Burgos (famous Madrid shirtmaker) to visit USA with tailor to royals

[bookend]

Burgos makes an excellent shirt. I have had bespoke shirts from several different makers in France, UK, Italy (like many of the contributors to this and other threads). In my view Burgos scores particularly highly in several regards. First, they did the best job of any maker in nailing the rudiments of my pattern first time. The body is cut really well, without cheating by using darts. Second, the level of hand-work in their shirts is impressive; it is quite lovely. Third, Carmen and the team are easy to deal with and understanding (Carmen using email and mobile!). Fourth, the pattern matching, for those bothered, is by far the best I have seen from any maker. Lastly, there is no issue in the range nor quality of shirtings; indeed, I quite like the Spanish fabric that has come in for some criticism elsewhere (clearly, it is not Riva, but it has its place in a shirt wardrobe). They stock loads of other Italian fabric.

It would be remiss of me to not point out that the pyjamas I have bought from Burgos are wonderful also. They are without doubt the best I have ever had. I bought a couple of pairs when I was measured-up in Madrid and have bought another four more recently. Simply fantastic PJs.

 

[Griffindork]

Thanks bookend. Any pictures you might be willing to post?

 

[brescd01]

Carmen has asked me to post something about her planned return to NYC. I consider her a friend but otherwise I have no connection to her firm.

Details: her shirts are in the "$300" range give or take depending on fabric. So she is not "a steal" but definitely on the lower end. She generally offered less expensive "Spanish" fabrics and Alumo. But the Spanish company has folded so I think she will now be offering Italian fabrics instead. She does have the full range of Simonnot Godard chambrays, which I personally consider to be the most elegant shirt fabric I have ever seen in a sort of "rus in urbe" way.

She makes no fitting shirt. Obviously this has its plusses and minuses.

I do not have the judgment to comment on handwork but supposedly Burgos' shirts have as much handwork as is possible.

She is very kind as are her staff.

She travels with the tailor Gonzalo Lopez Larrainzar. I have had him make me a blazer of Scabal fabric for which he charged $3500.

I consider Burgos "my" shirtmaker. I have purchased shirts from several shirtmakers. I am not sure I can compare her to others. I like her shirts and her service. She is committed to travelling to NYC relatively frequently (which I had not believed a few years ago).

I have an eccentric view of Burgos/Larrainzar. They represent a Spanish tradition that is very distinctive (as opposed to international). The handwork on my jacket was obvious (as it should be). My main tailor Centofanti was always somewhat anonymous, their garments' beauties were in the fit and workmanship not in a distinctive cut. Not so Larrainzar you will easily pick out his jackets from others.

He is the only travelling tailor I have ever used so i don't know if his single flaw, a relatively poor selection of fabrics, is typical for them. I am used to a tailor at the extreme end of fabric selections, Centofanti, who must have as many books as I have ever seen in one place.

Like everyone else I am captivated by the romance of regional tailoring particularly Naples. Burgos/Larrainzar provide much of this romance but in the Spanish style. I would not hesitate to get a suit made by Larrainzar if he had the fabrics I preferred (or if I went to the trouble of providing my own fabric, which I am tired of). The only reason I won't order more shirts from Carmen is that I don't need any more. If I lived in NYC (I live in Philadelphia) and needed suits or shirts, my using this pair is a no-brainer, if only to provide genuine variety to my wardrobe.

 

[hpplcmNYC]

Carmen from Burgos also asked me if I would contribute a review to this website in advance of her trip on May 8 and 9 to New York.

I think I first heard about this shirt maker on this website last fall and decided to look into them further. I liked the ideal of finding something more artisanal and looked here to find a travelling tailor from Italy and then discovered Burgos from Madrid. I saw that they were planning a visit in October and I registered for an appointment. I mentioned Burgos to my wife, who is from Madrid, and she said they are certainly one of the most famous in the country. Her father and grandfather are both customers and she wondered why she hadn't thought to recommend them to me before. Before this, I had been looking for MTM/bespoke shirts for a while to replace my entire stock of ~8-10 year old OTR dress shirts from Saks, Neiman, Thomas Pink, Barneys etc. I investigated Ascot Chang, Turnbull and Ralph Lauren Purple Label. My wife gave me a gift of 6 MTM shirts from Turnbull so I went with them. I was measured in August and didn't receive the first shirt until the end of October (they blamed an influx of orders from the UN general assembly meeting and then a delay with US customs due to the government shut down... sounds like weak excuses to me). The shirt doesn't fit very well for a first try. I have a normal athletic shape and they managed to make the sleeves too long, the cuffs are way too wide and the body is cut with an exaggerated hour glass shape from under the arms to mid-torso to waist. I haven't had the time to go back and fix it yet and order the remaining 5 shirts, but I'm not really impressed with the service at that price point (>$420 I think). It also appears to be entirely machine made but with good quality. If you want some of their exclusive patterns, I can see the appeal. Anyways, back to Burgos.

Carmen was very nice during the fitting and is an expert on the products. We discussed everything from collar width, style, cuff style, etc. She then takes the measurements.. not sure how many but it seemed as many as T&A. For example, they measure each cuff separately to account for a watch so it seemed comprehensive. With regard to the body, she took actual measurements and then asked how fitted you would want it. I got the normal trim/athletic fit.. basically I said don't make it too tight. The sample books are extensive many good quality options. I also got the chest monogram using a thread color that matched the shirt pattern. The standard seems to be to use navy blue in Spain and I didn't want something so obvious since it's less common here. I chose a spanish fabric for the sample shirt (you need to commit to ordering 3 and pay 50% upon ordering) and said I would just pick the other 2 fabrics later.

The sample arrived within a month via DHL. My pattern number is sewn in on the inside of the back collar. The quality and fit was outstanding. Everything was done per the order sheet, no mistakes. The fabric was very good quality and I washed it several times before sending to the dry cleaner and it did not shrink, which I appreciated. I liked the spread of the collar (moderate) and the notched cuffs. Button holes are sewn remarkably well with shell buttons. The shirts have a split yoke and no back side pleats (like T&A). If you want side pleats, I am sure they can do those but it isn't standard like with T&A. I thought the body was cut much better on the Burgos shirt. The hand work is quite impressive - it's amazing you can still find artisan products like this that haven't gone entirely machine made. As I was going to Spain at the end of December, I took the sample shirt with me to their shop in Madrid and had their tailors look it over too before ordering more. Carmen happened not to be there that day but there were 4 gentlemen in there busy at work. I had a good experience and they agreed the shirt looked great. My wife and I looked at some more patterns and I ordered another 5 shirts. They arrived in mid-January. Everything is still spot-on fit-wise and I am very happy with the products. I ordered more from the upper range of fabrics this time, including the Swiss ones which I really like (very fine but not transparent).

I will be ordering more from Burgos via correspondence (Carmen is sending samples in the mail) in advance of her next visit in May. So far, I haven't found any impediments to using a "traveling" tailor but I was less apprehensive since I make it to Spain often enough that I could visit them in person (or have my in-laws stop in to complain). My wife has also become a fan and is going to get measured in May. She has difficulty finding nice shirts for work that fit well. For the quality and service, I haven't found anything that can beat the Burgos price point. Happy to answer more questions and post pictures (not sure how to do that). I'm not receiving anything for writing this and I normally don't post reviews or write in forums, but I've had a good experience and I'm sure Burgos could use the additional business.

 

[lamber]

Hi all. I saw this thread and emailed Carmen to see if they were heading to Miami/South Florida during their upcoming tour to NYC. She told me they could come if they can get 10 customers for appointments.

Does anyone else who lives in South Florida want to commission some clothing from Burgos in May? I would like 3 shirts so I am hoping there is enough demand for them to come down to Miami.

 

[thebestshirts]

[[ATTACHMENT=8908]InvitationMay2014.png (339k. png file)[/ATTACHMENT]

 

[brax]

I went to Madrid a few weeks ago to watch my favorite soccer (futbol) team play in the Copa Libertadores Final at Real Madrid's stadium: Santiago Bernebeu. Although Boca Juniors (my team) lost to RiBer Plate, it was a fun trip.


I took advantage of being in Madrid to do a little shopping. As I'm very happy with my current tailors and shirtmakers, I didn't want to venture off into that sphere. Rather I thought about quintessential Spanish garments that I could purchase at the source rather than an interpretation of these garments purchased elsewhere.

 

[brax]

The first garment was easy as I already owned one: Teba Jacket. While there may be some debate about its exact origin, there is little debate that it is quintessentially Spanish. I purchased one years ago from The Armoury but they get the jackets from Justo Gimeno in Spain so it is the genuine article:



It is a hybrid shirt/jacket. It is meant to be worn casually (preferably hunting). It is not a tailored jacket with any waist suppression. It has minimally padded shoulders (I'm not even sure if to call that extra layer of self-fabric a pad) and a minimally fused front. The notchless lapel is also a sine qua non. The only deviation available is in how you want the cuff. This one is an example of a one button cuff closure with a leather button.

 

[brax]

But why post on a Camiseria Burgos thread about Teba jackets? Well, Burgos is one of two places in Madrid that I found that contract out with Justo Gimeno for their Tebas. As it is not a fitted piece and the prior Teba fit me well, I went the MTO route. The first that I ordered came from their sample of about 30 tweeds on offer. By touch, they were primarily in the 14 ounce range which was similar to the Armory Teba. But to differentiate it a bit, I asked that it be reversible with a tan waterproof cotton facing. That jacket is being made by Justo Gimeno and takes about a month to finish it. Pictures upon its arrival.

The second Teba that I chose needed to differentiate itself from the other two. Carmen (Burgos executive that helped me) and I decided that I would send her a much heavier jacketing that they (and Justo Gimeno) would turn into a Teba. I have a pretty large backlog of London Lounge Unfunded Liabilities so there should be no trouble finalizing one to send. I am going to wait until I receive my Teba in case we need to adjust anything before sending off my LL jacketing

 

[brax]

Picture time:
The entrance to Burgos which is located very centrally:

Carmen helped me and was very friendly and helpful. As I mentioned earlier, I'm very happy with my two Naples shirtmaker so I was not in the market for a bespoke shirt but Carmen and I talked about which shirting we liked from the Alumo and Albini lines (of which Burgos has both). Here is Carmen at work confirming my Teba orders:

These are two of her associates who chimed in with helpful suggestions:

Carmen was kind and invited me into the basement where all of the shirt cutting is done. The majority of the sewing is done off-site as with many shirtmakers around the globe:


More about my two other commissions later.

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

Nice series of posts @brax

Burgos will do a slight variant ('Domecq') on the Teba if you ask - three buttons and slightly rounded front quarters. I prefer it to the original design.

 

[brax]

Nice series of posts @brax

Burgos will do a slight variant ('Domecq') on the Teba if you ask - three buttons and slightly rounded front quarters. I prefer it to the original design.

Did not know that. Carmen showed me an example of another piece that they do. It may have been this. But since I was more interested in the traditional Teba shirt/coat hybrid rather than a shirt/jacket hybrid, I stuck with the original. But it's great to know that they have an option for those seeking a more tailored piece. Thanks for the information.

 

[brax]

I also commissioned two other pieces in addition to the Teba jacket. One is most assuredly a classic Caribbean shirt that I trust Burgus can execute better than an English or Italian shirt-maker: Guayabera. It is THE formal shirt in the Caribbean islands that speak Spanish. It is also worn in Mexico and Colombia along coastal cities. I ordered a stock guayabera in white linen that should arrive with the Teba in mid-January. They took my measurements and I will commission a bespoke one in my own Carlo Riva cotton or linen shirting. Here are a few shots of the them taking my measurements:



The last piece that I ordered was a pair of bespoke cotton pyjamas. I've never really seen that option before so I jumped on it. I did not order a top as I think that matching tops and bottoms feel a bit old man for me. I'll wear the bottoms with a shirt that I'll rotate daily.

I'll post photos of the Teba, stock guayabera, and bespoke pyjama bottom when I receive them in a few weeks. I'll then send off jacketing for a heavy Teba and shirting for a bespoke guayabera.

 

[Griffindork]

I tried Burgos in Manhattan. It’s one of the worst shirts I’ve ever received. I appreciate the fact that we now have an entire thread celebrating a bespoke shirtmaker without a single picture of decent finished shirt. If anyone has one, would he please post it?
Griffy Diffy rah raugh

 

[brax]

I cannot comment on their shirts as I did not commission any (guayabera excepted) but I'll be able to comment on their Teba, guayabera, and pyjama products soon.
Their customer service and knowledge have been excellent thus far.