elflord1973
Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 2
I recently bought a number of shirts from cottonwork, so I thought I'd share my thoughts/experiences.
First, I chose the site because it met the following criteria:
(1) enormous range of choices of fabric
(2) very good prices
(3) reviews seemed favourable overall
(4) the 3D model of the shirt was a plus
The other strong contender was mytailor.com (I will try them next). Several were edged out because their range is not as extensive. moderntailor were out because their website simply did not work with my web browser.
So I took some measurements, put some things in my cart, placed an order for one of the "superior" ($65) fil-a-fil shirts. Then I second guessed some measurements and re-entered them.
About a month later (which seems to be the time-to-ship) they shipped it. When it arrived, there were two minor issues with the measurements -- a bit snug on the hips because I gave them a bad measurement (no problem, I tuck it in), collar a little snug (I don't wear a tie so not really a problem) and the arms were 2" too short -- 23" instead of the 25" that I'd revised the measurement to (now that was a problem!) After some queries, I was emailed a pdf of the order and apparently they had made it to 23". From their perspective they had basically filled an order for something very much like a slim fit 15/33. Their customer service said that they could redo the sleeves for $10, and loosening the collar a bit wouldn't cost anything. So I sent it back, and felt confident enough to order another (linen stripe) shirt.
When they finally shipped back the fixed shirt (with the new shirt), I had two very nice fitting shirts. They never got around to charging me that $10.
So all in all this was a good experience in that they went to the trouble to make it right with the customer. However, their website does seem to have some gotchas in that it isn't really clear what measurements are getting used for your order (mytailor seems to do this better). Their turnaround time at 1 month to ship is a little slower than advertised.
I've since order 4 more shirts from them: an "executive" ($75) fil-a-fil, a pinpoint gingham, a poplin pinstripe shirt, and two different striped dobby shirts (the last four all "luxury"). When I ordered these, I clicked the button to review the shirts, I noticed that the specs that showed up weren't consistent with what I'd selected (e.g. it said "design XYZ measurement profile: XYZ" but clicking on the "Click to review shirt details" showed default specs.) I was able to reenter them. Time to ship was about a month again.
The shirts themselves-- the fit I am very happy with. I'm not really qualified to judge the workmanship. The stripes on the stripe shirts do line up across the yoke on all of them (they are split yoke) and also line up perfectly on the sleeves on nearly all of them (on one sleeve of one of the stripes it doesn't line up perfectly but it's close). None of my OTR shirts seem to get this right. The shirts look sturdy. The classic collar is nice and firm. I haven't observed any shrinkage, but I don't tumble dry my shirts.
Re the fabric, there is an observable jump in the smoothness/softness of the poplin and fil-a-fil shirts from the three different store categories (the "superior", "executive" and "luxury"). At least to me, it did seem that I was getting my $10- worth with each step up in these standard weave shirts.
So in conclusion -- website has some imperfections, and they take some time to get it done. But their customer service worked for me and I was happy with the end result. And this does get easier once you have a good set of measurements and styles configured. So yes, I would buy from them again, though I also hope to try mytailor.com.
First, I chose the site because it met the following criteria:
(1) enormous range of choices of fabric
(2) very good prices
(3) reviews seemed favourable overall
(4) the 3D model of the shirt was a plus
The other strong contender was mytailor.com (I will try them next). Several were edged out because their range is not as extensive. moderntailor were out because their website simply did not work with my web browser.
So I took some measurements, put some things in my cart, placed an order for one of the "superior" ($65) fil-a-fil shirts. Then I second guessed some measurements and re-entered them.
About a month later (which seems to be the time-to-ship) they shipped it. When it arrived, there were two minor issues with the measurements -- a bit snug on the hips because I gave them a bad measurement (no problem, I tuck it in), collar a little snug (I don't wear a tie so not really a problem) and the arms were 2" too short -- 23" instead of the 25" that I'd revised the measurement to (now that was a problem!) After some queries, I was emailed a pdf of the order and apparently they had made it to 23". From their perspective they had basically filled an order for something very much like a slim fit 15/33. Their customer service said that they could redo the sleeves for $10, and loosening the collar a bit wouldn't cost anything. So I sent it back, and felt confident enough to order another (linen stripe) shirt.
When they finally shipped back the fixed shirt (with the new shirt), I had two very nice fitting shirts. They never got around to charging me that $10.
So all in all this was a good experience in that they went to the trouble to make it right with the customer. However, their website does seem to have some gotchas in that it isn't really clear what measurements are getting used for your order (mytailor seems to do this better). Their turnaround time at 1 month to ship is a little slower than advertised.
I've since order 4 more shirts from them: an "executive" ($75) fil-a-fil, a pinpoint gingham, a poplin pinstripe shirt, and two different striped dobby shirts (the last four all "luxury"). When I ordered these, I clicked the button to review the shirts, I noticed that the specs that showed up weren't consistent with what I'd selected (e.g. it said "design XYZ measurement profile: XYZ" but clicking on the "Click to review shirt details" showed default specs.) I was able to reenter them. Time to ship was about a month again.
The shirts themselves-- the fit I am very happy with. I'm not really qualified to judge the workmanship. The stripes on the stripe shirts do line up across the yoke on all of them (they are split yoke) and also line up perfectly on the sleeves on nearly all of them (on one sleeve of one of the stripes it doesn't line up perfectly but it's close). None of my OTR shirts seem to get this right. The shirts look sturdy. The classic collar is nice and firm. I haven't observed any shrinkage, but I don't tumble dry my shirts.
Re the fabric, there is an observable jump in the smoothness/softness of the poplin and fil-a-fil shirts from the three different store categories (the "superior", "executive" and "luxury"). At least to me, it did seem that I was getting my $10- worth with each step up in these standard weave shirts.
So in conclusion -- website has some imperfections, and they take some time to get it done. But their customer service worked for me and I was happy with the end result. And this does get easier once you have a good set of measurements and styles configured. So yes, I would buy from them again, though I also hope to try mytailor.com.
