Shirt Question from the mind of a law student

[Embargo63]

I seek the experts with a question regarding dress shirts & ties!

In surfing the posts, I have gained a relative understanding by now of what a 'high quality' dress shirt is... While I would love to drop upwards of hundreds of $ on high quality dress shirts, I am in absolutely no position to do so while I am in the early stages of law school.

Accordingly, I need shirts/ties (my 'official' dress code) for work as I clerk for an urban, relatively conservative Texas law firm.

I would need slim fit, preferably wrinkle free/non-iron, and most importantly - the shirt MUST be in the neighborhood of no more than $60.00 or so and that budget will probably remain firm for quite some time. I would, of course, be in search of traditional business colors. Where shall I turn, brand or store wise, for some luck?

I have found that my sizes (16.5 neck, 34/35 sleeve, 180lbs, broad shoulders, and 6'0" in height) are somewhat rare on the B&S forums and I have long since grown out of my Express, A&F, American Eagle, etc. phase. Macys does very little for me - unless I am completely missing something they have to offer

.?

Also, ideas for a brand or selection of acceptable ties that fit my budget would be a huge plus. If it helps, I am very near a major metro city so access shouldn't be a problem and I consider myself a fairly conservative dresser, despite my relatively young age.

Thanks in advance guys as I am more or less lost right about now!

 

[MrG]

Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Slim Fit sounds like exactly what you want.

Buy three at a time and it should get you pretty close to $60 each. If not, get on their mailing list and wait for a sale. Sales that would get you to $60/shirt are pretty common at Brooks.

 

[viator]

Charles Tyrwhitt would also be a good source.

EDIT: Also, congrats on getting your food in the door of a firm - the job market is pretty brutal right now.

 

[blackbowtie]

+1 - I remember seeing a promotion last year where you could buy 4 shirts for $200 (i.e. $50 per shirt). They also have slim fit versions. Get the ones without pockets.

 

[Trompe le Monde]

lands end

youre not going for gq best dressed man of the year or anything

 

[luftvier]

Originally Posted by Embargo63

While I would love to drop upwards of hundreds of $ on high quality dress shirts, I am in absolutely no position to do so while I am in the early stages of law school.

Bullshit.

Blow your $22k/yr in stafford student loans on full bespoke.

 

[phillyesq]

Originally Posted by MrG

Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Slim Fit sounds like exactly what you want.

Buy three at a time and it should get you pretty close to $60 each. If not, get on their mailing list and wait for a sale. Sales that would get you to $60/shirt are pretty common at Brooks.

+1

I know that they don't get much love on the forum, but Jos A. Bank has non-iron shirts that you can find under $30 on sale. Not sure if they offer a slim fit or not. They are solid shirts for a law firm setting.

 

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by luftvier

Bullshit.

Blow your $22k/yr in stafford student loans on full bespoke.

Agreed, they give us waaaay too much $ for living expenses... you could easily afford full bespoke. I've never understood why so many students getting fed loans try to be so frugal- what frikn' difference does it make if you graduate with 100k in debt vs 115k in debt, to pay back over 30 years?! It's the last 4 years of your youth probably and you should look your best as you meet people, start your career...

 

[Don Carlos]

BB non-iron slim fit works pretty well. I'd also recommend the extra slim fit if that's more your thing -- but alas, BB has yet to release conservative, basic dress colors in extra slim fit. They have some conservative whites and blues in an extra slim fit button-down, but you're going to want non-button-down collars.

 

[Doc4]

Right now is when the sales are on, so go for it. Charles Tyrwhitt is generally looked down upon here, but for starting out you can get some decent quality shirts right now on end-of-season prices.

 

[Embargo63]

Thanks a lot guys, I appreciate the solid advice.

It looks as though I may have missed the final day of the Brooks Brothers sale mentioned above? I noticed advertisements stating that the sale was vaild through 01/04/10...

I signed on for the newsletter and I'll certainly make up for it next time a deal such as that comes around.

 

[luftvier]

Originally Posted by Embargo63

Thanks a lot guys, I appreciate the solid advice.

It looks as though I may have missed the final day of the Brooks Brothers sale mentioned above? I noticed advertisements stating that the sale was vaild through 01/04/10...

I signed on for the newsletter and I'll certainly make up for it next time a deal such as that comes around.

yeah, but now they have a new "Clearance" sale where everything is 50% off.

 

[jo-fu]

There's also online MTM (Jantzen, Tailor store, mytailor) for around the same prices if you're having trouble getting a good fit...

 

[Leverandon]

I really like H&M slim fit. I think that they are in the $40ish range. I've heard that the construction isn't the greatest but I've been wearing mine for two years and haven't notice any problems yet. I'm not sure if H&M is in Texas yet, but if so, I'd check them out. I'll be wearing H&M slim fit to work as a judicial extern this summer.

 

[wetnose]

I do have the C Tyrwhitt shirts - non iron slim fits. While the non-iron part works great, the slim fit is a disappointment. CT claims the slim fit fits 90% of the population, which in my mind is hardly slim fit. Also the armholes are a little low.

Try at least 1 shirt from mytailor.com - at approx $70 a shirt, you can't go wrong. They'll make everything to your spec.