Hey everyone, I’m Aaron, the Style Girlfriend’s older brother.
I’m getting married at the end of June, and Megan decided to help me with one of the numerous decisions that one has to make when preparing for a wedding: what to wear (makes sense, right?).
{waay back in the day, when SG’s brother still lived in NYC!}
Picking the suit for myself and my groomsmen was easy. Evolution of Style has been a mainstay of my work wardrobe since I discovered them three years ago. (Congrats to the reader who nabbed a custom suit from them, by the way!) For the groomsmen, I decided on a basic gray suit. I’ll be wearing the same, with the addition of a vest for a classy, three-piece look.
The shirt was a tougher decision.
I was planning on heading to the local Macy’s in Madison to pick something that looked ‘wedding-ish’, whatever that means. Before I could pull the trigger on an off the rack shirt, though, Megan called me and suggested trying three online companies – Proper Cloth, Spectre, and Hucklebury – that she’d been wanting to check out for you guys. Deciding between a cookie-cutter department store shirt or three companies that would make a shirt just for me wasn’t too difficult, as you can probably imagine. I wanted to have something that fit better than something off the rack, and I felt confident I’d get that from at least one (if not all!) of these companies. Megan put me in touch with each of the companies and I was off and running.
First up was Proper Cloth…
PROPER CLOTH
Customer Service: The service provided by Proper Cloth felt confident but relaxed. Brittany, the person I dealt with, was quick to respond to all my questions.
Smart size survey: This online tool takes you through 12 questions and asks details like what type of buttons, type of collar, and the fit of the shirt that I wanted. The survey was very easy to use and the questions all seemed relevant to picking the right shirt. The last question which asked about the fit of the shirt was slightly confusing. It seemed at first like my personal style wasn’t an option. It went from a more boxy business shirt to a shirt described as ‘uber-stylish, close to the body’. I prefer something in-between; stylish without looking like a Jersey Shore guy. I emailed Brittany about it and she told me that, based on my build, I should opt for the stylish shirt. Overall, the survey and Proper Cloth’s customer service made it a no-worry experience when navigating their website.
Cloth samples: I really liked this feature. Proper cloth sent me approximately 10 fabric samples as options for the shirt. I picked out my top three options and then told Brittany that I wanted something that was lighter weight since it was a summer wedding, and something that wouldn’t wrinkle easily. I didn’t want to look like I was rumpled by the end of the night. She knew exactly which one would be best based on that description.
Delivery: Delivered promptly via FedEx. Packaging was very professional and the shirt was well presented in its packaging.
Fit: Brittany was right about the stylish cut. It was a slender cut but I didn’t feel like I was being squeezed. I typically shop at H & M for my dress shirts. While those are a good bargain for a decent fitting shirt, the Proper Cloth shirt was clearly in a different league both in quality of fabric and quality of fit. Sleeves were the right length. Collar is a semi-spread. Brittany had recommended either that or an English collar which is wider collar. My tie is going to be slightly skinnier so I didn’t want a collar fit for a cravat and tie that would be better for a thinner fit.
The semi-spread was the perfect middle ground between a cravat and a Don Draper skinny tie.
For the sleeve I went for the single-button which was the right decision. I like shirts that are simple and fit well without too many bells and whistles. This shirt, overall from the collar to the cut to the sleeves fits that description.
Price Point: The shirt retails for $150 which is fairly pricey. I will say that after trying it on, the quality is definitely there. And you really can’t go wrong with a perfect white collared shirt. Could be a staple in any wardrobe.
SPECTRE
Customer Service: My first impression of Spectre was that they REALLY wanted me to have a shirt I would love to wear at my wedding. Jeff Zhang, who I worked with, told me that one of the reasons he started his company was because he personally ran in to trouble when trying to find a shirt that fit properly for his wedding a few years ago. He was responsive and helped steer me in the right direction rather than passively taking my order. I got the sense that they would treat all their customers with equal passion.
Custom sleeve length: This is a definite ‘why didn’t anyone think of this before’ feature for me. While I’m sure this is easy enough if using a tailor, most places don’t offer this common sense solution. For example, I have a size 15.5 in. neck but my sleeves always fit best with shirts that have a 15 in. neck. So I end up choking with a tight collar or go for comfort with sleeves that are too long.
Spectre solves this problem. I emailed Jeff telling him my sizing and they made it custom for me. It was great putting on a shirt that was comfortable at the neckline and the sleeves.
Fit: The custom sleeve length and proper fitting collar immediately made this a very comfortable, easy to wear shirt. I could tell the material was high quality when first putting it on. While Jeffrey highly recommended the spread collar, I’m not 100% sold on it. If I was wearing a more traditional wedding tie this may work, but for the style of tie and suit, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
Price point: This shirt retails for $65, which is right in my price range. For a quality shirt like this, I would say it’s a steal. I would buy love to buy multiple shirts from Spectre to fill out my work wardrobe.
HUCKLEBURY
Customer Service: The team at Hucklebury was attentive and great at follow up. Parag, the person I was dealing with, emailed me their company philosophy and recommendations for which shirts he thought would match the suit description I gave him. One of the nice things about working with a newer shirt company is they’ll give you legitimate feedback. I would bet that many guys would agree with me that they don’t mind be told what they should wear whether it’s from a significant other or a customer shirt designer. If someone tells me a shirt will look good, I’ll give it a shot.
The one downside in their service (and it’s a small thing) was that the packaging was a little beat up when it showed up at my door. While the shirt was in great shape, the box looked like it had been through some rough times.
Fit: The collar on this shirt is perfect. Personally I like the fact that it has buttons to hold down the ends. That’s a personal preference, but I feel like it gives a tidier appearance. I’d have to defer to Megan as to whether this is ok for a wedding, but I give it a big thumb’s up. The shirt itself was not super slim cut, but it was comfortable with good lines and tucked in to my pants well. I hate it when a shirt hits in a weird place and you can’t take two steps without the shirt untucking somewhere.
The most noticeable thing on this shirt is the blue French cuff sleeves. Parag recommended it so I gave it a try. I was torn on what to think of this. It certainly makes it a fancier shirt, but it also adds a whole different element of preparation. For the wedding day, everyone will be dressed to the nines so this makes sense, but I’m not sure if I would wear it for a night out or to work.
As to the offset color, I’m a fan. I think it could have been expanded upon actually and added a slight accent of color underneath the collar. I appreciated the fact that Hucklebury thought outside of the box and went for some interesting, creative ideas.
Price Point: $120. This is in the same ballpark as the Proper Cloth shirt and is meant for a professional/ upscale clientele. This makes sense for a fancier shirt. While it’s great for a special occasion like a wedding it’d be too pricey for me to buy as an everyday shirt for work.
SG Brother Rankings
Customer Service: Spectre
Fit: Proper Cloth
Most ‘wedding-ish’: Hucklebury
Price Point: Spectre
…..
Thanks Brother Bear! And sorry for letting everyone know I call you Brother Bear!
Guys, have you tried these, or any other web-based shirtmakers? Leave your experience in the comments!
And to find out what my brother wears on his big day, tune in next weekend..I’ll post a picture on Twitter from the wedding!
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