To crowdsource the perfect shirt

[nicholascrawford]

A recent thread was talking about monogramming on a dress shirt, and the consensus was negative on that. So I won't ask about that. But...


I realize that there are many different purposes for a shirt which explains the myriad of choices available, but if you could narrow down the perfect set of options, what would it be? Why?


Here are some of the variables:


Collars
<ul>[*]English Spread (Ratio says theirs is 5" wide)[/list]



<ul>[*]Semi-Spread (supposed to a little more narrow than the English spread - 4")[/list]



<ul>[*]Button Down (yes, OCBD)[/list]



<ul>[*]Two Button[/list]



<ul>[*]Long Point[/list]





Cuffs
<ul>[*]One Button Mitered[/list]



<ul>[*]One Button Rounded[/list]



<ul>[*]Two Button Mitered[/list]



<ul>[*]Two Button Rounded[/list]



<ul>[*]French Mitered[/list]



<ul>[*]French Square[/list]



<ul>[*]"Cocktail"[/list]





Yolk
<ul>[*]Plain[/list]



<ul>[*]Split[/list]





Back Pleats
<ul>[*]None[/list]



<ul>[*]Center[/list]



<ul>[*]Side[/list]





Tails or No
<ul>[*]Square[/list]



<ul>[*]Tails[/list]





Placket
<ul>[*]None (Ratio calls this a more contemporary look, more formal)[/list]



<ul>[*]Standard (Ratio calls this a more sturdy design, holds collar better when unbuttoned)[/list]



<ul>[*]Concealed (I had this on a uniform shirt once - hid the zipper)[/list]





Pocket
<ul>[*]No[/list]



<ul>[*]Yes[/list]





Buttons
<ul>[*]Plain[/list]



<ul>[*]Jazzy[/list]





Buttonholes
<ul>[*]Plain[/list]



<ul>[*]Jazzy[/list]





Epaulets
<ul>[*]Nay[/list]



<ul>[*]Yay[/list]





Collar Stays
<ul>[*]Sewn In[/list]



<ul>[*]Removable[/list]





Photos courtesy of http://www.ratioclothing.com, which I would love to buy from. See this review. The other photos are from ShirtsMyWay which I found via Google for the images. They have an incredible number of options.


I'm not listing short sleeves as an option. Unless it's a fast food uniform. (Side story: I showed up at a youth boot camp in uniform, and all but one wore their long sleeve uniform on this hot day. The one. The dumb one. He was crowded with a paper hat from Burger King. Don't wear short sleeves.)


Okay, predictably, there will be the OCBD configuration. What else? I'M UNABLE TO MAKE A DECISION ON MY OWN! ;-)

[Ben]

Semi-spread, single collar button, one button mitered, plain yoke, no back pleats, tails, standard placket, no pockets, plain buttons but jazzy buttonholes, no epaulets, removable stays.


what color?

[jason_carreira]

Semi spread, single collar button, 2 button rounded, split yoke, no pleats, tails, standard placket, no pockets, plain buttons ( do they offer mother of pearl?), plain button holes, no epaulets, removable stays

[LesserBlackDog]

I like a standard point collar. Either button-down or not (I like some of both). To me, a spread collar looks really weird with a tie, even if it's just semi-spread. Especially because I prefer smaller tie knots and slimmer ties. One button on collar, one button on cuff (no preference about the fabric corners), no preference on yolk, side pleats or no pleats, tails, standard placket, plain buttons, no epaulets, removable stays. Whether I want pockets or not depends on if it's a casual or dress shirt.

[nicholascrawford]

Every color! And the buttons/buttonholes would have to correlate with the fabric.


I hadn't realized all these options existed. Well, nothing surprised me, but it was striking to see them as electives. Whenever I think "being a clothing designer must be easy", I'll have to remember this!

[@damenefreghista]

Its very fun to create a custom shirt. I think you should take some pointers from the forum but at the end of the day its only you who can figure out what works best FOR YOU and your personal style. Things to keep in mind is:

Is this shirt for an office job? Is it a weekend shirt? Is your lifestyle more grown up (dinner and a drink on the weekend) or college party/nightclub type? Are you going to wear this shirt with slacks/or jeans and boots? Etc.


I personally find myself in between (I'm 25) but I lean toward a more grown up style. I don't do epaulets anymore or really bright colors. But I do like the cutaway (really widespread) collar though and I do monograms on custom made shirts. (I know most peeps in here are against it, but why have a custom shirt and not but your tag on it?)


As a matter of fact I just ordered a shirt from ModernTailor.com last week. This is the first time I order from them and I haven't received the shirt so I don't know how its going to come out. And I would definetely try Ratio since I hear their service is great and they make sheir shirts here in the U.S. or something? :-/ I'm not sure so don't quote me. But I already lined up a shirt with these guys and I want to try them out because they just offer so many options its crazy. I got mine OCBD just because I was in need for one and the fabric they offer on that trial shirt I believe suits it best. I also got plain yoke with darts and a cut bottom. Here's a photo of it if you want to check it out: http://damerinomenefreghista.tumblr.com/post/15662843962/looks-like-my-shirt-from-modern-tailor-is-on-its


There really is so many options to choose from that you can lose track of what you'd want. But hopefully those questions will help you figure it out. Best of luck to you. Make sure you post pictures of your created shirt here for us to see. Cheers..