lalaland
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2012
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 6
Someone on the J. Hilburn shirt thread asked if I had received my shirt yet - I just got it a few days ago so here's the review:
This is my first MTM item of clothing ever. I have a Thick as Thieves suit I haven't been fitted for yet, and an Indochino blazer in production - but haven't received it yet. I ordered a "pink luxury oxford" - here are the pics - then the review will follow the photos:
I went with J. Hilburn for my first MTM experience because of their unique hybrid off-line/on-line business model. After reading online MTM horror stories I didn't trust myself to do accurate measurements. J. Hilburn has an army of commissioned "style advisors" who act as independent sales agents and come to your home/office armed with measuring tapes, skills (hopefully), and fabric and shirt samples. After their first visit you never have to see them again if you don't want to - you can order online or over the phone. They only build one shirt on the first order because they expect you will tweak the measurements and go through a couple iterations before it's perfect - after that point they'll allow you to order more.
I got a mother/daughter team who are in business together - they each carefully measured me twice - a total of four measurements per body part. I showed them shirts I have already and what I like/don't like about each of them. We discussed how the shirt should fit, and went through the myriad options together. My SA's customer service and responsiveness via text/phone/e-mail is great.
They prefer to hand deliver the first shirt so that they can go over any changes which need to be made, fit issues, etc. But since I was going to be out of state they simply had the shirt shipped to my new location.
I ordered the second cheapest of the four fabric price levels - $109. It's called a "luxury oxford" in pink, medium weight. Detailed stats are not on the website as to thread count and weight. Perhaps my SA has that info but I haven't asked her for it. I'm very happy with the fabric and stitching quality - but I'm not an experienced shirt snob like many here. I do have some pricey OTR shirts from Eton, Dior Homme, YSL and Prada - and when I get home I'll do a comparison. The fabric is not as luxurious as the one shirt I have nearby - a $250 Eton twill. But for $109 I don't expect it to be. A comparison against the Eton with a higher price point J. Hilburn shirt would be more fair. The stitching of the Eton vs Hilburn looks about equal to my eye. The Eton buttons are definitely superior - beautiful mother of pearl. But again for less than half the price I'm not complaining about plastic buttons.
Fit is nearly dead-on. But the third button does pull against my chest as you can see in the photos - and I haven't even laundered it yet. I had it pressed before taking the photos but it hasn't been laundered. I would say it needs about 1/2 inch more fabric in the chest to make the fit perfect. This will have to be adjusted for the re-make I'm going to have them do. I don't know if the fault lies in: 1 - incorrect initial measurements, 2 - production error at factory, 3 - my lifting weights and eating big for a month after measuring and before receipt of shirt.
Other than that the sleeves feel perfect (may 1/4 inch short but I haven't decided yet), and the shirt follows the countours of my body more perfectly than any shirt I've ever had. It uses no darts - which I love - the pattern is just cut to taper at the sides. I love it.
The bottom billowing is due to my very low rise jeans with no belt.
I may have the sleeve diameter narrowed on the second iteration, and perhaps a bit more of a tapered cut in the waist. I like my Dior Homme shirt - it's a bit of a tighter overall fit than this Hilburn. And I will probably go with an extreme cutaway collar. But overall for my first MTM experience I'm in love - and this shirt fits more perfectly than any I've ever worn. I've never had the awesomeness of chest and waist fit - I have a 9.5" drop - before. It's like a miracle.
There is one fabric problem - it looks like some kind of abrasion at the factory:
I'm definitely going to order more from them.
I'll report back when I get the re-make.
If anyone has questions ask away.
I'm also eager to try Deo Veritas after reading a review of them - non-fused collars and what appear to be even more aggressive pricing for the same quality.
So far I'm an online-MTM convert and I'm definitely never buying an OTR dress shirt again. I didn't expect 100% perfection on the first iteration but this is darn close. To people who complain about going through a few re-makes until they get the perfect shirt - I say you are whiny bitches with unrealistic expectations. This service is awesome. My SA said to launder it a few times, then she's coming back to my house and we'll discuss what measurement changes to make and do the re-make. Amazing customer service in my opinion.
This is my first MTM item of clothing ever. I have a Thick as Thieves suit I haven't been fitted for yet, and an Indochino blazer in production - but haven't received it yet. I ordered a "pink luxury oxford" - here are the pics - then the review will follow the photos:
I went with J. Hilburn for my first MTM experience because of their unique hybrid off-line/on-line business model. After reading online MTM horror stories I didn't trust myself to do accurate measurements. J. Hilburn has an army of commissioned "style advisors" who act as independent sales agents and come to your home/office armed with measuring tapes, skills (hopefully), and fabric and shirt samples. After their first visit you never have to see them again if you don't want to - you can order online or over the phone. They only build one shirt on the first order because they expect you will tweak the measurements and go through a couple iterations before it's perfect - after that point they'll allow you to order more.
I got a mother/daughter team who are in business together - they each carefully measured me twice - a total of four measurements per body part. I showed them shirts I have already and what I like/don't like about each of them. We discussed how the shirt should fit, and went through the myriad options together. My SA's customer service and responsiveness via text/phone/e-mail is great.
They prefer to hand deliver the first shirt so that they can go over any changes which need to be made, fit issues, etc. But since I was going to be out of state they simply had the shirt shipped to my new location.
I ordered the second cheapest of the four fabric price levels - $109. It's called a "luxury oxford" in pink, medium weight. Detailed stats are not on the website as to thread count and weight. Perhaps my SA has that info but I haven't asked her for it. I'm very happy with the fabric and stitching quality - but I'm not an experienced shirt snob like many here. I do have some pricey OTR shirts from Eton, Dior Homme, YSL and Prada - and when I get home I'll do a comparison. The fabric is not as luxurious as the one shirt I have nearby - a $250 Eton twill. But for $109 I don't expect it to be. A comparison against the Eton with a higher price point J. Hilburn shirt would be more fair. The stitching of the Eton vs Hilburn looks about equal to my eye. The Eton buttons are definitely superior - beautiful mother of pearl. But again for less than half the price I'm not complaining about plastic buttons.
Fit is nearly dead-on. But the third button does pull against my chest as you can see in the photos - and I haven't even laundered it yet. I had it pressed before taking the photos but it hasn't been laundered. I would say it needs about 1/2 inch more fabric in the chest to make the fit perfect. This will have to be adjusted for the re-make I'm going to have them do. I don't know if the fault lies in: 1 - incorrect initial measurements, 2 - production error at factory, 3 - my lifting weights and eating big for a month after measuring and before receipt of shirt.
Other than that the sleeves feel perfect (may 1/4 inch short but I haven't decided yet), and the shirt follows the countours of my body more perfectly than any shirt I've ever had. It uses no darts - which I love - the pattern is just cut to taper at the sides. I love it.
The bottom billowing is due to my very low rise jeans with no belt.
I may have the sleeve diameter narrowed on the second iteration, and perhaps a bit more of a tapered cut in the waist. I like my Dior Homme shirt - it's a bit of a tighter overall fit than this Hilburn. And I will probably go with an extreme cutaway collar. But overall for my first MTM experience I'm in love - and this shirt fits more perfectly than any I've ever worn. I've never had the awesomeness of chest and waist fit - I have a 9.5" drop - before. It's like a miracle.
There is one fabric problem - it looks like some kind of abrasion at the factory:
I'm definitely going to order more from them.
I'll report back when I get the re-make.
If anyone has questions ask away.
I'm also eager to try Deo Veritas after reading a review of them - non-fused collars and what appear to be even more aggressive pricing for the same quality.
So far I'm an online-MTM convert and I'm definitely never buying an OTR dress shirt again. I didn't expect 100% perfection on the first iteration but this is darn close. To people who complain about going through a few re-makes until they get the perfect shirt - I say you are whiny bitches with unrealistic expectations. This service is awesome. My SA said to launder it a few times, then she's coming back to my house and we'll discuss what measurement changes to make and do the re-make. Amazing customer service in my opinion.
Last edited: