Quote:
Originally Posted by bourbonbasted 
You know my rep. BTW, congrats on the Hall Monitor cred.![icon_gu_b_slayer[1].gif](http://files.styleforum.net/images/smilies/icon_gu_b_slayer%5B1%5D.gif)
Seriously though, we're talking about three RTW makers that distinguish themselves as luxury brands by hand-finishing, detailing and luxury fabrics. Then you have three brands that make bespoke/MTM shirts where the sky is the limit on what features, level of detail and grade of fabric you'd like to use. Can you have Carl make you a shirt that rivals Barba in terms of finishing, fabrics and detailing? Sure. But it's a bespoke shirt, it's supposed to be whatever you want it to be.
Then, within that spectrum, there's a whole other level of quality and consistency between the different makers. It's just not really a question that can be answered objectively...

You know my rep. BTW, congrats on the Hall Monitor cred.
Seriously though, we're talking about three RTW makers that distinguish themselves as luxury brands by hand-finishing, detailing and luxury fabrics. Then you have three brands that make bespoke/MTM shirts where the sky is the limit on what features, level of detail and grade of fabric you'd like to use. Can you have Carl make you a shirt that rivals Barba in terms of finishing, fabrics and detailing? Sure. But it's a bespoke shirt, it's supposed to be whatever you want it to be.
Then, within that spectrum, there's a whole other level of quality and consistency between the different makers. It's just not really a question that can be answered objectively...
thanks! i hope to keep the spam down to a minimum. its the least i can do to give back to the forum a little, for all it has given me.
to weigh in on the convo, i think that while top shelf italian makers and smaller batch MTM makers are certainly different, comparisons can be made.
for example, my brother, who is also very clothing conscious, but much more into GQ trendy type stuff, has his shirts made by some indian dude that visits bmore a few times a year. i have seen his shirts up close, and i can tell that they will never be anything like a borrelli or the like. sure, the fit is just how he wants it, but that is simply because the guy does a good job measuring, which should not be discounted, not every maker is good at that. but i can tell the quality is suspect. no matter what fabric he would choose. the shirts are made in some factory, by what i am sure are not particularly skilled craftsmen, and it shows.
sure, there will be MTM makers that can replicate the quality and construction of a top shelf RTW maker, but not every MTM factory can, or even want to, make shirts at that level. its a costly process to employ that kind of skilled shirtmaker, and not everyone has the clientele to warrant it.
i know nothing about hamilton, but i understand that luxire makes a nice shirt, but not up to par with the likes of borrelli. and i get the impression that that is not simply because that was not what was ordered, but that they just dont make that kind of shirt. where as cego, i have heard that they can and do make shirts on par with top shelf italian makers.
i think barba/borrelli/finamore all make a pretty consistently fantastic shirt, with barba being just a hair beneath in terms of certain qualities, although some of my barba shirts are on par with the borrellis i have. and when comparing the 3 mentioned MTM makers by tits, i think only cego could make shirts that would resemble those of the 3 mentioned italian brands, assuming that that is what you want to pay for. with the added benefit, that you can pick the the exact fit you are looking for.
Quote:
this is kind of a repeat of the above, but i think you are over simplifying. making a carbon copy of any shirt is not so easy. there is skill that goes into making anything at top level quality. some MTM makers can replicate that. others can not.


















