Pay $300 for an OTR shirt? Who DOES that?

[The Louche]

So I'm wondering if there are educated clothing consumers out there that pay hundreds for OTR shirts? I can't understand doing this - I can see the merit in things like thick MOP buttons and really nice shirtings but what good are all of thosse if the shirt doesn't fit? I can't see anyway an PTR garment can fit as well as a properly executed MTM one and we all know that you can get an MTM shirt made out of some pretty decent fabric for $130...


Thoughts?

 

[Philip1978]

Money spent on clothes is all relative.

 

[Nicola]

If the issue is fit remember fit isn't a universal truth. I have no trouble finding shirts that fit very well even for 10 Euros. Doesn't mean they fit all body types well but they sure fit mine very well.

I spend the extra money for MTM for other issues. Cloth choices,collar,buttons etc. But the fit isn't any better.

 

[Brian278]

MTM takes time and effort to get right. Most people can find a $300 shirt that fits OK, or even fantastic, or they're to oblivious to notice what fits or doesn't.

 

[teddieriley]

Big timers do. You, apparently, are a small timer.

 

[CharlesAlexander]

I am guilty of this.

I am a HUGE fan of Paul Stuart, and often buy their shirts at full retail. They fit me very well and I love the quality and styling. I don't mind paying a premium for the convenience, sometimes I don't want to wait 2-3 months for a MTM shirt.

 

[teddieriley]

Originally Posted by CharlesAlexander

I am guilty of this.

I am a HUGE fan of Paul Stuart, and often buy their shirts at full retail. They fit me very well and I love the quality and styling. I don't mind paying a premium for the convenience, sometimes I don't want to wait 2-3 months for a MTM shirt.

But once you have your pattern down, you can have it in a manner of days.

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by The Louche

So I'm wondering if there are educated clothing consumers out there that pay hundreds for OTR shirts?

There are. These are people who:

a) Make a decent amount of money, and
b) Can find a good to great fit right off the rack.

For the rest of us, there's MTM and there's post-purchase tailoring for OTR shirts. If $300 is steep for you, and/or you're a difficult-to-fit size, then no, $300 off the rack doesn't make a lot of sense. MTM is the way to go in that case. But if OTR requires little to no after-market tailoring for you, and you can afford it, then some $300 OTR shirts are actually a great deal. A $300 Brioni dress shirt will last 10 years or more if you're kind to it.

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by teddieriley

But once you have your pattern down, you can have it in a manner of days.
Right. My bespoke shirt maker is only twenty blocks away from me in New York. My pattern is down. It still takes a month to get a shirt, and I would consider that pretty quick. They made one for me at a rush (needed it for a black tie event) but even then I think it was two weeks. As far as the logic of expensive RTW, I think we've had a few hundred threads on this.

 

[lee_44106]

I walk taller and talk louder when my shirt has a tag that says "Borrelli" "Kiton" or somesuch.

 

[CharlesAlexander]

Originally Posted by teddieriley

But once you have your pattern down, you can have it in a manner of days.

My guy still takes a little over a month. Who do you use, Teddy? Are you in New York?

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by teddieriley

But once you have your pattern down, you can have it in a manner of days.

I guess I'll third the "Huh?" in response to this. What shirtmaker do you use? Getting a new shirt in less than a month, even when they've got my pattern down, is almost unheard of for me.

 

[onion]

My girlfriends uncle buys $300+ OTR shirts. He's real Big Time, and hates shopping. He owns OTR Kiton, Brioni, Charvet, etc. I would say 75% or more of the clothes he owns his assistant bought for him. He doesn't go shopping much at all, let alone go to multiple appointments for a bespoke suit.

He basically wants the best clothing money can buy, but doesn't care enough about it to get MTO or bespoke, though he can definitely afford it. I'm sure he's a rare breed, but people like him certainly exist.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by onion

My girlfriends uncle buys $300+ OTR shirts. He's real Big Time, and hates shopping. He owns OTR Kiton, Brioni, Charvet, etc. I would say 75% or more of the clothes he owns his assistant bought for him. He doesn't go shopping much at all, let alone go to multiple appointments for a bespoke suit.

He basically wants the best clothing money can buy, but doesn't care enough about it to get MTO or bespoke, though he can definitely afford it. I'm sure he's a rare breed, but people like him certainly exist.

so you know KitonBrioni?

 

[Don Carlos]

Originally Posted by onion

My girlfriends uncle buys $300+ OTR shirts. He's real Big Time, and hates shopping. He owns OTR Kiton, Brioni, Charvet, etc. I would say 75% or more of the clothes he owns his assistant bought for him. He doesn't go shopping much at all, let alone go to multiple appointments for a bespoke suit.

He basically wants the best clothing money can buy, but doesn't care enough about it to get MTO or bespoke, though he can definitely afford it. I'm sure he's a rare breed, but people like him certainly exist.

People like him don't just exist; they're likely the majority of Brioni/Kiton/Borrelli/Charvet/etc. buyers in the US. Even among the very well-heeled in this country, bespoke and MTM are still in the realm of the well-kept secret. We tend to think otherwise because we're talking about this kind of stuff day in and day out on forums like SF, AAAC, or what have you. But we're extremely atypical.