One of the main purposes of Gentlemanly Means Pursued, moving forward, will be to highlight people, products, and services that “get it.” I can’t say exactly what I mean by that other than to tell you that I know it when I see it. That elusive combination of style, value, craft, and care…it’s out there, and I aim to catalogue it for you here. As much as I can, anyway.
Take for example the folks out at Taylor Stitch, “a small, independent, San Francisco based outfit that specializes in crafting men’s button-up shirts.” There it is — the whole company summed up beautifully in one line. Great start. Add to that the fact that their shirts are all handmade in the USA and that they look great and, yeah, I’m on board.
I can’t remember how or when I first discovered them but I know the moment I became a fan: with this blog post about how they decided which buttons to use. Dig:
Our theory is that brands rarely talk about buttons because they do not put much thought into them. Not us. We pontificated over buttons for many days: plastic, wood, mother of pearl, synthetic plastic and mother of pearl… In the end, the four of us unanimously agreed that Corozo buttons were the only choice.
Fine-tuned interest in the oddities of detail is not in itself a guarantor of success, but it’s usually a pretty good sign. At the very least it’s a good way to tell whether or not you’re dealing with a kindred spirit.
In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t actually own a Taylor Stitch shirt (yet). I’ve got my eye on one of these but the budget doesn’t quite have room just now. Not that it’s overpriced — not at all. Quality costs extra, and that’s as it should be.
“They Get It” will be an ongoing series. More to come soon.
Filed in: apparel, business, they get it.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Taylor Stitch, Neal Shaffer. Neal Shaffer said: Lunchtime reading: new post, the first installment in my "They Get It" series. At http://bit.ly/9p1RBo (cc: @TaylorStitch) [...]
Neal,
Followed you over here from TLC. I count myself firmly among the “quality over cheap” camp. From shoes to sportcoats to shirts (socks and undies not so much) I am very much interested in battling the post-GAP “clothing as disposable product” trend of the past two decades and I assume I am a strong part of the demographic supporting the current ‘US Trad’ movement (meaning, I think, that I’m old enough to remember buying khakis and loafers at the men’s stores of my youth, old enough to remember my father and grandfather leaving the house daily in a suit, tie and hat, old enough to recall that I had to wear a collared shirt and tie to middle school).
I’m not a guy to quibble much about price points. I have noticed however a creeping upwards of what I consider a reasonable price to pay for shirts specifically (don’t get me started on selvedge denim), and I fear Taylor Stitch (in addition to Hamilton, Billy Reid and others) are part of this trend. In short, go check out sites like Biased Cut (made-to-measure shirts outsourced to Hong Kong) or Ledbury (based in Richmond, shirts made in Poland). I own one of each and they’re gorgeous, wonderfully made shirts that fit like a shirt is supposed to fit.
I’m not dissing Taylor Stitch but I don’t think they get it as much as, well, Biased Cut and Ledbury do!
JC
Jack,
First, thank you so very much for your candidness. It is honest and independent thought like yours that is the most valuable as well as the hardest to come by. I wish that people would bring opinions like this to our attention more often.
To reply to your comment I could not agree with you any more. I myself as an entrepreneur starting Taylor Stitch out of my apartment could not dream of buying one of my very own shirts at retail! In addition, there is a bit of a creeping up in price points – I think it correlates to men becoming more interested in fashion – the idea being as more men become more fashion conscious the larger the pie and the greater the desire of designer to capture those bigger spenders.
In terms of our price points, the reason that our shirts cost what they do is because 1. Every component is the best we could procure 2. We are just starting out and making everything in small batches right here in San Francisco. For example, we flew in fabrics from Japan simply because the Japanese manufacture textiles that rival the best in Europe. We flew in corozo buttons from Ecuador because they are better than the cheap plastic Chinese buttons that adorn every shirt today and they are not a petroleum by product. The interlinings are made by the French company Chargeur.
I would like to let you know that we are in the midst of developing the $99 Made in the USA oxford – for the same reasons as you mentioned above. We feel there is a need for a great quality shirt at a great price.
All in all, as we become more efficient, we will be sure to pass that value on to you, rather than let our price points drift up to a $225 cotton Band of Outsiders shirt.
At the moment, our shirts are expensive, but we are incredibly proud to say that our shirts are made by hand in San Francisco and inspected individually by one of the company’s three founders.
The other brands might be offering a better price point, but are they supporting their local economy by providing work to local designers, cutters, pattern makers and sewers? In this day and age, you get to vote for the president once every four years, but as a consumer, your get to vote many times each day. What does your vote say about how you want to see things in the future?
TS
This is one of many reasons I love the internets. Post something about an interesting product, go see a movie with junior, come home and there’s a response from one of the partners who runs the company you just commented on! Seriously. That is cool.
Band of Outsiders and Engineered Garments and folks like that have their eyes on the people who are also buying Yuketen and Mark McNairy and I must be clear: more power to them. I am not in that group who’s willing to pay a few hundred bux plus for a cotton dress shirt (or $600 for a pair of floppy goofy looking suede boat chukkas) but I have no problem with their having identified a market they want to pursue and pricing their products accordingly.
(And yes, when you look at Hilditch or any of the other custom British shirtings available through any nice men’s store in any town you recognize that $175 for a handmade shirt is not an unreasonable price to pay.)
The whole debate about “Made in the USA” is being argued everywhere now, and I recognize many people view this as a selling point in and of itself. I also assume that many “Made in the USA” products I own (Alden, Quoddy, Filson) I bought for that reason, and I have little doubt that because they are not being made in some distant sweatshop halfway around the world they are, more often than not, constructed more conscientiously than those made elsewhere.
All of that said, both Biased Cut and Ledbury are selling nice shirts for closer to a hundred bucks, which, as a writer and teacher who likes looking sharp, is a good price point for me. BC has my measurements on file and a recent post on their blog illustrates that they are not taking advantage of workers in a Hong Kong sweatshop. It is true that if they sourced their work in Brooklyn their shirts would be far more expensive. But since I own one of their shirts and can attest to its quality–in addition to some wonderful customer service–I guess I arrive at a place where the ‘Made in US’ argument becomes less important than, Hey, this is an awesome shirt, my first bespoke product ever bought, and it cost me less than a buck!
In any case, I’m intrigued by TS and will watch my dough over the next months to see if I can spring for a shirt in time for the Fall semester…
I’m all over the $99 Made in US oxford!
Best,
JC
Jack,
Very well spoken. It is a pleasure to exchange words with a gentleman as articulate as yourself.
Also, for the record, I think both Biased Cut and Ledbury make excellent shirts and are in no way taking advantage of their workers. Men’s shirting is as vibrant and exciting an industry as it has ever been – everyone wins.
Man, what a great discussion. I’m grateful that it took place under my post – thanks to you both.
It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve started to truly appreciate the value of fine pieces of clothing. I’m no expert on the matter but, as with most things, I’m drawn to a certain approach. Taylor Stitch is right there, which is why I felt comfortable highlighting them even though I don’t yet have one of their shirts. I’m quite confident that when I get one I’ll be more than pleased to have it in my collection for years to come.
I think the price point discussion is one very much worth having. I’m generally impressed, aesthetically, with the work of both Band of Outsiders and Engineered Garments (the two names from the discussion with which I’m most familiar). I don’t own their stuff yet, either, but I have my eyes on a few pieces that I might grab on a sale. From what I’ve heard, they make quality stuff.
If it comes down to a choice, though, I’ve got Taylor Stitch (along with a few other companies who will be mentioned here in future entries) ahead on the list because I have a better sense of what I’m supporting with the purchase.
That all said, I’m definitely going to check out both Biased Cut and Ledbury. I need more than one new shirt, after all.
If either of you two gents are in San Francisco, hit me up, I got the first round. barrett@taylorstitch.com
Done!
Some friends just returned to Bmore from San Fran/Sonoma, where they went to John Steinbeck’s ranch. It’s hard to imagine a time in the near future when wife and I will hop a train to the Left Coast but a fella can dream, can’t he?
In my former music days our band played at the Great American Music Hall in SF and the Starry Plough in Berkeley. Good times.