Some observations on fitting and features for Proper Cloth oxfords

[leadbelly2550]

many months and launderings ago, I ordered two shirts from Proper Cloth. Both are their heavy Oxford cloth, one is pink, the other purple. Both are button down collars, unfused/soft, shorter barrel cuffs, and I went with their recommended style and size otherwise. I launder and iron my own shirts; the quality of these shirts is outstanding, and though the Oxford fabric is as heavy as any I own, it has softened since they were new. The collars could be a little longer, but I really like these shirts and wear them all the time. The fit, using the website's recommended measurements for my body type, is very good, not fitted but also not overly voluminous.

a few weeks ago, I decided to get another shirt, but something I would be more likely to wear casually as opposed to work. I chose the same fabric, but the new one is 'red heavy Oxford.' Not fire engine red; more of a pinky light brick, a shade or two lighter than a typical pair of Nantucket Reds. great color. I also did some thinking about sizing and style, aided significantly by the fact the website saved my prior settings. I kept some things the same - soft collar, placket, cuffs, for example. I also made a few changes. First, I left a little more room in the cuffs and the body. Nothing wrong with what I have, but on the casual shirt, I wanted a little more room. (highly recommend getting the cuff on your watch hand with the extra .25" they recommend). Second, I chose a longer cuff; Proper Cloth's default is a shorter cuff. Third, I added an inch to the length. Proper Cloth's shirts do stay tucked in, but the standard/recommended measurement isn't long - I would characterize it as medium. finally, I added a box pleat in the middle of the back, which most of my other shirts have; Proper Cloth's default is no pleats.

The shirt arrived, and I have to say, it's fantastic. I think the website allows first-time users some kind of 'fit guarantee,' but honestly, I wouldn't have thought much about fine-tuning the fit and would not have known which measurements I might want to change without having worn their shirts for a while. Having the ability to add breadth or length in small increments, though, has turned out to be a real plus.

Ordering custom shirts online isn't cheap. Proper Cloth is actually not bad for a custom Oxford shirt, about 85 bucks for the heavy oxfords; by way of comparison, Brooks Brothers' revival of its must-iron Oxford cloth button downs with unlined collars/placket/cuffs are about 140, which is roughly equivalent to what you would pay to order a custom shirt from Mercer & Sons and Michael Spencer (these latter two provide really outstanding custom oxfords too - they're my favorites, great collars to go along with the great fabrics). I figure a heavy Oxford will last several years, so the relative amortized cost difference is pretty small.