Shirts - Branded vs Tailored

[ukaser]

Hello chaps.
I've recently moved to Hong Kong and started earning money to buy the things I've always wanted.
I've had a few shirts made and overall been pleased with the results. I'm happy but find myself being drawn to buying designer shirts by the likes of Ralph Lauren. I think, perhaps, I'm just keen to get a 'named' product.


In my experience, shirts, especially my preferred white ones only last about year before they inevitably become tarnished with a tea/ragu/red wine stain.

Am I missing a trick here? Is it a false economy to buy an annual stock of shirts when a good quality label would be more robust, even better styled?

 

[dbc]

Originally Posted by ukaser

Hello chaps.
I've recently moved to Hong Kong and started earning money to buy the things I've always wanted.
I've had a few shirts made and overall been pleased with the results. I'm happy but find myself being drawn to buying designer shirts by the likes of Ralph Lauren. I think, perhaps, I'm just keen to get a 'named' product.


In my experience, shirts, especially my preferred white ones only last about year before they inevitably become tarnished with a tea/ragu/red wine stain.

Am I missing a trick here? Is it a false economy to buy an annual stock of shirts when a good quality label would be more robust, even better styled?

A good fit over a brand any day of the week.

 

[Jangofett]

Yup. A tailor shirt would fit you better than most 'branded' shirts. The latter tends to be boxier in cuts and longer in sleeves to fit most people.

Although, some 'branded' shirts come in nice materials your tailor would probably never have like spandex lycra mix etc. Those stretchy shirts actually can make you look good. I even have a 'branded' work shirt with polyurethane coating and one pants made of metal. Somewhat itchy but not metallic stiff.

Some 'branded' shirts also come in the latest and updated prints, which your tailor wouldnt carry because it is just too costly for them and their suppliers to produce bales of cloth with a trendy pattern, which may become obsolete soon.

 

[tazmaniac]

Originally Posted by Jangofett

... spandex lycra mix etc. ... polyurethane coating ... pants made of metal. Somewhat itchy but not metallic stiff.

WTF?

 

[Azzurri]

Originally Posted by tazmaniac

WTF?

+1

 

[604Coast]

Originally Posted by tazmaniac

WTF?

?

 

[Nicola]

Originally Posted by ukaser

In my experience, shirts, especially my preferred white ones only last about year before they inevitably become tarnished with a tea/ragu/red wine stain.

Am I missing a trick here? Is it a false economy to buy an annual stock of shirts when a good quality label would be more robust, even better styled?

A good laundry? A bib?

 

[phxlawstudent]

Originally Posted by Nicola

A good laundry? A bib?

+1. Better eating habits. Tide to go? Stain remover...

Fit over cheap any day.

 

[Douglas]

You're in Hong Kong, where you can get a decently fitted shirt for a song. They're cheaper than anything you'll find at a branded store. There's really nothing to talk about here. Buy the custom shirts.

 

[Jangofett]

Originally Posted by Douglas

There's really nothing to talk about here.

Yes there is. Its branded.

I know how OP feels. Even though I can make custom shirts and pants to my heart's content and it can be cheaper than branded stuff, I still buy branded stuff because its branded.

And also, in addition to materials your tailor would never have, some of the branded stuff are machine made and cannot be made by your tailor. Like Lanvin's grossgrain stuff.

 

[Nicola]

You need a shirt maker that deals with a younger crowd. Nothing special.

 

[The King of Teeth]

Originally Posted by Jangofett

Yes there is. Its branded.

I know how OP feels. Even though I can make custom shirts and pants to my heart's content and it can be cheaper than branded stuff, I still buy branded stuff because its branded.

And also, in addition to materials your tailor would never have, some of the branded stuff are machine made and cannot be made by your tailor. Like Lanvin's grossgrain stuff.
The perfect solution. A branded custom. Turnbull and asser etc and the like.

 

[Jangofett]

Originally Posted by The King of Teeth

The perfect solution. A branded custom. Turnbull and asser etc and the like.

TB and AS do not qualify as being 'branded' like the exalted air occupied by Hermes, LV, Prada, Gucci, Dior down to the 'lesser lights' like Jil, Raf, Lanvin, Givenchy, Balmain, Balenciaga. I don't think any of them offer bespoke or custom make service.

 

[dbc]

Originally Posted by Jangofett

TB and AS do not qualify as being 'branded' like the exalted air occupied by Hermes, LV, Prada, Gucci, Dior down to the 'lesser lights' like Jil, Raf, Lanvin, Givenchy, Balmain, Balenciaga. I don't think any of them offer bespoke or custom make service.

Get a Charvet then.

 

[Jangofett]

Originally Posted by dbc

Get a Charvet then.

Oh, Bernie Madoff's brand of choice?