Got a catalog in the mail. The styles seem right up my alley. I really like buying any article of clothing in person to feel the material, check the stitching and fit and so on. Occasionally I won't if I have had the brand or style before. So I have no experience with this brand. I wanted to know if any of you have had any experiences good or bad with them?
Charles tyrwhitt shirts?
- Thread starter doofus
- Start date
I have not heard of this clothier. Looks very nice and reasonably priced.
Disappointing. I bought 1 from them online but won't again. Do you happen to have a store near you? It looks great in the catalog, but I felt the material was thin, poorly cut/stitched, and it's not wrinkle free. I also think their measurements are off as my sleeves didn't fit my arms as well as most American dress shirts.
CT has their fans, but I didn't like it. I've had more success with Men's Wearhouse/Jos A Bank, Eagle, Arrow, Croft and Barrow, etc. from other dept stores, but I'm a big guy with broad shoulders. CT might work for a skinny person with narrow shoulders maybe, who likes to starch and iron or have his shirts laundered professionally. I did get complements from women when I wore it, but I didn't find it comfortable.
CT has their fans, but I didn't like it. I've had more success with Men's Wearhouse/Jos A Bank, Eagle, Arrow, Croft and Barrow, etc. from other dept stores, but I'm a big guy with broad shoulders. CT might work for a skinny person with narrow shoulders maybe, who likes to starch and iron or have his shirts laundered professionally. I did get complements from women when I wore it, but I didn't find it comfortable.
Everything Bengal said. Natty shirts makes nice products with many personal options.- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks buddy that's the kind of info I was looking for! I did want to share and didn't think to put it I'm 6'1, 160 lbs. So slightly on the skinny side lol. Really long arms that drag on the ground when I walk. Ever see those pictures of the gray\white aliens with really skinny long arms and legs? That's what we are working with here. I was leaning toward English because of my build. I'm not very comfortable in American fits for the most part. That being said material thin, poorly stitched especially are pet peeves of mine also.
I own a whole whack of CT shirts and have been generally happy. That said, most of mine are from a few years ago and things may have changed. I find them to be "decent, reliable, inexpensive" shirts not on anyone's "ooh, wow, great shirt!!" list, but on my 'gets the job done' list. At your height/weight, I'd say try their "extra slim" shirt style. IIRC they have sleeve lengths that go up to 37" ... dunno if that is long enough for your freakish circus arms, but hopefully so.
As to the comments from the poster above about the material being too thin, they do have several different materials on offer, so you can get a more substantial fabric if you like (especially now, as they are in the "winter" season and likely to focus more on thicker fabrics.)
Are you CONUS? They have an American website as well as a UK one, and may have a good deal on shipping/returns to make trying the shirts easy.
Roughly half of the shirts that I own are CT. I have been wearing them for years.
I wear the slim fit, and for my body type, the fit is very good. I also like that they don't come with pockets. I don't like pockets on my dress shirt.
I've had very good luck with their non-iron shirts. They have stayed non-wrinkled better than most. They also have a large variety of colors and styles.
I also wear shirts from Twillory, John Varvatos (Nordstrom), TM Lewin, Geoffrey Beene and I have 1 shirt each from Modern Tailor and Natty Shirts. My favorite is probably Twillory. It is a bit more expensive than Tyrwhitt, and the selection is poor. But the quality and fit are excellent. The Natty Shirt that I have is a complete piece of garbage. I will be donating it next time I go to salvation army. I have worn it once. TM Lewin shirts are similar. They tend to be very thick fabrics. The cut is similar as is the price. The wrinkle performance isn't as good as CT.
The only problem I have had with CT shirts is that I have had quite a few rip near the elbow. I'm not exactly sure why they keep ripping at that spot. Going forward, I will likely stick with Twillory even though it costs more. However, I think the CT brand is a solid value.
I wear the slim fit, and for my body type, the fit is very good. I also like that they don't come with pockets. I don't like pockets on my dress shirt.
I've had very good luck with their non-iron shirts. They have stayed non-wrinkled better than most. They also have a large variety of colors and styles.
I also wear shirts from Twillory, John Varvatos (Nordstrom), TM Lewin, Geoffrey Beene and I have 1 shirt each from Modern Tailor and Natty Shirts. My favorite is probably Twillory. It is a bit more expensive than Tyrwhitt, and the selection is poor. But the quality and fit are excellent. The Natty Shirt that I have is a complete piece of garbage. I will be donating it next time I go to salvation army. I have worn it once. TM Lewin shirts are similar. They tend to be very thick fabrics. The cut is similar as is the price. The wrinkle performance isn't as good as CT.
The only problem I have had with CT shirts is that I have had quite a few rip near the elbow. I'm not exactly sure why they keep ripping at that spot. Going forward, I will likely stick with Twillory even though it costs more. However, I think the CT brand is a solid value.
For an unusual build, there are more online shops offering custom-made dress shirts. You have a tailor measure you and send it to them, choose your cloth and options and they'll tailor it just for you. That's an option to consider. Once you have one that works out with the fit, you can get a bunch at a discount. A google search yields several shops that offer this.
If you get "big and tall" shirts for your monkey arms, you can also have a tailor slim down the waist. The dress shirt I'm wearing right now is a "big and tall" I purchased by mistake and had a tailor take in the waist.
But if you're going British, CT is more of a value brand rather than quality. There are plenty of other options that offer online purchasing and shipping.
If you get "big and tall" shirts for your monkey arms, you can also have a tailor slim down the waist. The dress shirt I'm wearing right now is a "big and tall" I purchased by mistake and had a tailor take in the waist.
But if you're going British, CT is more of a value brand rather than quality. There are plenty of other options that offer online purchasing and shipping.
It seems shirtmakers QC can radically change. I miss THE CUSTOM SHOPPE chain. You could go in, SEE the material, select options and have them in a few weeks.
- Thread starter
- #10
This is great guys. The added bonus is I'm really really enjoying the adjectives for my arms! You guys are hilarious.
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks. I have a few geoffrey beene also. One of the few brands that fit me well. I ordered 2 CT. For the price it's no big loss if there's an issue. But if there is an issue I will definitely blame you.
I wear CT shirts and find them exceptional, and not just for the price. The finishing is excellent, there are many very nice fabrics to choose from and the fit, expecially slim, is excellent. Department stores do not offer a wide variety of fabric choices and they are often poplin or oxford cloth. If you are really interested, call CT customer service and have them talk to you about fabrics and such. Also wait for the inevitable 20% off sale and get 4 shirts for $160. At $40 a shirt, I will guarantee CT quality will beat the quality of any $40 shirt you can get at a store here. Good luck!
These shops are common in London, they frequently have promotions selling shirts at 4 for £100, around $125.
The customer base is financial people who want a specific shirt. No pocket, stiff collar, double cuffs for cufflinks, simple design, and in white, pale blue, bone, and blue or red stripe.
The shirts are good but can be a swine to iron, perhaps thats just me.
They are not as good as Thomas Pink shirts but nowhere near the price either.
http://www.thomaspink.com/shirts/mens/fcp-category/list
The customer base is financial people who want a specific shirt. No pocket, stiff collar, double cuffs for cufflinks, simple design, and in white, pale blue, bone, and blue or red stripe.
The shirts are good but can be a swine to iron, perhaps thats just me.
They are not as good as Thomas Pink shirts but nowhere near the price either.
http://www.thomaspink.com/shirts/mens/fcp-category/list
My limited experience with Thos. Pink is that they are more or less about the same as CT in quality, but have taken the marketing approach of putting on airs in order to charge more. Both brands offer various price/quality levels but ... with Pink you are basically paying more needlessly.
I have between 20 to 30 CT shirts. I usually buy them 4 or 5 at a time when there is a sale. I'm a big guy and I find their non-iron classic fit shirts to be fantastic for my build. They are also exceptionally hard wearing, with my first one easily five years old and still looks great. Nothing CT sells is particularly flashy, but I like that as most of their shirts are rather timeless.
+1 same here
I've never bought anyone's "non-iron" shirts, so my experience is just with the regular ones.
Do NOT buy the CT non-iron shorts unless you take your stuff to the cleaners. They are a bear to iron. I have a few that I no longer wear for that reason.
I like how much the opinions vary on these shirts. CT is starting to sound like Williams mug soap. 
And if that's not enough, if you look down at the "similar threads" section below you'll see at least 5 more threads about these shirts.
And if that's not enough, if you look down at the "similar threads" section below you'll see at least 5 more threads about these shirts.
