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Number of shirts in rotation? - Page 4

Poll Results: Number of shirts in rotation?

Poll expired: Aug 28, 2011  
  • 15% (26)
    Less than 10
  • 34% (59)
    Between 10 and 20
  • 20% (35)
    Between 20 and 30
  • 14% (24)
    Between 30 and 40
  • 14% (25)
    Bigtimer; over 40 (and wear two a day)
169 Total Votes  
post #46 of 72
8/3/11 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stubloom View Post

For those of you that use a professional shirt laundry, I advise the Rule of 7: 7 in the closet, 7 in the laundry hamper, and 7 at the cleaners.

How did I come up with this?

About 20 years ago, I had a client with 2 custom shirts in his closet. Every evening at around 5:45 (we close at 6:00) he'd show up, strip off one shirt and collect one freshly laundered shirt. One day he showed up and his shirt wasn't ready....a large transformer had caught fire in our area and the power was off for the better part of the day. He threw a fit that his shirt for the following day wasn't ready.




Funny story. What happened if he were delayed getting to your shop? What did he do when he had to go to an after-work event?

In some ancient "how to dress' book I recall that a story of a man who would have two shirts. Dutifully at the end of each day he would wash and iron his shirt. I guess that that could be your bare minimum. With that thinking you would buy only enough food for your home for each day.


Quote:
Originally Posted by RSS View Post

There is always room for more shirts. Don't you dare thin down.

Hopefully by the time you read this you will be back to your senses!

I really don't have an idea as to the number I have. That said some become favorites and I certainly wear those more often. When a shirt falls into the favorites category, I'll order more in the same cloth.

Amen!

I find these lists amusing.

I have some duplicates (and in a few cases multiples) of the same cloth. I also have about five shirts at a time "in the garage", i.e., waiting for re-collaring and re-cuffing or some other repair.

Then, there are the seasonal shirts that see only a few months of wear. E.g., linen.

I agree that you can always squeeze-out some more room for shirts. Suits are another matter although I always find room.

Should we start a shirt owners' anonymous?
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post #47 of 72
8/3/11 at 7:24am
I'd say 20, including 1 Cuban shirt, which round here definitely goes under the dress category!
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post #48 of 72
8/3/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Seitelman View Post

I find these lists amusing.

I have some duplicates (and in a few cases multiples) of the same cloth. I also have about five shirts at a time "in the garage", i.e., waiting for re-collaring and re-cuffing or some other repair.

Then, there are the seasonal shirts that see only a few months of wear. E.g., linen.

I agree that you can always squeeze-out some more room for shirts. Suits are another matter although I always find room.

Should we start a shirt owners' anonymous?

Do you have any problems finding the right cloth for your shirt repairs or do you keep some extra cloth around fromthe original batch so you can have them recollared/recuffed?
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post #49 of 72
8/3/11 at 7:41am
I have about 20 in rotation. Too many french cuffs, because H & H don't make a slim-fit button cuff.

A couple of admittedly OCD habits:

I vacation in Europe ever summer, take my oldest 2-3 shirts with me, and leave them there. Somehow I have convinced myself that a couple of missing shirts will lighten my suitcase sufficiently to bring more stuff home.

I always take 5 shirts to the laundry at a time, no fewer and no more. (Even if I have 6 to go.) It stems from my days using a laundress who didn't give receipts. She lost a Charvet shirt --- my only one --- and I didn't notice until later. Although I use a different laundry now, I still check on pick-up that I have exactly 5.
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post #50 of 72
8/3/11 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Ernie View Post


Do you have any problems finding the right cloth for your shirt repairs or do you keep some extra cloth around fromthe original batch so you can have them recollared/recuffed?


The biggest problem in re-collaring and re-cuffing is fabric matching. You don't want a bright, new collar and cuffs against a faded body.

If you have some extra fabric tucked away, often this will be futile because the extra cloth looks new while the shirt's body is worn and faded. This is especially so for colored shirts. Less so for stripes or plaids with a white background.

I have had had extra cloth which I had to discard because of fading.

Sometimes the shirtmaker will have the fabric on hand and will be able to make a match. Some shirtmakers keep a fairly constant catolgoue while others work-off end bolts and job lots. The former merchant will have matching fabric more readily thant the latter maker.

Therefore, the best repair may be white collar and cuffs.

Sometimes a small hole can be repaired by taking a small piece from the tail. If the fabric is experiencing overall "fatigue", then the shirt should be discarded.

Other repairs that I have had include undarting a shirt.

Good luck.
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post #51 of 72
8/3/11 at 9:47am
Well I probably have around 40 or so which I know is not normal for a 18 year old but I like to keep things fresh and not wear the same thing over and over so it is good to have many dress shirt for an active and spontaneus rotation. Since I only really wear dress shirts I have to have many on hand.
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post #52 of 72
8/3/11 at 12:30pm

I have 12 shirts  in my rotation.  that way i only need 5-7 for the week and the rest at the cleaners

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post #53 of 72
8/3/11 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Seitelman View Post



The biggest problem in re-collaring and re-cuffing is fabric matching. You don't want a bright, new collar and cuffs against a faded body.

If you have some extra fabric tucked away, often this will be futile because the extra cloth looks new while the shirt's body is worn and faded. This is especially so for colored shirts. Less so for stripes or plaids with a white background.

I have had had extra cloth which I had to discard because of fading.

Sometimes the shirtmaker will have the fabric on hand and will be able to make a match. Some shirtmakers keep a fairly constant catolgoue while others work-off end bolts and job lots. The former merchant will have matching fabric more readily thant the latter maker.

Therefore, the best repair may be white collar and cuffs.

Sometimes a small hole can be repaired by taking a small piece from the tail. If the fabric is experiencing overall "fatigue", then the shirt should be discarded.

Other repairs that I have had include undarting a shirt.

Good luck.

Makes sense. Cheers
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post #54 of 72
8/3/11 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eustace View Post

Over 40. Here's the breakdown off the top of my head.: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
5 blue OCBD
2 pink OCBD
1 purple OCBD
2 white OCBD
2 white spread collar fc
2 white pinpoint
2 blue spread collar
1 green gingham
1 blue gingham
1 purple gingham
1 yellow plaid
1 burgundy plaid
2 blue houndstooth
3 blue check
1 purple check
2 blue bengal
2 purple bengal
2 green stripe
1 blue striped oxford
1 pink bengal
1 red bengal
1 blue striped
1 pink/black check
1 green/blue check
1 purple/black check
1 blue/brown check
1 blue/tan check

I got rid of 10 or so re
cently, but I'm sure I still have a few in the rotation not listed.

Thanks for the detailed list; helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RSS View Post

On occasion I'll order a different cuff ... but rarely change when it comes to the collar ... which is almost always a spread.

More often than not I'll order exactly the same shirt.

This is interesting; I actually paused quite a bit before putting down "collar". I think that cuffs may be the only differentiating feature for me as well. Must be SF groupthink; spread here as well.
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post #55 of 72
8/4/11 at 6:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThatGuy View Post

Wow. Didn't know men could have more than 10 shirts! To those who have 25+, are some of them like more than 3 years old? I have about ten and regularly wear five

 

SOme of them I only wore once or twice for that matter. A few I bought on a whim, rubbish really!

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post #56 of 72
8/4/11 at 10:10am
For work? Six, one for each day.
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post #57 of 72
8/4/11 at 10:19am
25. When one falls another rises in its place.
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post #58 of 72
8/4/11 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by facet View Post

For work? Six, one for each day.

You work six days a week in the office (in office gear)?
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post #59 of 72
8/4/11 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lonneker View Post


You work six days a week in the office (in office gear)?
Yeah, my work days are relatively short.
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post #60 of 72
8/4/11 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by facet View Post

Yeah, my work days are relatively short.

Wow - sure hope you like your work. Certainly decreases the need for casual shirts/wear.
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