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How do you rate Van Heusen and Arrow shirts?

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josepidal

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I see these as the "workhorse" dress shirts available here in Manila, perhaps the minimum standard I'd set, and a notch below Polo and Lacoste dress shirts and the like. Van Heusen's designs are getting more modern, and the selection is expanding. However, now that I'm working long stretches every day, they just aren't as comfortable.

The construction seems okay enough that export overrun vendors are also carrying Van Heusen these days. If I considered them a baseline, what exactly makes other shirts better? Is it mainly the fabric?
 
#2 ·
Most of the dress clothes I accumulated (re: parents bought me) in college were made by Van Heusen, Arrow, and similar brands. The short of why they are lower quality: machine-made, poly/cotton, plastic buttons, skimpy fabric, and approximate sleeve lenghts. The only upside is that many of these companies make "fitted" shirts.
 
#3 ·
I own 2 Van Heusen shirts, they are ok.. nothing special to me. I would compare them to Jc Penney's Stafford brand, or other common department store shirts. I do like the fact that they come in a fitted or athletic size, such as stafford when ordered online thru Jc Penney.

I have recently purchased a few shirts from Express I got on sale.. which are a slimmer fit, and some have french cuffs.I like them much better than Van Heusen, Arrow, or Stafford.
 
#5 ·
I don't think the kind of language I'd use to describe those shirts is allowed in Andyland (I saw that in another post). I just weeded out a pile of Van Heusens and Arrows, among other cheaper brands (Geoffrey Beene, Stafford). I have come to dislike to polyester/cotton fabric. The cuffs and plackets tend to pucker, probably from a difference in the shrinkage rates of the polyester and cotton. Oh, and not to mention a skimpy fit.
 
#7 ·
As established at greater length on SF, Arrow shirts on sale in Manila seem quite unlike, and better than, those sold stateside. I myself have seen VH shirts from England that are much better than teh domestic ones. So, like many global brands, licensees may have maintained quality better than the licensor.
 
#8 ·
I received a van heusen catalogue in the post this morning.

They must have bought my address because I have never bought their shirts.

4 shirts for £100 if anyone is interested www.van-heusen.co.uk

Many (but my no means all) of the shirts are 100% cotton and some are described as having 'Jermyn Street collars'.

They make much of their royal warrant.

The fact remains they only come in one sleeve length and this sets them well apart from any real shirtmaker.
 
#9 ·
quote:Originally posted by Trimmer

I received a van heusen catalogue in the post this morning.

They must have bought my address because I have never bought their shirts.

4 shirts for £100 if anyone is interested www.van-heusen.co.uk

Many (but my no means all) of the shirts are 100% cotton and some are described as having 'Jermyn Street collars'.

They make much of their royal warrant.

The fact remains they only come in one sleeve length and this sets them well apart from any real shirtmaker.
Click to expand...
I also received that catalogue (and they must have got my details by the same route); fortunately it eschewed the purple prose of the previous issue, which sang the praises of their shirts to an exaggerated degree. I would bracket them somewhat below Pink, Tyrwhitt and Lewin in terms of quality and styling from what I have seen of them. They are a stablemate of Peter England and I would say are on a par for quality.
 
#12 ·
quote:Originally posted by josepidal

Van Heusen has a royal warrant in the UK?
Click to expand...
Yep. Go to the following website and punch in Van Heusen in the search field: The warrant's from "HM the Queen - Master of the Household".

EDIT: Sorry, Trimmer was faster on the trigger than I was.
 
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#14 ·
quote:Originally posted by Srynerson

quote:Originally posted by josepidal

Van Heusen has a royal warrant in the UK?
Click to expand...
Yep. Go to the following website and punch in Van Heusen in the search field: The warrant's from "HM the Queen - Master of the Household".

EDIT: Sorry, Trimmer was faster on the trigger than I was.
Click to expand...
But your posting led me to investigate further:

“The Master of the Household is responsible for domestic arrangements and staff, as well as the catering and official entertaining at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. . . Staff include cleaners, porters, specialist furniture craftsmen, pages and footmen . . . “

So now you know who wear Van Heusen shirts.

Trimmer
 
#15 ·
Dettol cleaning solution and Sara Lee shoe polish are also granted warrants, and the Queen's not likely to be swabbing the floor or shining Charles' Lobbs. Many, many warrants are granted for use by Her Majesty's staff or the Royal Army and others -- including nurses, as there is a Royal Maker of Nursing Uniforms.

-- l'homme-RJ
 
#16 ·
"British van Heusen" ... I seem to remember that van Heusen is a South African company now, but I could be wrong. Here, they are made by Amber who also make Summit and YSL. They are mainly 100% cotton and are considered better business shirts, being available from menswear stores rather than all the other polycottons from the department stores. However, they are not top quality, although quite where people get the quality of shirts some of you talk of, in this country, is beyond me.
 
#17 ·
I'm not a big fan of Van Heusen shirts.

They are simply exceedingly mediocre... I used to have some back in school and that's where they should be left IMO. If a fairly disposable, poor quality but inoffensive (except to those that appreciate quality) shirt is all you want, you'll get much more bang for your buck buying supermarket shirts at 3 for £10 or whatever they charge.
 
#19 ·
Not a fan of these at all. They just *feel* cheap to me, compared with better brands. I agree with the other posters who recall wearing these in their college days. Respectable enough for an undergraduate, but IMO you can really do better.

I'd not consider such a purchase these days.

Hilditch and Key, however...

Or even Lewin, on sale.
 
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Trimmer
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