My experience with MyTailor.com

[Threadbearer]

This is my first foray into the world of MTM shirts. I ordered one shirt from MyTailor.com as an experiement. Here's my story.


The Online Experience:
The website is well-organized and intuitive, but it is also very slow. I have a fast computer and a fast Internet hookup, but every web page at MyTailor.com takes at least 10 seconds to resolve. This adds up to a lot of time when you're browsing fabrics and going through the ordering process.

I ordered one shirt based on measurements that I took myself following the very clear and intuitive guidelines on the company's website. Over the next couple of weeks I received several emails informing me of the shirt's progress. It arrived in four weeks flat.

The In-Person Experience:
Not long after I ordered my shirt I received an email invitation to meet with Mr. M. Kenny of MyTailor.com, who was coming to the Baltimore/ D.C. area. My shirt was scheduled to arrive only a couple of days before Mr. Kenny's visit, but I made an appointment anyway, just to see what it was all about. I had a chance to wash the shirt and iron it (poorly) just once before meeting Mr. Kenny at a hotel about an hour from where I live.

I went in with four objectives: First, I wanted to get measured by a professional. Second, I wanted Mr. Kenny to evaluate the fit of my new shirt so that I could adjust future orders for an even better fit. Third, I wanted to see and touch some fabrics swatches that I had previously seen only online. Fourth, I wanted Mr. Kenny to give me advice on what collar sizes and styles would be most flattering to my face shape. I failed to meet any of these objectives.

Although I scheduled myself into Mr. Kenny's first appointment slot of the day, there were already three other men in the room when I arrived. Men came and went while I was there, and there were never fewer than four of us in that tiny hotel room at any given time.

Mr. Kenny wasn't keen on taking my measurements until after I had selected the items I wished to order. I'm not the dishonest type, so I confessed that I had no plans to order anything that day. Mr. Kenny never flat-out refused to take my measurements, but he dodged the issue several times by encouraging me to keep looking at fabrics and check back with him when I found something I liked. I only saw him take one man's measurements while I was there, and that man was ordering a suit.

When I asked Mr. Kenny for advice on what might be the best collar style and size for my face and neck I was told "It's all personal preference." I asked if there were advantages to side pleats over center or no pleats and was told, "Personal preference." This is no doubt true, but there are certainly rules of thumb about such matters, and one of the things I expect from a tailor, especially when I have taken the trouble to meet with him in person, is advice on what styles and sizes will flatter me the most.

Fabric selection was overwhelming. I wrote down the numbers of fabrics that interested me so that I could order them online later. When I got home, however, I found that the numbers on the fabrics online do not match the numbers on the fabrics Mr. Kenny carries with him. That makes absolutely no sense to me. More than anything else, that's the thing that made me feel as if my time had been wasted. The website doesn't even allow you to search by fabric number!

When I got home I emailed the swatch numbers to MyTailor.com and asked if they could tell me if any of those fabric numbers corresponded to fabrics that are available on their website. The good news is that I got a response within just a few hours. The bad news is that there is only a marginal match-up between Mr. Kenny's swatches and the fabrics online. They were able to give me online numbers for only 2 of the 5 fabrics that I requested.

The Shirt:

The shirt I purchased is a white two-ply superfine cotton herringbone with traditional spread collar and rounded French cuffs. $79. Although I don't know enough about high-quality shirts to comment intelligently on my new shirt's stitching and construction, it seems at least as good, if not better than, any of the store-bought shirts I own. The fabric seems excellent to me. Soft yet sturdy, and completely unblemished. My dry cleaner will be the ultimate judge of how strong the buttons are.

When I met with Mr. Kenny, his only criticism of my new shirt's fit was to point out that it "could be" a little too big at the waist. I asked how much I should reduce the waist size on the next order, but he just frowned and grunted a bit. "An inch?" I asked. "Sure," he replied with another non-committal (and unhelpful) shrug. I don't get it. Why wouldn't it be in his (and in the company's) best interest to give me advice on this?

As you can see in the pictures below, the shirt has a pronounced hump just under the collar at the back of the neck. Mr. Kenny assured me that it would go away after pressing, but it didn't. I took these photos after washing and ironing the shirt once at home and after sending out to the cleaners once as well. The hump remains.

Please evaluate the fit of this shirt.

Anybody think the sleeves need slimming and/or shortening? They kind of look like they do in the first two pix, but they look fine in the second-to-last pic.

Yes. I need a little remediation in shirt-tucking.

My wife had trouble capturing the collar hump from a good angle. You'll have to take my word for it that it's much more pronounced in real life than it appears in these last two images. Is this something my local tailor can fix? Does anybody else have a little hump like this on their MyTailor.com shirts?

 

[Shirtmaven]

I would guess that Mr. Kenny does not make any money on you, if you order online.
Yes, as an employee of my tailor, or is he an independant salesman working with mytailor?

the shirt is a bit too full all the way around. are you wearing a full cut t-shirt. that could also be what is causing the hump behind your collar.

Carl

 

[Hannah123]

Nice only but its too long i think............ pls give any other style of shrits..... that will be good for us or do u have portfolio with you

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Hannah123

Nice only but its too long i think............ pls give any other style of shrits..... that will be good for us or do u have portfolio with you

The length is probably that one thing that isn't wrong. It's just too big everywhere, and it looks like the shoulders are too wide causing the creasing on the back (I'm sure Despos or Shirtmaven will correct me if I'm wrong there, which I probably am). Has it been washed yet? If not you should wash it before judging the fit as it will shrink a bit.

 

[Working Stiff]

It looks to me like the shoulder measurement is a little big. Could this be related to the hump in the back? If not, I think it has something to do with your shoulders being quite sloped, although I don't know what you can do about that.

 

[oneade]

That shirt is looks oversized. Shoulders are too wide. Too much volume in the sleeves. Perhaps a split yoke will help with the hump.

 

[litho]

i used mytailor (online) once and the shirt was ok, not great though. I didn't get a pocket but yours looks like a laptop pocket

Why not make the next one slimmer? Seems very baggy.. I'd want a tailored shirt to look tailored. Yours doesnt strike me as tailored for you

 

[Raoul Duke]

I agree with the others, the shirt is too big all around.

I just ordered a shirt from mytailor as well and ended up with a similar fit, despite asking for a slim tapered fit. If you are unsatisfied, you should let them know. I was able to obtain a $40 credit towards my next order due to a small flaw in the fabric and the general oversized nature of the shirt.

 

[11211]

I purchased 2 suits from Mytailor.com and was measured by Joe Hemrajani. After owning each for a few months I decided that my initial gut reaction wasn't wrong and they were just too big. I took them back to be reevaluated by Joe and when seeing them on me he agreed fully, had each altered by his tailors in Hong Kong and adjusted my measurements for future orders. I still plan to fiddle with the armholes on my next order.

Joe is accommodating but you have to be clear with what you want (I wasn't and got suits that were too big -- closer to a potato sack than what I had in my mind's eye). When I brought the suits back for adjustment I told him up front I would not be making further orders until we got the jacket size dialed in -- he didn't skip a beat, instead agreeing with me. I would recommend you try to deal with Joe in the future; I am surprised he doesn't come personally to the D.C. area. They may be friendlier to suit buyers versus a shirt buyer, but in this economy I would also think they'll take whatever they can get.

 

[Steven Aver]

The fit on the shirt is really bad, you could of gotten the same result from an unaltered OTR shirt. I am not a fan of Mytailor. Placed one order from them last year and the fit was off even though I sent them a sample! never again.

 

[Shirtmaven]

You should have let him remeasure you and change the pattern, you would have received more attention.
the problem with most of the travelling Indian/HK tailors is that they do not really have any sense of style.

Carl

 

[unagiluva]

I met with Joe a bit back, and he was nothing but accomodating. I mentioned at the start that I only wanted to purchase one white OCBD to get the fit dialed in, and he did not pester me with the supposed 2 shirt minimum. I ended up picking up another shirt after getting the measurements down.

During my visit, I was the only person there. According to Joe, things have really slowed down for them.

 

[Threadbearer]

Originally Posted by Shirtmaven

Yes, as an employee of my tailor, or is he an independant salesman working with mytailor?
I believe Mr. Kenny is an employee of the company and would therefore want to increase sales both in-person and online.

are you wearing a full cut t-shirt. that could also be what is causing the hump behind your collar.

It's not a particularly baggy t-shirt, if that's what you mean. It certainly doesn't create that hump in any of my other dress shirts.

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

it looks like the shoulders are too wide
I think you're right, but I don't know if that's what's causing the hump.

Has it been washed yet?

Yes. Twice.

Originally Posted by Working Stiff

If not, I think it has something to do with your shoulders being quite sloped, although I don't know what you can do about that.
I suppose I could work on my posture? Interestingly, the website asks you to select one of three shoulder types during the ordering process: normal, square, and sloped. I chose sloped.

Originally Posted by oneade

Perhaps a split yoke will help with the hump.
Perhaps, but I don't recall that being an option.

Originally Posted by litho

i used mytailor (online) once and the shirt was ok, not great though.
So where do you get your MTM shirts now?

I didn't get a pocket but yours looks like a laptop pocket

Good. I was planning to keep my briefcase in there, too. It's funny -- once you mentioned it, the pocket started looking too big to me, too. But I measured it and found that it's exactly as wide and only a quarter-inch taller than the pockets on my store-bought dress shirts. I can't explain it.

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

If you are unsatisfied, you should let them know. I was able to obtain a $40 credit towards my next order due to a small flaw in the fabric and the general oversized nature of the shirt.
That's good to know. I was planning to take it to my local tailor for slimming just because that would be no more expensive or bothersome than boxing it up and mailing it back to HK. On the other hand, there's no reason I can't also request a discount on my next purchase, and, in the process, give them another chance at becoming my go-to source for MTM shirts.

Originally Posted by 11211

I would recommend you try to deal with Joe in the future
Noted, but that's kind of out of my hands. I have to deal with whoever they send to my neck of the woods.

They may be friendlier to suit buyers versus a shirt buyer, but in this economy I would also think they'll take whatever they can get.

Agreed, but I'd think they'd also be especially deferential to and eager to please first-time customers, and I'm sure the vast majority of their first-timers buy shirts, not suits.

Originally Posted by Steven Aver

I am not a fan of Mytailor. Placed one order from them last year and the fit was off even though I sent them a sample! never again.
Good to know. So where do you get your MTM shirts these days?

 

[rob]

I met with Mr. Kenny this weekend in Milwaukee. On his last visit, I ordered three shirts. I brought in a slim fitting RLBL shirt as a basis. The shirts came but there was an error on one; it came with a pocket while I ordered it without. Also, the collar on one shirt was not as spread as I had asked.

That said, the shirts were as slim as I had asked for and on this visit we made a couple of tweaks, one I suggested and one Mr. Kenny suggested. On both visits there was no-one else in the room and I arrived early and left late. Mr. Kenny was professional on both visits. I ordered two more shirts. I too noticed that the numbers on the website and the samples do not match but I was able to track down what I wanted while Mr. Kenny double-checked the website for the swatch numbers.

Rob

 

[Threadbearer]

Originally Posted by rob

the shirts were as slim as I had asked for and on this visit we made a couple of tweaks
Do you mean that Mr. Kenny kept your shirts that day and will mail them back to you after they've been tweaked, or do you mean that you and he came up with a few ideas for changes that you will incorporate into your next order?