Jantzen v. H&H

[tomcreo]

Short question:

Would you recommend Janten or H&H Slim for a drop-9?

Long question:

I've got a tough build to fit (15.5 neck, 41 chest, 18.5 shoulder, 32 waist, 35 sleeve), a fairly restrictive budget ($30-50/shirt), and a penchant for quality. I was wondering if you all could recommend either going with Jantzen or H&H Slim Fit? In the past I've tried mytailor.com (out of my price range for the fabric quality I want) and BB Slim (Ok, but in order to get the body to fit, the shoulders are really tight).

Thanks.

 

[dclloyd]

Originally Posted by tomcreo

Short question:

Would you recommend Janten or H&H Slim for a drop-9?

Long question:

I've got a tough build to fit (15.5 neck, 41 chest, 18.5 shoulder, 32 waist, 35 sleeve), a fairly restrictive budget ($30-50/shirt), and a penchant for quality. I was wondering if you all could recommend either going with Jantzen or H&H Slim Fit? In the past I've tried mytailor.com (out of my price range for the fabric quality I want) and BB Slim (Ok, but in order to get the body to fit, the shoulders are really tight).

Thanks.

If you've got a tough build to fit, you will always be better off with mtm, and imho Jantzen is one of the best options at that price point. I went to mtm a few years ago and still occasionally fool myself into buying a 'great deal' on a RTW. No matter the deal though I always go to my mtm shirts first - they're WAY more flattering and I feel better in them.

 

[tomcreo]

Fair enough, but my only concern is over the materials that Jantzen uses. With H&H I suppose I feel that I'll be receiving a "known" and "time-tested" product. I know zero about the fabrics that Jantzen uses. Absolutely the fit of a Jantzen will be better than RTW, but would the fit of the H&H be so poor that a $5 alteration couldn't fix it?

 

[ginlimetonic]

my limited experience w. tailoring shirts in HK- its a hit and miss.

If you're experienced to tell out swatches of fabric, then you can pick good fabric. That leaves you with the problem of tailoring quality- specify, and respecify your details (e.g. removable collar stays, tapered waist etc.)

I had OK tailoring from my tailor, but still not expert on whether cloth is good- i think its ok, its quite smooth to the touch, not too thick for summer and yet doesn't wrinkle that easily.

 

[tomcreo]

The "hit and miss" part concerns me. Since I'm about to start working, I'd like to start building my wardrobe around solid, quality pieces. The way I see it, after you add up the costs of returing poor fitting test shirts, or improving mediocre shirts over time, I could end up paying the equivalent of a high quality shirting wardrobe.

I know that many use Jantzen as an experimental MTM, but I'm concerned that I'll be throwing away $60 that could have otherwise been spent on a high quality shirt, that just needed the waist taken in a bit.

As I mentioned before, I tried mytailor.com, but was unimpressed with the quality of the material in my price range ($79 Cotton 100's). The initial fit was OK (sleeves were too long, collar too big, chest too generous, cuffs too wide, etc...) and could be fixed on later fittings, but I just didn't feel that the opportunity cost was worth it.

 

[ginlimetonic]

i guess a good way to start, is by buying slowly or starting with a plain white. If you like the fit and the shirt feels great after a few washes, then theres no reason not to get more as they have your client measurements on file.