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Jantzen tailor

post #1 of 36
2/3/04 at 11:06pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all, There's been a lot of talk on the forums lately about custom shirts, and I really want to purchase some.  I've heard a lot about Ascot Chang, Geneva, and Kabbaz (and maybe some Borrelli as well?) on the forums as of late, but I really can't afford anything like that right now. I remember in the past there's been some talk about Jantzen Tailors.  I think that the price/quality ratio for this company surpasses any other custom shirt outfitter.  I'm not saying that JT shirts are better than the others, I just think that for the money you get a lot of quality.  For $39 it looks like I can get a shirt perfectly fitted to my body with real MOP buttons, Italian fabric, whatever touches of flair I want (contrasting button holes, embroidery, extra long cuffs, what ever collar size I want, two-button cuffs, etc). I don't doubt the quality or service, but I'd just like to hear some opinions.   I'm young so I would like to go for some bolder shirts.  I'd start out with three or four; a solid, a windowpane, and a striped shirt or two. I was checking through the "latest shirt styles'' and saw that they do some nice designs.  Does it cost extra to, say, have the pattern on a diagonal (for stripes) or have the placket stripes horizontal and the rest diagonal? This is what I was thinking of getting - let me know what you think: - Solid color in French Oxford Fabric (blue or gray).  I was thinking a regular pointed collar, single-button barrel cuffs, no-pocket, french front, plain back.  For a different twist, I'd like to have blue-striped fabric placed inside the cuffs (so I can turn then out when worn casually) and inside the collar. - Very light beige fabric with black windowpane.  I would want the fabric set on a diagonal.  Semi-spread collar, two-button barrel cuffs, no pocket, french front, plain back.  Maybe get contrasting stitching on the cuff button holes. - Thin brown/tan/lt blue striped fabric set on a diagonal.  Seen on the website under "latest styles". - White with thin blue triple-stripe.  I would have the fabric angling towards the placket on the sides and horizontal on the placket.  How should I have the back done?   I remember hearing something about an associate with Jantzen (was his name Ricky?) posting here.  I'd like to hear his thoughts and input on this if possible. Thanks for the help. Eric
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post #2 of 36
2/4/04 at 1:18am
Thread Starter 
27 views and no replies? C'mon, I know some of you sneeks have an opinion to share.
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post #3 of 36
2/4/04 at 1:53am
Just be sure to communicate your desires very explicitly, in a follow-up email to Ricky Ho (that's the dude's name) if possible. I don't think it costs anything more to set the fabric on the bias (diagonally) as opposed to how it usually goes. You can ask him, of course. Price/value-wise, it's hard to beat. You'll probably be wearing this shirt a lot, seeing as how you've paid only $40 bucks for it, while your $100+ dress shirts sit safe inside your closet because you're afraid you'll spill something on them the next time you wear them to dinner. I value clothes on how much you can wear them before they fall apart, and the quality of the handiwork and fit, per dollar. With this valuation, Jantzen shirts are at the top. (Also, I'm of the mindset that dress shirts are best thought of as disposable.) They have some nice orange stripes in the Latest Fabrics section. I intend on snapping some of those up before they go out of stock. Once it's gone, it's gone; they only use closeout fabrics for their shirts.
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post #4 of 36
2/4/04 at 2:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Just be sure to communicate your desires very explicitly, in a follow-up email to Ricky Ho (that's the dude's name) if possible. I don't think it costs anything more to set the fabric on the bias (diagonally) as opposed to how it usually goes. You can ask him, of course. Price/value-wise, it's hard to beat. You'll probably be wearing this shirt a lot, seeing as how you've paid only $40 bucks for it, while your $100+ dress shirts sit safe inside your closet because you're afraid you'll spill something on them the next time you wear them to dinner. I value clothes on how much you can wear them before they fall apart, and the quality of the handiwork and fit, per dollar. With this valuation, Jantzen shirts are at the top. (Also, I'm of the mindset that dress shirts are best thought of as disposable.) They have some nice orange stripes in the Latest Fabrics section. I intend on snapping some of those up before they go out of stock. Once it's gone, it's gone; they only use closeout fabrics for their shirts.
Thats what I was thinking (to the disposable thought, and the fact that I'd wear them a lot). I realized the other day that I will never be able to find a dress shirt OTR that fits me well. I take a 17 neck; yet I have a 36" chest and a 31" waist. Most 17's have a 50-54" chest. Even 'slim fit' 17's are way too baggy. So, either I buy a dress shirt for between $50 and $120 (thats realistically what I can afford now, and all that I actually need) and then spend another $20 to have it taken in or alter myself in a few hour's time... Or, I can get a shirt that fits me perfectly in all areas, is completely designed to my taste, has nice fabric, has nice buttons, has some elements of style not normally found on an OTR dress shirt, and is something I partially created myself...all for a lot less. The choice is clear for me. Does Ricky post here at all? I remember in the past someone said he did. Any word on that?
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post #5 of 36
2/4/04 at 2:06am
Thread Starter 
One more question, about sizing. I don't want the shirt to be skin-tight, but I don't want it hanging off me either. Should I choose the form-fitting option (4-6" allowance)?
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post #6 of 36
2/4/04 at 2:30am
VM: I have noticed that people don't seem to like to talk about Jantzen too much here. You don't hear too much on quality or fit or anything for that matter. My suspicion is that very few people actually own a Jantzen shirt yet. My first one should be arriving any week now. I'll let you know what the quality/fit is after I get it. People seem to like to recommend Jantzen, but I think it's a new deal for most of us. So, I say, take a chance, your choices sound good. Order one or two shirts and go from there. -Tom
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post #7 of 36
2/4/04 at 2:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
VM:  I have noticed that people don't seem to like to talk about Jantzen too much here.  You don't hear too much on quality or fit or anything for that matter.  My suspicion is that very few people actually own a Jantzen shirt yet.  My first one should be arriving any week now.  I'll let you know what the quality/fit is after I get it.  People seem to like to recommend Jantzen, but I think it's a new deal for most of us.  So, I say, take a chance, your choices sound good.  Order one or two shirts and go from there. -Tom
Thanks Tom, I'd be interested to hear your response. Maybe the reason it's not talked about is that they are based in Hong Kong instead of Europe or the US and the 'quality' is perceived as lower? All I know is that the fabrics look pretty nice for the price and that the shirt should fit well. Thats enough for me. Its only $38 - worth a trial.
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post #8 of 36
2/4/04 at 3:19am
There was kind of a debacle a while back about Jantzen when a guy came on posting as a representative of the company, and also some people voiced concerns about having things made in Asian countries with possible sweatshop-like conditions of production. I don't imply that this applies to Jantzen, and I don't really know the specifics of the whole fiasco except that it was kind of a blowout and the guy doesn't post here anymore. I'd like to hear what your (anyone's) experience is like because it sounds like a great deal to me and I trust Hong Kong made stuff more than anything at Banana Republic for working conditions. Stuff is just cheaper in Asia for the most part and if the shirts are good for $40 I will ditch a lot of my okay-fitting thrift store shirts and pick up a bunch of them pretty soon. Don't think I'll toss the $4 Lorenzini that fits perfectly though. I will also be travelling to Viet Nam in a while (as a graduation gift) on a fact-finding/holiday mission. I plan to check out the clothing industry there (including production facilities) and the potential for an international business for myself, possibly to diversify greatly. I have various vague-to-specific plans as of now and if anything concrete happens I will let you all know. Edit: I don't know if you searched, but search on Men's Clothing on "Jantzen" with all dates selected and you will find a lot of hits relating to people's opinions on the shirts.
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post #9 of 36
2/4/04 at 3:24am
There have been some discussions about the shirts. Here's a couple links to them: http://www.styleforum.net/cgi-bin....jantzen http://www.styleforum.net/cgi-bin....jantzen
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post #10 of 36
2/4/04 at 3:28am
Thread Starter 
Thanks J and Ken. I checked back before, but a lot of the discussions about Jantzen never produced any real answers - seems like a lot of people had something to say, though only a few actually purchased from them.  Also, I just wanted to ask a few questions on pricing/size and opinions on the styles I was thinking of.  Thanks for all the responses. -Eric **Edit** Just checked the first link, Ken, and that answered a bunch of questions. Seems that though I am slim, if I get the form-fit shirt I'm just asking for trouble. Don't want to be stuck with a shirt I can't even wear.
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post #11 of 36
2/4/04 at 3:45am
I have two shirts made from Jantzen, and I like both. Although, for me, I'm getting a tight fitting shirt from them, because even the form-fit shirts tend to billow around my sides and back. Of course, I'm quite thin.
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post #12 of 36
2/4/04 at 9:21am
I have quite a number of shirts from Jantzen (11 to be exact) and I have found them to be great value for money. I must warn however that all my transactions were done face-to-face in the shop in HK: either measurements were taken or that a shirt was given to be copied so I cannot comment on how well the shirts will turn out in a transaction done over the net. I would give my unreserved recommendation. This is where you will find what I said: http://www.styleforum.net/cgi-bin....;t=1857
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post #13 of 36
2/4/04 at 9:26am
I have two shirts from Jantzen.  I would say that they are pretty well-made, and are definitely something of a bargain at ~$40.  The thing I like most is that they offer pretty much any option under the sun. I made the mistake of buying a "custom" shirt from www.shirtsolutions.com(by arthur gluck). Terrible shirt. Stitching was not very good, they used ugly plastic buttons, and there's actually a wrinkled "bubble" on the left cuff, along with bubbling at the place where the collar and collar band meet. I think they used an iron to fuse the collar and cuffs and did a bad job. That was when the shirt was brand new. I've never worn the shirt because of how stupid I feel for hacing blown $205 on a POS shirt. Guess how much I spent? $170(base cost)+$25("pattern fee")+$10 shipping. Considering the cost, I'm not a very happy customer. Their "warranty" covers shirts not within the measurement specifications desired, or if there's something wrong with the weave, so I never contacted them until late December 2003. I had ordered the shirt in October 2002. They offered to replace the collar and left cuff for $15 to "cover their costs." They finally asked why I didn't complain earlier, and I told them that it's because their warranty doesn't specifically cover anything besides measurement error(on their part) or weave defects. For $475 I could have had 1 stock-size shirt made by Mr. Kabbaz and probably feel that I got a much better deal than shirtsolutions/gluck, or have had 2-3 made by Geneva.
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post #14 of 36
2/4/04 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I have two shirts from Jantzen.  I would say that they are pretty well-made, and are definitely something of a bargain at ~$40.  The thing I like most is that they offer pretty much any option under the sun. I made the mistake of buying a "custom" shirt from www.shirtsolutions.com(by arthur gluck).  Terrible shirt.  Stitching was not very good, they used ugly plastic buttons, and there's actually a wrinkled "bubble" on the left cuff, along with bubbling at the place where the collar and collar band meet.  I think they used an iron to fuse the collar and cuffs and did a bad job.  That was when the shirt was brand new.  I've never worn the shirt because of how stupid I feel for hacing blown $205 on a POS shirt.  Guess how much I spent?  $170(base cost)+$25("pattern fee")+$10 shipping.  Considering the cost, I'm not a very happy customer.  Their "warranty" covers shirts not within the measurement specifications desired, or if there's something wrong with the weave, so I never contacted them until late December 2003.  I had ordered the shirt in October 2002.  They offered to replace the collar and left cuff for $15 to "cover their costs."  They finally asked why I didn't complain earlier, and I told them that it's because their warranty doesn't specifically cover anything besides measurement error(on their part) or weave defects.  For $475 I could have had 1 stock-size shirt made by Mr. Kabbaz and probably feel that I got a much better deal than shirtsolutions/gluck, or have had 2-3 made by Geneva.
banksmiranda, What was your opinion of the sizing? Which selection did you choose? How was the fit?
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post #15 of 36
2/4/04 at 12:38pm
I chose a medium allowance. Fit is good. I chose collar P-15(British spread), 0" tie space, 1 3/4" back height, 3" collar points, with a 3-button version of cuff 17S(square barrel) 3" cuff length, no pocket, plain front, square tail with vent, side pleats, split yoke, 3.55mm buttons, no monogram. I may try a shirt with the "flow back cuffs."
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