Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts: A Review. . .

The three shirts I purchased recently from Charles Tyrwhitt. They come with their own metal collar stays, which keep the points straight and resting, more or less, at your collarbone. By comparison, Land's End shirts, which used to be very good value for the money spent, are skimpy in the body and collars with inconsistent sizing. Even their top of the line ironing still required Hyde Park Oxfords have fallen prey to this annoying tendency in recent years. My suspicion is that the company has cut corners to save money on production costs, resulting over time in skimpier shirts, poor quality control, and (now) substandard product. Enough said?

Attractive, high quality shirts. Consistent sizing with a comfortable cut without veering into spinnaker sail territory (I opted for the Traditional Fit), generous cuffs and collars, plus tails that are long enough to stay tucked in all day. The three shirts I purchased above integrate well with my existing suits, sports jackets, blazers, and neckties. For "no iron" shirts, they are actually rather soft to the touch with good hand right out of the packaging unlike the sandpapery no iron shirts sold by other companies. . . You know who you are.

The verdict? While I continue to prefer shirts that require ironing before wear -- and to be truthful even so called "no iron" shirts require a quick press with a hot iron to look their best -- I plan to purchase more Charles Tyrwhitt shirts as and when needed. There are a number of shirts in my closet that are starting to fray a bit at the collar and cuffs and should be relegated to weekend and summertime lawncare attire, and Charles Tyrwhitt shirts will provide attractive replacements.

That said, after the holiday period, I plan to order a couple of shirts from Mercer, since I have an as yet unused birthday gift certificate from ol' Mom (unused as yet). Watch here for my impressions on these before too long.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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