Just got my first jantzen shirt

[johnnynorman3]

By the way, I think that the best shirt cut for a suit will be the medium fit. If you give your accurate chest, waist, and hip measurements (with maybe 1/2 added to each for shrinkage if that concerns you), the shirt should be perfect -- not too tight, but no excess fabric billowing at the back.

 

[j]

Shirt sleeve length:  I wear 34/35 sleeves in ready to wear shirts, so I specified 34.5 length.  It's been my experience that you're better off going by your shirt size than by measuring yourself -- there is just too much rate of error when measuring across your shoulders.  Going by my shirt sleeve length rather than my skin measurement resulted in a perfect fit.  Unbuttoned the sleeve just slips over the top of the hand, so when I button the wrist there is just a dab of extra fabric that ensures that the shirt doesn't recede above the wrist when I move.  I did, however, add 1/2 inch to my second order.  I did this for two reasons:  (1)  It ensures that the shirt length will be perfect even with shrinkage, although I think the first shirt will be perfect with a little shrinkage anyways, and (2) even if the 34.5 fits perfect, because the wrist sizes on Jantzen shirts are MTM, even 1/2 extra length in the sleeves won't cause it to stick out too far under my jacket -- I'll just have an almost indiscernable amount of extra fabric, and if it shrinks even 1/2 inch I'm perfectly fine still.

Sounds exactly right for my situation. I wear 34/35 too, so I will order with 35" sleeves. It's easier to have a tailor shorten the sleeves than try to eke out that tiny bit of extra fabric inside the cuff.

I was going to ask about the various fits, but I think it's been asked and answered, so I'll DAFS first. Thanks for the info guys.

Edit: you answered my question about the fits. (Sounds like a medical discussion.) I will order medium and if it's too big I'll live with it or have it taken in. Asian tailors seem to like to fit their clothes pretty close so medium should be about right I think.

 

[water]

It has been over three weeks since I placed an order for my first Jantzen shirt. I am anxiously awaiting it... but you guys have made me very glad that I ordered a medium cut.

 

[regularjoe]

They're not kidding when they say slim fit. I'm skinny so it works out fine, but the shirt is very tapered. A third party noted the V-shape to the shirt when I was trying it on.

 

[Alias]

I managed to get higher armholes. They really help with keeping my cuffs attached to my wrists. See, my jacket has high armholes, and when I wear a shirt with not-so-high armholes with it, the fabric binds and the sleeves appear shorter, especially when I raise my arm.

It's really too bad Jantzen doesn't do anything in really lightweight fabric. I guess I'll have to use the local shirtmakers for shirts when it's baking hot and muggy outside.

 

[dug]

are collar and cuff fused?

 

[BGW]

Alias: forgive my ignorance, but for higher arm holes, do you mean smaller arm holes?

The armhole I am imagining would start at the same point at top, but close at a higher point on the bottom. Is this correct, and if so, how did you communicate this desire and how much smaller did you make the hole?

 

[gregory]

I used sleeve measurements that a tailor gave me after measuring my body and the sleeves of the Jantzen shirt that I received based on those measurements were too short. So perhaps measuring a well-fitting shirt that you already own might be a better idea. I was also wondering: What are the features/signs that make a shirt unmistakably bespoke/MTM? This is asked from the perspective of someone who would like to be able to identify bespoke/MTM shirts when others wear them, and who would also like to order his bespoke/MTM shirts accordingly.

 

[johnnynorman3]

I have had one experience with having a tailor measure my arms and then recommending a shirt size. I remember it well. It was at a mid-level department store, and the tailor was going to pick out an OTR shirt for me (I don't know why I was letting him pick it). He measured my arms at 33" down to the beginning of my thumb bone. He picked out a 33" sleeve length shirt for me. The shirt has long been in the garbage.

Just to show how ridiculous it is to ask for a sleeve length exactly the same as your skin measurement, my arm measurement is still 33". Yet, for Jantzen I measured my best fitting shirt and found the length to be either 34.5 or 35", depending on how taut I pulled the fabric. The sleeve size on the shirt is 34/35. I used that measurement for my Jantzen shirt and it turned out perfect.

To me, it's just common sense that you can't use your skin measurement and assume that is the exact length your sleeves should be. The combination of shrinkage and the total amount of shirt fabric at any one time that is not laying EXACTLY flat and taut on your skin ends up being significant. It's obvious that your shirt is not going to be like a second skin on your body (like a wet suit), so why would you use your skin measurement?

IMHO, most tailors are idiots and don't recognize this piece of common sense (I imagine good ones do recognize it), and this is what happened with your shirt.

 

[Alias]

Alias:  forgive my ignorance, but for higher arm holes, do you mean smaller arm holes?  

The armhole I am imagining would start at the same point at top, but close at a higher point on the bottom.  Is this correct, and if so, how did you communicate this desire and how much smaller did you make the hole?

Yeah, that's something like what he did to my shirt. It closed at a higher point at the bottom. I simply said "Hey, I would like higher armholes, and my shoulder would measure this many inches around." So he did it, and I'm happy.

I don't really remember how much smaller I had him make it, but it fits a lot better and doesn't bunch up.

Collars and cuffs are fused, yes, but I do believe you can specify the thickness of the interlining used, or if you want interlining at all.

 

[dug]

It seems you can have not fused on request

 

[water]

Does Jantzen make wool trousers? If so, what are the prices, quality, etc?

 

[FCS]

Yeah, that's something like what he did to my shirt. It closed at a higher point at the bottom. I simply said "Hey, I would like higher armholes, and my shoulder would measure this many inches around." So he did it, and I'm happy.

Alias, how exactly do you measure yourself to determine your armhole height? I usually quoted my shoulder joint and biceps circumferences. T/F?

Any of you guys have some illustration about how to measure your armsyce?

 

[matadorpoeta]

I was also wondering: What are the features/signs that make a shirt unmistakably bespoke/MTM? This is asked from the perspective of someone who would like to be able to identify bespoke/MTM shirts when others wear them, and who would also like to order his bespoke/MTM shirts accordingly.

you cannot tell by the quality because there are many quality rtw shirts like kiton, borrelli, etc... the tell tale signs are proper sleeve length, proper cuff size, and the shoulder seams should be on your shoulders. bagginess in the waist is very commom with rtw shirts. also, if you see a shirt that has two buttons on the cuff for adjusting the cuff size, that's obviously not a custom shirt.

To me, it's just common sense that you can't use your skin measurement and assume that is the exact length your sleeves should be.

actually, you can use your skin measurement but you need to measure down to the middle of the back of your hand. also, if you are measured properly, one side should be slightly longer than the other by at least 1/4". everyone has one arm longer than the other.

 

[My View]

Yes, Jantzen makes wool trousers as well. Prices of course depend on the fabrics you want. Typically (if anything is ever typical.), something close to an Italian-made all-wool Super 110 would set you back about USD 100 to USD 110.

They will measure you up, make the trousers and do one fitting for you before the delivering the final product - which will be ready for collection in a few days.

Is that a good price?

How much would something similar cost in US or Europe typically?