A Guide to Made-to-Measure Shirts: Five Steps to Perfection

There’s nothing like a made-to-measure shirt. There just isn’t. You look good, you feel good, you don’t futz with your collar or pull on the fabric when you check yourself out in the mirror. The shirt does not require extra finessing. It’s almost like it was…specifically fitted to your frame? Exactly.

Some trepidation about buying such a specialty item over the Internet is normal. But do not fear. The process is simple: two measurements you can take at home (neck and sleeve, detailed here) and five easy decisions to make. Then you’re done.

Alternatively, come see us in person. We’ll take care of you.

SHOP: made-to-measure shirts

RELATED: tailored suits & alterations

Start by choosing a fabric: fine white twill, blue twill, blue check, blue micro texture, blue mini gingham, blue brown micro check, blue micro basket weave, blue herringbone twill, Swiss blue twill (higher thread count), Swiss white twill. Basically you want color, texture, neither or both. Your call. Each one of these fabrics goes with everything.

 

Classic, regular, trim, extra-trim: we hold the definitions of these fit types to be self-evident.

 

Your collar choices are straight, spread, short spread, cutaway or button-down. A general guideline: don’t wear a button-down collar with a suit. Sorry, but it looks dorky. Wear your button-down collar with a casual jacket like a blazer or with no jacket. All other collar styles are fine for suiting up, with the main decision-making criteria being how much of your tie you want to show.

Pockets: very cool, but not everyone needs one. You know who you are. And you know who you aren’t.

Choosing a cuff is, in a way, a choice about jewelry. That’s because if you choose a French cuff, which rolls over itself, sticks out of your jacket sleeve and is fastened with a cuff link, the links are a pretty major decision. They’re on display. You probably already know how you feel about jewelry, but if you’ve never worn French cuffs and links, give it a try in one of our stores just to see. You may think it’s not for you and then surprise yourself. The decision between a barrel or mitered cuff, however (rounded corner or cut-off corner), comes down to formality. The mitered cuff is dressier.

via Nordstrom Fashion Blog http://ift.tt/29l3dEt