Shirt-buying advice

So, about 6 months back, I had surgery on my throat, and to make a long story short, I can no longer button any of the top buttons on my dress shirts. All of my current shirts are a "standard fit" as well, and therefore are balloonish.

Since I now have to re-vamp my entire shirt wardrobe, I'm looking to do it right. I currently have a couple of non-iron slim fit JAB shirts that I quite like, so I'm thinking that's the way to go (at least with the non-iron and slim fit, not so much the JAB). Therefore, a few questions follow:

1) Where can you find the best (most durable, most breathable - since I live in the southeast) non-iron shirts?

2) How much room should really be left in the neck? My shirts are currently 16 in the neck, and while I could make them button, I think the button would pop off after 10 minutes of wear. So I'd guess I measure somewhere around 16.25 or so. Would a 16.5 be fine? Should you always leave more room in the neck than that?

I've tried searching for this info, but after sifting through all of the B&S search results, not much was there. Any help would be appreciated, as I've already lost too much money on useless clothing.

A few things here. I don't think that there is anything wrong with JAB per se, but there is something wrong with non-iron. The coating that gets applied to make a shirt non-iron makes the fabric deteriorate much quicker than it normally would. So to put durable and non-iron in the same sentence is a bit of a misnomer.

As far as collar size it kind of depends on what you are comfortable with. I personally like my collars a bit snug, but others say you should be able to comfortably get two fingers between your neck and your collar. If you meaure 16.25" 16.5" should be fine, some might even go to 17, but in my opinion collars that are too big look terrible. But didn't you say you are unable to button the top buttons? Does this mean that you never will be able to in the future, or just because your neck size is larger post surgery? I would say that you have to hover between comfortable and good looking.

Also, for good reccomendations on shirts it would be important to note your price point. If it is around the same as JAB I would definitely say Charles Tyrwhitt over JAB, but it depends. Also if you are looking for something lightweight go for broadcloth, or poplin, which are generally lighter and breathable.

I'm unable to button the top button on most of my shirts, and the ones that I can button are not done so in a comfortable manner. All of my current shirts are 16 in the neck. As for any future change in neck size, the scar has mostly disappeared, and I attribute the increased neck size to scar tissue that will likely remain. So I believe my neck will remain the same size.

As for price-point, I'm thinking no more than $100 or so per shirt. This eagerness to refill the wardrobe recently has come from a relocated BB store that has come about 15 miles closer to me in the past week, so their usual 3 for $199 deal is something I'm comfortable with, but I'm open to suggestions.

It seems that your advice would be to just have a white and blue non-iron for back-up, and to otherwise avoid non-iron at all costs. What does everyone else think?

Originally Posted by jmoody15

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...It seems that your advice would be to just have a white and blue non-iron for back-up, and to otherwise avoid non-iron at all costs. What does everyone else think?


If you won't/don't want to iron, then buy non-iron regardless of other factors.

agree.

even if the chemicals make the lifespan of the shirt shorter, i'm willing to accept that if it cuts down on ironing time.

Originally Posted by zizou

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agree.

even if the chemicals make the lifespan of the shirt shorter, i'm willing to accept that if it cuts down on ironing time.

So who makes the best non-iron shirts? And I'm looking at chain-type stuff, because we don't work with the same shops in Alabama that you guys have in NYC

buy TM Lewin or Charles Tyrwhitt, they are probably nicer than BB and cheaper. their deal right now is 4 shirts for about $130 shipped to the US.

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

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buy TM Lewin or Charles Tyrwhitt, they are probably nicer than BB and cheaper. their deal right now is 4 shirts for about $130 shipped to the US.

CT slim fit is also slimmer than BB, (which are still not really that slim at all...)

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

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A few things here. I don't think that there is anything wrong with JAB per se, but there is something wrong with non-iron. The coating that gets applied to make a shirt non-iron makes the fabric deteriorate much quicker than it normally would. So to put durable and non-iron in the same sentence is a bit of a misnomer.

As far as collar size it kind of depends on what you are comfortable with. I personally like my collars a bit snug, but others say you should be able to comfortably get two fingers between your neck and your collar. If you meaure 16.25" 16.5" should be fine, some might even go to 17, but in my opinion collars that are too big look terrible. But didn't you say you are unable to button the top buttons? Does this mean that you never will be able to in the future, or just because your neck size is larger post surgery? I would say that you have to hover between comfortable and good looking.

Also, for good reccomendations on shirts it would be important to note your price point. If it is around the same as JAB I would definitely say Charles Tyrwhitt over JAB, but it depends. Also if you are looking for something lightweight go for broadcloth, or poplin, which are generally lighter and breathable.

You must have just gotten a bad shirt, I have worn JAB non iron for years and haev not had a problem with them. I have a few shirts that are going on 3 years now and are jsut a sfresh and when I first got them.

Originally Posted by jmoody15

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So who makes the best non-iron shirts? And I'm looking at chain-type stuff, because we don't work with the same shops in Alabama that you guys have in NYC

might want to try tyrwhitt then.

lots of folks here will say that tyrwhitt shirts aren't that slim, which i agree with. but supposedly, they're still slimmer than BB or JAB. they have no hassle returns with free return shipping so it might be worth a try.

from my understanding, lewin doesn't have non-iron shirts.

Originally Posted by bowtielover

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You must have just gotten a bad shirt, I have worn JAB non iron for years and haev not had a problem with them. I have a few shirts that are going on 3 years now and are jsut a sfresh and when I first got them.
I actually haven't had a JAB non-iron that didn't bust within a couple of years, which is too bad; even though they only make a few of them, I think they do some of the nicer patterned shirts available in that price range. Wearing them once every two weeks and almost never dry cleaning, they lasted about 2-3 years apiece. All wore through on the elbow, a pretty standard spot for shirt wear. Each died with a very clean tear, suggesting that it's just an overall weakened fabric more easily popped by one of the pointier joints in the body. However, I think that's also fairly typical of non-iron if worn heavily; friends of mine report the same thing happening with Nordstrom non-irons as well. My biggest problem with non-iron is the lack of breatheability. Sweat city.