Aussie members - Dress Shirts?

I actually think all the shirts available are crap and we should maybe invest money into producing our own

or at least ensure that we support those that we have which are decent (ie. Charles Nahkle) with our business.

Originally Posted by misterjase

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or at least ensure that we support those that we have which are decent (ie. Charles Nahkle) with our business.

Can someone post a picture of Nahkle's shirts? I had a discussion about it with a fellow forumite and we were a little concerned because we have never seen his stuff.

Originally Posted by ProphetHammer

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If you plan on wearing a tie with that and only relocate the collar button odds are really good that will ruin the line of the shirt when you're wearing it and it will look slightly lopsided. Maybe talk to a tailor about it but based on a similar experience I'm almost certain this will happen.

Possibly. I have no resigned myself to just dealing with the shirts I currently have until I go to Malaysia at the end of the year. I'll get some made up there.

Originally Posted by neyus

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Can someone post a picture of Nahkle's shirts? I had a discussion about it with a fellow forumite and we were a little concerned because we have never seen his stuff.

I'm wearing them in the what you are wearing now thread but only with a jacket. I'll take a picture next week without a jacket on and post it here.

Cheers,

Craig

Originally Posted by base615

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I'm wearing them in the what you are wearing now thread but only with a jacket. I'll take a picture next week without a jacket on and post it here.

Thanks. In the meantime I will look at the WAYWT

there has been discussion before with a pic. see: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=27098

Pictures as requested. Bear in mind I'm a pretty wierd bodyshape;





Cheers,

Craig

Hi all,

Just collected my 1st bespoke shirt from Charles Nahkle on Saturday at the ridiculously 'high' price of... $210AUD

Agree with all who sing his praises. The shirt fits perfectly. Much better than any of my other shirts, and I've tried many makes and models, from Zegna MTM to Borrelli and Kiton. 1st rate!

Pay him a visit some time; you won't regret it. He's a really nice guy to chat with, and his knowledge of shirt-making is astounding, as is his range of luxurious fabrics. Moreover, he won't try to push the most expensive fabrics on you, preferring instead to explain the pros and cons of each. (E.g. apparently, Sea Island cotton wrinkles badly in the Aussie climate; I didn't know that!)

I've already ordered another (English fabric this time) and will probably end up ordering many more.

Regards,
Cool Breeze

BTW Thanks for the recommendation, Sator.

How long does it take between measuring and first fitting for the bespoke shirts? And then how many fittings are there?
Is there a made to measure option if i can only visit once?

Originally Posted by fox81

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How long does it take between measuring and first fitting for the bespoke shirts? And then how many fittings are there?
Is there a made to measure option if i can only visit once?

With Charles, your shirt can be ready in a week or two if he's not busy, four if he is. Fortunately, I never needed a second fitting as the shirt fit perfectly the first time around.

So I guess the number of visits (w/ Charles anyway) depends on how well the initial measurements were taken.

Regards,
Z

Originally Posted by fox81

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How long does it take between measuring and first fitting for the bespoke shirts? And then how many fittings are there?
Is there a made to measure option if i can only visit once?
I have recently had 12 shirts made by Charles. I agree with all of the above comments about his shirts.

Timing - a first time shirt will take three to four weeks. After that, he can often do it in a few days.

You only ever need one visit. The guy is an absolute master. Perfect fit first time.

Unlike almost all other shirtmakers, he cuts a pattern precisly for your measurements. He does not adapt a block. Your pattern is kept. When you order more shirts, he uses the pattern. Unless you gain or lose weight, you won't need another measuring or fitting ever again. (I am hoping I will need re-measuring next time I see him!)

Charles will post the shirts to you if you want.

He visits Melbourne from time to time. If you want to find out when, contact him.

Charles is currently expanding his premises. He has purchased the shop next door (he owns the premises he is in). His main problem is finding enough staff to service the demand for his first-rate product.

Another advantage of using Charles Nakhle is that he is about 300 metres from Sam Disano, a great tailor. A trip to Parramatta from town has recently involved visiting both gentlemen, killing two birds with one stone.

Please keep in mind that Charles Nakhle may increase his prices a little towards the end of the year. So get your orders in now if you can. I wouldn't worry about having to attend multiple fittings. I suggest that when putting orders in for several, to get one made up, and then get the rest made up only when you are happy with the first.

Visits to Melbourne have been few and far between. The last was over a year ago, and there are no more planned for the future. He simply cannot really afford to spend time away from Sydney. Also, when I posted his details on SF etc, he only got a couple of calls from interested parties in Melbourne anyway. So unless you can organise for your whole business to be measured up by him at once then it probably isn't really worth his while.

So, to be fair, they are made to measure and not bespoke?

They are bespoke. You will have your own unique pattern drafted.

BTW contrary to internet orthodoxy, I think that "made to measure" should be another term for bespoke because a pattern is made based upon the measurements of the customer. The problem is with "made to order" when generic block patterns are used with minimal modifications. Bespoke can still be based on block patterns if major structural alterations are "made to measure". However, considerable skill is required, based on a sound understanding of pattern making. The results are tantamount to drafting a unique pattern from scratch, due to the far reaching structural consequences of making certain changes to a block pattern - consequences that the MTO factory don't have time to think through. Bespoke level manipulation of block patterns involves the use of the block pattern as a template upon which to base thorough-going pattern modifications, and results may bear little resemblance to the starting pattern. Thomas Holding wrote a whole book on the subject.

Charles drafts a completely new pattern from scratch without recourse to block patterns.