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Oxxford vs Borrelli

senator1214

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The shirts made by both of these companies are hand finished and are similarly priced, But the question is; In your opinion who makes the better shirt?
eg: fabric choices, fit, and shirt construction
 

lawyerdad

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You do realize that asking a disparate group of people which is "best" in terms of "fit" is utterly senseless?
 

itsstillmatt

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The idea of Oxxford shirts fills me with the dread of ill-fitting old man style.
 

JamesT

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Stylistically, I prefer Borrelli as Oxxford has always seemed rather bland to me. From what I have seen, both have a bit of an overt "look at all my handwork!" style to them which can be good or bad, depending on the result and if it is something you prefer.

Overall, for casual clothing (sportcoats, trousers, sweaters etc.) I much prefer Borrelli.
 

johnapril

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Borrelli barrel cuff shirts are difficult to button.
 

lee_44106

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Who cares about fit and shirt fabric and all that nonsense?

Just picture all those pairs of human hands involved in the construction of these shirts.
bounce2.gif
 

Artisan Fan

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Originally Posted by iammatt
The idea of Oxxford shirts fills me with the dread of ill-fitting old man style.

+1. I've never been impressed with Oxxford shirtings.
 

Green Lantern

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I simply like the best of Italian more than I like the best of American. Although I like the best of the English the best. Essentially, I appreciate the esthetics of the Borrelli shirt as compared to the Oxxford shirt. Both are works of art.
 

Manton

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Hand work on shirts is overrated -- a forum fetish.
 

maclovin

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Originally Posted by Artisan Fan
+1. I've never been impressed with Oxxford shirtings.
Sir,

Don't they all use the same shirtings?

Yrs.
 

voxsartoria

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Originally Posted by senator1214
The shirts made by both of these companies are hand finished and are similarly priced, But the question is; In your opinion who makes the better shirt?
eg: fabric choices, fit, and shirt construction


I have several Oxxford-branded shirts, but they are from five plus years ago. They are, indeed, handfinished, but they are all made in Italy, use the same flat, beige MOP buttons as Kiton and are put together and tagged exactly like a Kiton would be. I have never come across a satisfactory explanation for this...but I presume there is, or was, some relationship. The Oxxford shirts are cut fuller than the Kitons I have...about the same as Borrelli's heading for department stores in the US. Not trim; but not Mercer.

Does Oxxford have a non-Italian maker of their hand-finished shirts now?

There might be differences among Borrelli, Kiton, top-line Barba, whoever makes (or made) for Oxxford, top-line Finamore, etc. in construction, but I see no differences that would make me choose one over the other in this group aside from sample to sample differences. They all seem, for example, to put in the arms the same way: one machine-stitched row around the arm until the shoulder, and then the top of the shoulder set in by hand and then the second seam lapped by hand. Contrast this with the Matuozzo closeups on mafoofan's blog that should both seams done by hand, and with a high stitch per inch count.

It has been established, I think, that Borrelli is not shy about describing how their manufacturing process can include outworkers, and I attribute (without broad evidence) the variabilty in construction outcome for Borrelli shirts to this system. Does that make Borrelli different than the maker Oxxford uses? I have no idea, because I do not know who makes Oxxford's shirts.

Of this group, Kiton most reliably uses finer fabrics across their range, and their decorative handsewing seems most consistently neat. Kiton is also consistently the highest in price, however, and I am surprised that Oxxford is priced at the Kiton level and not at the Borrelli level. Perhaps Oxxford's market for their shirts is same-store sales to customers who do not have the time to futz with clothes or post on SF?

I do not mind paying a lot for stuff that I like, but I would not personally pay full retail anymore for any of the hand-finished Neapolitan-esque brands aimed at the global RTW market. When discounted, however, their shortcomings and propensity to benefit from retailoring, if one is normal BMI, are easier to forgive (I suppose this is actually true of most any RTW).

Does anyone know who makes Oxxford's current line of hand-finished shirts, assuming that Oxxford still markets one?

As for fit, that would depend on the person. I prefer shirts that are often called "slim," but I am among the one out of four Americans who are not overweight. If one is stockier, a bigger body fit makes sense.

- B
 

rnoldh

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Originally Posted by iammatt
The idea of Oxxford shirts fills me with the dread of ill-fitting old man style.

Matuozzo Man
smile.gif


I think that some Oxxford shirts are made by Kiton, so while they may not be Anna M. quality, they aren't that bad.

To the OP, there is really a wealth on information on this site. The search function is your friend.
 

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