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Can you have your tailor make polo shirts and t-shirts?

josepidal

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I've been wanting to find polo shirts that have better fabric but fit me better (think shorter and stouter, not quite Daniel Craig), and I am frustrated that all the high end makers now use "slim fit" as their default cut. I enjoy the smoother, silkier feel of a polo shirt in better cotton, compared to your default slightly itchy rough knit.

I've also been looking for t-shirts in better fabric and cuts: thicker, softer cotton, more defined in the shoulders, and not too baggy without being slim fit. As an extreme case, a friend found Loro Piana mock neck t-shirts that look almost as dressy as a sweater, but I think those are cashmere/silk and a different discussion altogether. On the more streetwear side and another separate discussion, I see (younger) friends both male and female wearing indie designer graphic t-shirts that look elegant in their own way.

To be very clear and preempt trolling, I am not asking about polo shirts with gigantic logos or your baggy t-shirt from your favorite band ten years ago.

On polos, my tailor has been egging me to do a shirt project using Loro Piana jersey cloth (wonderfully fine and soft jersey), or even other jersey with looser weaves. They are happy to try a polo shirt, but the collar would have to be a dress shirt style or camp collar, not what you see on higher end polo shirts. Obviously, the details of RTW polo shirts would not be possible and the shirt would have to be from a single piece of cloth (unless I commission two and mix and match).

On t-shirts, I cannot find discussions of custom tailored t-shirts (not t-shirts altered by a tailor) anywhere, and have no idea what is worth doing. I imagine the collar type would be similarly limited and I have no idea what fabric to source. Let's just admit that $1,000 minimalist, single color t-shirts exist and actually look amazing in the right fabric, color and fit (again, not baggy shirts with a gigantic logo and undershirt cloth). It has reached the point where I wonder if one's tailor can provide better value and fit.

More generally, I have been thinking about details from the popularity of "athleisure", like drawstring (or side tab) waists over belt loops and lighter fabrics on nicely cut linen and cotton pants. (I have not yet looked at $1,000 cashmere sweatpants though.)

So has anyone here actually discussed polo shirt and t-shirt projects with their tailors, and or even asked what fabric would work for these?
 

stuffedsuperdud

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If fit is the primary concern, @Todd Shelton specifically does MTO basics like polos, t-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, etc. etc. You'll be in touch with someone from the company the whole time and there will be a bit of back and forth before you garment is put into production. I'm not sure how much leeway you can have with fabrics, crazy collars, etc. but you can certainly adjust various lengths and widths to fit your frame, based on a trial garment they will send you. It's kinda sorta pricey-ish but not really, esp. considering they're MTO in the US and the amount of effort they put into getting you what you want.
 

JFWR

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If you throw enough money at something, I'm sure you can get someone to do it.

...1000 dollar cashmere sweatpants, Lolololol okay...Look like a stoner for 50 times the price!
 

josepidal

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Actually, the Financial Times says it's more like $4,000 cashmere sweatpants. $1,000 might get you terry cloth if you're lucky.
 

esmehato

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Apologize for the necro post, did OP or anyone else find a source for custom tailored t-shirts? Like OP I cannot find any information online.
 

Boggis

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Apologize for the necro post, did OP or anyone else find a source for custom tailored t-shirts? Like OP I cannot find any information online.
They're not bespoke, but "son of a tailor" do custom t-shirts which allow you to adjust lenght, shoulder, chest, waist and sleeve lenght. Choice of fabric is pretty limited to solid colour basics though. I've used them before and been happy with the result.
 

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