Jovan]

It looks silly-high. As in 2.25". I only need 1 7/8" or 2" at most, IMO. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

 

[CharlestonBows]

I've got a set being made up now, and I went a little higher on the collar band. I usually go with about 1 3/4" or 2", but I up'ed the ante on this run, going for 2 1/4"

I kind of like the feel of a high collar band. I'll post pics when they're done.

 

[Dagwood]

Another shirt from Freddy Vandecastelle in Studio City, CA. Thanks again Tomasso for the recommendation.

Forgive the unshaved neck. Collar by Freddy compared to a modern Brooks Brothers shirt (vintage collar style was based on a shirt posted by Baron Kurtz).

 

[Anthony Jordan]

Very... odd feature. I guess they don't count on people still buying collar studs? Could probably be fixed easily.

I did get the buttons removed and buttonholes substituted in the end; for £3 it seemed worth it to eliminate the annoyance. The same place is also converting my worn-out attached collar shirts to tunics for about £3 apiece, so my detachable/attached collar shirt ratio should improve quite significantly.

 

[GHT]

We are off out to the fabric store. The lady's comment when I showed this shirt was the collar is about half an inch too long and it's too expensive. I do like the collar but as Tina points out, being so long it's over-emphasised. Tina said that she can make it, and at the right length, so that's why we are off out. A paper pattern, fabric & notions and not to heavy on the budget.