Your take on Jantzen shirts now...

[Get Smart]

Just reading a bunch of comments on AAAC about the problems with Jantzen (shoddy shirts, lack of service, getting no shirt/wrong shirt etc), and considering the praise they got a year ago, has Jantzen grown too big to accomodate all the folks wanting shirts now?

My Jantzen shirts were timely delivered and very well made, without the problems that I've read about. The lack of service never bothered me, as I was fine just ordering, forgetting, and eventually getting...at that price. I know my measurements very precisely so all my shirts fit as I wanted them to.

But I'm wondering if they really cannot handle their workload now?

 

[Mute]

My last order on March took 2 months after a trying to contact them by email and fax. However, the quality on the shirt did not suffer. It was still a high quality shirt worth more than what it actually cost.

 

[Stu]

I just got an order of 4 shirts. They were actually sent to someone in Massachusetts by mistake and he then sent them to me. Ricky was very nice and apologetic and let me know.

The quality and fabrics were superb. I do notice the buttons are not that great though. Thick MOP but they are certainly not 1st quality, But for the price, show me a better shirt. I could go to Marshalls and buy a shirt for that price and it wouldn't even be on the same planet with the Jantzen in terms of quality and fit.

 

[Henry Boogers]

Last time I ordered from Ricky it took 9 months, and I received a lime green woman's blouse!!! Don't order, don't ANYONE (else) order.

 

[NewYorkBuck]

JMO - but in my experience it is generally not worth the aggravation dealing w a foreign tailor. When I was deciding upon custom shirts - I chose between CEGO and Jantzen. I chose CEGO and have never looked back. Is Carl cheaper? No. Has everthing come out perfect the first time? No. But he is extremely responsive to any problems and his prices are quite competitive considering the product and service provided. For me, part of bespoke is the personalized service, and this is just not generally something that can be provided by only emails and phone calls.

 

[mumbojumbo]

As said before, on my shirt i got the following things wrong:
-pilling fabric
-one misaligned collar stay pocket
-one misaligned gusset
-cheesy placket bottom hem
-loose threads at buttonholes
(-very tight at hips due to almost no-allowence on measurements)

Delivery took 6 weeks.

Side and sleeve single-needle seams and thick MOP buttons (yes, they are not first grade with brown back) were indeed nice.

Overall: not recommended, even for the low price.

 

[jmatt]

Even with my recent problem (which is already resolved), once I got my shirts I was thrilled with them. Although Ricky's english is good, I think there is still some communications barrier, and some cultural barrier. From my experience though, Ricky seems like a good man, who will ultimately make right for people. He's probably simply faced with more demand than capacity. He's got my vote of confidence though.

 

[mbc]

Just received a shirt today... best one so far of all the shirts I've ordered. He got every detail I wanted correct, even though it took a little longer than usual... even the darts I asked for in the back. Honestly I was about to give up on Jantzen but I think I'll order another after how this most recent order turned out.

The fabric I ordered was this one, and is gorgeous in person. The pictures definitely do not do it justice. The squares between the blue/black lines are white twill, but the twill alternates direction from square to square, so one square will be high-left to low-right, then the next will be the reverse of that, and they alternate like that in a checkerboard pattern, making for an interesting effect. Plus it met my main criteria for white shirts, which is that they not be transparent. http://www.jantzentailor.com/checkers598.htm

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBuck

JMO - but in my experience it is generally not worth the aggravation dealing w a foreign tailor. When I was deciding upon custom shirts - I chose between CEGO and Jantzen. I chose CEGO and have never looked back. Is Carl cheaper? No. Has everthing come out perfect the first time? No. But he is extremely responsive to any problems and his prices are quite competitive considering the product and service provided. For me, part of bespoke is the personalized service, and this is just not generally something that can be provided by only emails and phone calls.

I'm am seriously considering going the CEGO route. I've made three Jantzen orders and there have been issues (from their end) on each one. My last order came with the measurements that I had put in for my first test shirt, even though we did an order before that where all the measurements were changed from the test shirt. I guess the new measurements weren't written down or something.

 

[CaptChaos]

I have placed and received three orders from Jantzen. The most recent was in February of this year. I am completely satisfied with the workmanship and the accuracy to the measurements that were sent.

That being said, I need you guys to stop placing orders so Ricky is not so busy and then I can send in another order.

 

[chobochobo]

I have two shirts from Janzten. One white dress shirt that I've worn once, the other a wing collar that I was going to wear to a black tie do, but I decided to wear a DB DJ and so stuck with normal collars. The fit on both are fine, the collar is a little tight particularly with the thick buttons but not restrictive by any means. I asked for a looser fit and chose the more expensive fabric.

Compared to the other shirts I have (TM Lewin, Pink, Tyrrwhitt, Harvie and Hudson, Hilditch and Key, New and Lingwood, Aquascutum, Boss, Armani etc etc) the quality is comparable and the fit is amongst the best, but then you would expect that from a MTM shirt.

As I'm currently working in Hong Kong, I was a 'walk-in' customer and the shirts were ready to be picked up in two days. During my time there, they are busy even though it was off-peak. The floor of their small shop was full of bags full of finished shirts. I think the basic problem is that they're too busy. Quality-wise they're fine, price-wise they're comparable to other HK shirtmakers but much cheaper than buying RTW 'name' brands.

 

[Henry Boogers]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Apparently Ricky knows you better than you know yourself.

He was close, I wanted a pink blouse.

In all seriousness I am gearing up for another order so I am hoping everyone else is scared away for a few weeks.

I've had a little more hassle lately (3-4 months ago) with an order missing, but Ricky assured me that if it didn't arrive by a certain date he would remake the shirts. They eventually arrived to my satisfaction. The value may be going down slightly, as the hassle & scrap rate (poor fabric, incorrect specs, etc.) are increasing but my most recent experience certainly didn't deter me.

I get the impression that a lot of people ignore the negative aspect of Jantzen and are then disappointed when they exerience it. It is what it is. Take it or leave it. I'll take 6 more.....

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

I get the impression that a lot of people ignore the negative aspect of Jantzen and are then disappointed when they exerience it. It is what it is. Take it or leave it. I'll take 6 more.....

I can't speak for anyone else but I don't have an issue with waiting or the occasional screw up but on my second order I got a shirt in a fabric thatI did not order. For $40, I wasn't going to mail it back and get a new one so I gave it to a friend. My last order, I have three unwearable shirts given Jantzens incorrect measurements. If I eat those, now my losses are inching towards $200. Their is an inflection point where the cheap price, great quality does not outweigh the pitfalls. Depending on how the problem with these three shirts is resolved, I may be at that point.

 

[PatriotsFan]

How long does it normally take to receive an order?

I ordered a shirt from them on 4/23/06 and still have not received it yet....

 

[Etienne]

I have had a 4-8 weeks turnaround for my first two shirts. The first one was very nice for a first try, the second was actually a little worse. I hope to get it right for the third (ordered 5 weeks ago).

If the third one is right, I will stick with Jantzen. If it is not, I am considering Mytailor.com