Custom-made shirts?

So Pringles (and everyone else, I guess)...

Maybe I'm missing something, but what tuck are y'all using? Pringles: Being thin, do you go hard tuck?

I'm 5-10/11 and wear a 32 pants, and consider my build average to athletic. I do a tuck/lift/fluff. Don't need it because of a belly, but I'm not thinking I look like a slob either.

If you're a hard tucker, and most sports writers aren't really thin, they're not going to hard tuck, therefore not having a clue where you're really obsessing on fit.

 

If I understand your terminology right, then, yes, I want to hard tuck. And that is quite difficult with off-the-rack clothing, because it won't stay that way. There is too much extra fabric and it works its way out of the tuck to create a bulge from almost the second I tuck it in.

And do you think sports writers are less thin than the rest of the population? I just think that men - and women - in general have bellies in the United States. And most off-the-rack dress clothing accounts for that.

 

To your question ... you've been in a press box, right?

What I do think is you're in the minority (single digits) on the hard tuck. Most people tuck, lift their arms to pull a little bit back out and then fluff that to hide their male muffin top. That's if they tuck at all.

That hard tuck you're going with you see mostly with rail thin/military. Not that it's a bad look. I think it looks good, but much like skinny jeans, it doesn't work the the bulk of America.

Here's two things to stay away from when tucking: Sweaters, anything in a pair of mesh shorts.

 

Ha, of course. But I've also been to the mall, the movies, the zoo, the beach ... Americans in general are portly, not just sports writers!

 

J&M really runs the gamut in price and quality. They have $400 made in USA models that are really good, although in my opinion no better than a $325 Allen-Edmonds. They have $250-plus models made in Italy that are good, but again overpriced, in my opinion. And they have some real crap for about $130 (at full price), "corrected grain" leather with a plastic-looking finish that again, in my opinion, is hugely overpriced in relation to quality.

Regardless of whether you buy great shoes, good shoes or the cheapest crud, they last a lot longer if you don't wear them "every day." At least have a rotation of two. Leather needs at least a day off between wearings to recover from the considerable foot sweat that each of us produces. Use cedar shoe trees or at least stuff with newspaper to help them dry.

 

Next time you're in Naples, Italy you can get the finest shirt in the world made for just a shade under $500. One day I'll get one...

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/travel/27hours.html

 

Seeing as how we have run the gamut from custom shirts to shoes, some of you might want to check out

askandyaboutclothes.com

The home page is full of good advice (how to match, patterns, colors) and recommendations on different makers.

The forums are also a good place to learn. I have been a member ther for a whle.

 

I have a hard to fit body -- I have a very broad shoulders and a much narrower frame. A lot of shirts are way to boxy for me. When I first made a little money in my late 20s/early 30s, I bought a few custom shirts and three custom suits. All still have held up very well, but the cost (about $130 for the shirts and a hell of a lot more for the suits) is hard to justify. But if I need to be at an important meeting or in court, I have some "A" outfits.

Now a days, I tend to buy one or two shirts a year to add to the rotation. Mostly, I go to the better stores at the outlet mall or wait until the Lord and Taylor in my town has a big sale (which is about every week these days). In the end, the quality justifies the price.

 

And Land's End Canvas is having a helluva sale right now. Poplin shirts for $17.

http://canvas.landsend.com/ix/canvas/Canvas/Men/Sale/index.html?seq=1~2~3~4&catNumbers=2198~2200~2473&visible=1~1~1~1&store=le&sort=Recommended&pageSize=12&tab=17&cm_re=Canvas-Men-_-D-2-6

 

I've never spent $150 on a dress for a black-tie event, let alone a shirt.

Y'all's crazy.

 

I've had a number of custom tailored shirts and I'm in the group who could just as easily buy off the rack. I would say that the shirts give you more confidence but if you travel and go to dinners your investment is likely to wear or get wine spills, ink stains from pens or cigar burns then its not worth it.

I now get my shirts from LL Bean and have been very happy.

Besides - dress shirts only work when accompanied by ties and I avoid wearing ties whenever possible.