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OCBD roundup (with pictures)

mulansauce

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My tailor (well, dry cleaner who happens to sew) looked at me strange when I asked to "bring in" or "narrow" the arms.
 

DBoon

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938_sht.jpg
 

PinkPantser

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Originally Posted by why
Why do people spend so much on shirts trying to find a good cut? Just take them to a tailor and have them fit perfectly for $15.

Originally Posted by mulansauce
My tailor (well, dry cleaner who happens to sew) looked at me strange when I asked to "bring in" or "narrow" the arms.

I've run into problems with multiple dry-cleaner 'tailors' doing a poor job and even giving me **** about getting shirts brought in (of course they're not tailors and you get what you pay for). Do it yourself and you can get exactly what you want and even add a bit of 'value' by investing your effort/time.

What I look for in a shirt:
[x]fabric/pattern is something I like
[x]shoulder fit
[x]neck fit (I like ties so I button all the way up pretty often)
[x]proper sleeve length
[x]proper overall length
[ ]body shape
[ ]sleeve shape

Getting the body and sleeve how I like it (including higher arm holes) is less than an hour of work with a cheap sewing machine.
 

mulansauce

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^
That would be ideal, and I often fantasize about buying a sewing machine and tailoring all my shirts, but I just have too many bad memories of 7th grade home ec--I just don't think I have it in me to sew. Then again, I have no real tailors within 40 minutes of my house, so I might simply break down and attempt it some day. How hard is it to add darts to a shirt?
 

wmmk

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Originally Posted by Dashaansafin
Honestly WWMK, I would just go to a tailor and get a custom shirt. It costs less than most of the shirts you listed and youll be perfectly happy while leaving BoO size Smalls for me.
I'm definitely considering it at this point
Originally Posted by mulansauce
Never give up. If worse comes to worse, you could always just invest more money in food and less in oxfords.
Haha, I return anything that doesn't fit properly.
Originally Posted by PinkPantser
As i've said elsewhere, I think the fit on the Rugby shirt looks great. The KW shirt looks pretty good too.

Did you ever end up getting a rugby shirt altered to bring in the arms and body? IIRC, you were balking at this for some reason that I didn't understand.

I haven't had a rugby shirt altered, but I'll try it with some broadcloth tartans that I already have. The only reason I originally wasn't so keen on the idea was that the tailor at RL was quoting me about $50 to take in the sides, shorten the hem, and slim down the sleeves. At that point, it'd just make more sense to get higher end RTW or MTM. However, I'll see what a regular tailor quotes me on that.
 

raginberriodoom

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Great post, I personally like the HM and Rugby fits. They look good ready to wear just like in your photos, and I think you might just be nitpicking at this point.

However, you are on the quest to find the perfect OCBD, so nitpick away!

Also interested in the Brook Brothers pictures if you have any, since I have roughly the same body type as you.
 

mulansauce

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It would never fit you right, but I find it odd that in your quest you haven't encountered a J. Crew.
 

PinkPantser

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Originally Posted by mulansauce
^
That would be ideal, and I often fantasize about buying a sewing machine and tailoring all my shirts, but I just have too many bad memories of 7th grade home ec--I just don't think I have it in me to sew. Then again, I have no real tailors within 40 minutes of my house, so I might simply break down and attempt it some day. How hard is it to add darts to a shirt?


It was only the combination of badly done alterations from a dry-cleaner and that my girlfriend already had a sewing machine that led me to try it.

Re: darts, I don't like them and so can't speak from experience, but I suspect its very simple.
 

PinkPantser

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shirt_alteration.jpg
The easiest way: 1. Turn inside out 2. Sew a seam up from the hem past the armpit and down the arm and taper it to the cuff (like the image). 3. Turn right-side out and try it on. 4a. If it doesn't fit how you like, rip out your new seam and try again from step 1, no harm done. 4b. If it fits the way you want cut off the excess between your new seam and the original one (you might want to finish where you cut the fabric so it doesn't fray, but thats optional). If you're particular, you'll want to take off the cuff or else you'll end up with a small bit of bunching where the tapered sleeve meets the cuff; that doesn't bother me so I don't take the time. Getting the shape right can take a couple tries when you've not done it before. For your first time you'll probably want to pin the shirt in the shape that you want while you're wearing it and before you start sewing. After a couple times when you're comfortable you can forego that step which makes it a fairly quick operation. Here is a shirt done in this way. I probably made the armholes just a bit too tight on this shirt, but I still like it.
 

Crakaveli

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unless you get something made-to-measure, you might have to go through a bunch of brands to find one that fits perfectly for you.
 

rupertwaddles

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Originally Posted by PinkPantser
shirt_alteration.jpg
The easiest way: 1. Turn inside out 2. Sew a seam up from the hem past the armpit and down the arm and taper it to the cuff (like the image). 3. Turn right-side out and try it on. 4a. If it doesn't fit how you like, rip out your new seam and try again from step 1, no harm done. 4b. If it fits the way you want cut off the excess between your new seam and the original one (you might want to finish where you cut the fabric so it doesn't fray, but thats optional). If you're particular, you'll want to take off the cuff or else you'll end up with a small bit of bunching where the tapered sleeve meets the cuff; that doesn't bother me so I don't take the time. Getting the shape right can take a couple tries when you've not done it before. For your first time you'll probably want to pin the shirt in the shape that you want while you're wearing it and before you start sewing. After a couple times when you're comfortable you can forego that step which makes it a fairly quick operation. Here is a shirt done in this way. I probably made the armholes just a bit too tight on this shirt, but I still like it.

Ive wanted to do this, but doesnt it end up making the armhole kind of weird, wher ehte armhole seam starts a bit down the arm? or does that not end up mattering Edit: Hahaha "jakegay" good photobucket album name for keeping pics of yourself wearing clothing
 

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