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Proper Cloth Shirts?

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Has anyone had any experience with this company? I actually saw an ad for them on Facebook (I hardly ever login to Facebook though, so it makes me wonder if they are sniffing my browser history or just got lucky).

From the website (https://propercloth.com):

Proper Cloth shirts are produced entirely in the United States. The shape of each panel of fabric is computer generated and cut with a robotic cutter to ensure accuracy and precision. Each shirt is completely hand sewn with a minimum of 16 stitches per inch. Collars and cuffs are fused to ensure they remain crisp and use a two step collar attachment process. Buttons are attached with over 200 stitches per button hole and criss-cross stitching.
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The prices start at $90, which seems quite reasonable if it is really entirely hand sewn - i.e., button holes and all.

You can specify collar, sleeve length, yoke width, chest width, midsection width, shirt length, sleeve width, and cuff around. Interestingly, in addition to the typical MTM self-sizing option, you can tell them a brand of shirt that fits you well, and they replicate that shirt (i.e., "Thomas Pink Slim Fit 15.5").

I am considering picking up a shirt to try them out, but I thought I'd check here since I can't recall them ever being mentioned before and a search turned up zilch.
 
#4 ·
That website is fun to drive!

I like very much the ability to shape the shirt's dimensions any way you want. I wonder about arm hole height.

I'm disappointed in the slim choice of fabrics (you could easily double what they have and still only have a decent selection), no placket options, no pocket shape options, no white collar/cuff options, no pleat options. If they use MOP buttons I missed it on the site, and 16 stitches per inch is nothing to write home about.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
I agree re: the fabric selection. I think this must be a relatively new company - they have a very attractive website, but not much in the way of real options, as has been pointed out. They did get back to me quickly. Here are the emails I received:

"Handsewn" is used pretty roughly in this industry, so let's make sure we're clear. We use sewing machines but the shirt and fabric is guided by a person's hands. Our button holes are sewn this way. The only part of the shirt that is done by machine entirely is the chest pocket (if you order a shirt with a chect pocket anyway). The curves around the bottom of the pocket are tricky and it's positioned in a way that machines just do a better job.

Our buttons are currently made of a super durable and attractive plastic resin. They are virtually undestructible and smooth, They are off white color and have a slight pearlescent effect to them with a white back. We don't currently offer MOP buttons, but it's something we'll probably do in the future.

We promise to ship your shirt 4 weeks from day of purchase. Typical turnaround time is 2-3 weeks though. FedEx ground (out of North Carolina) usually takes a few days.
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#6 ·
I think that the website presentation is actually why there are so few fabrics. Every fabric requires an accompanying image of the various styles. That can get expensive quickly. Or, maybe they just wanted an edited collection.

I have never seen their finished shirt. The website looks well done and the reply to your question is knowledgable. Seems like they might do a good job.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Is 16 stitches per inch very good? It sounds unimpressive to me. I thought fine shirts were supposed to boast a good deal more stitches-per-inch along their seams than a mere 16. Or am I totally misinformed?

PS: They could indeed use a bigger fabric selection, but there's a lot to like about the site. The option of ordering a shirt that copies an OTR sizing regime you already know and like (in my case they would be BB slimfit or CT classic fit, depending on how I planned to use the shirt) is very clever.

I'd really like to see more collar and cuff styles, however, including an option for white-contrast collars and/or cuffs and choices of straight or club collars with pinholes, plus a snap-tab collar like the old BB style. I have no interest at all in options such as lining my collars and cuffs with floral patterns reminiscent of Grandma's wallpaper (one of the goofier shirtwear trends going, IMO).
 
#10 ·
PJC in NoVa said:
Is 16 stitches per inch very good? It sounds unimpressive to me. I thought fine shirts were supposed to boast a good deal more stitches-per-inch along their seams than a mere 16. Or am I totally misinformed?
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I think it unlikely you are misinformed. Sixteen stitches is neither impressive nor anything to be sniffed at but fairly common (usual).

sews her shirts - or at least has them sewn - at 16 stitches to the inch and so do I. There are two places where I use smaller sitches; the eased seam on the collar, and on the label.

I would not be surprised if some shirtmakers use smaller stitches than 16's, but you only have to lay a ruler on your cuff and count stitches to see that 20's or 22's would look ridiculously small.
 
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Discussion starter · #11 · (Edited)
All:

I purchased a shirt from Proper Cloth. The first one, I went a little too small on the measurements and it was just too tight. I talked to Seph Skerrit (the founder/president) via email and he had the shirt remade for me. So far, the newer shirt fits me much better, but it's at the cleaners right now, so I'll try to remember to give a proper assessment once it has returned. The construction didn't blow me away the way my Borrelli did the first time I handled it, but it also fits 10x better than the Borrelli did OTR.

Also - in regards to some of the stuff discussed above - Mr Skerrit assured me that they have hundreds (?) of new fabrics on hand that will be added to the website as quickly as they can, including Thomas Mason fabrics. He also said that they plan on implementing some type of custom collar system - where you can specify the length of points, spread, etc. Not sure if there's any plan for tab collars or contrasting cuffs - I don't like either of those things, so I didn't ask about them!
 
#12 · (Edited)
My index for wide selection of collar styles and other features is Jantzen. After looking at all the different shapes, etc., they offer, clicking on an MTM shirt site and seeing a point and a handful of spreads as the only options is a letdown.



If a tiny operation like Jantzen can manage that kind of variety, I can't see why other small makers can't or won't do likewise.
 
#13 ·
Wow

PJC in NoVa said:
My index for wide selection of collar styles and other features is Jantzen. After looking at all the different shapes, etc., they offer, clicking on an MTM shirt site and seeing a point and a handful of spreads as the only options is a letdown.

If a tiny operation like Jantzen can manage that kind of variety, I can't see why other small makers can't or won't do likewise.
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Never realized how many options are out there. Damn, yet another thing to experiment with.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
PJC in NoVa said:
My index for wide selection of collar styles and other features is Jantzen. After looking at all the different shapes, etc., they offer, clicking on an MTM shirt site and seeing a point and a handful of spreads as the only options is a letdown.

If a tiny operation like Jantzen can manage that kind of variety, I can't see why other small makers can't or won't do likewise.
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One thing to note is that Proper Cloth shirts are all Made in the USA (unlike Jantzen) - it matters to some people, while others couldn't care less. It does mean that a start-up like Proper Cloth incurs much more overhead, especially in the beginning. I'm not surprised that they had to evaluate and offer a smaller selection of collar/cuff styles. They have made every assurance that this will change as quickly as possible.

I chose to give them my business, at least for one shirt, because A)They are made in the US, B)They have excellent customer service, and C)I have an entrepreneurial streak myself, so I respect that they are 'going for it' - they seem to genuinely listen, and actually implemented a number of improvements to their website which I suggested within a week or so. I will probably be ordering 2 or 3 more shirts from them once the new Thomas Mason fabrics are put on the site.
 
#15 ·
I took the liberty of emailing ProperCloth's Seph Skerritt to let him know about this thread and to pass along a few suggestions. His response came a few days ago. It was quite friendly and positive, and he suggested that I might want to post it to the board, so here it is:

Thanks for the email. I really appreciate it. . . .

The most immediate thing we'll be rolling out is an expansion to our fabric selection. You can expect around 100 new fabrics in the next couple weeks. These will be mostly 80s thread count broadcloths and pinpoints that should provide us with a good base of affordable selection.

Then we'll be adding some higher quality, more expensive options from mills like Getzner, Brembana and Thomas Mason.

Next I want to make MOP buttons an option. We've got some really cool pearl and shell buttons coming as well as plastic in other colors. White contrast collars and cuffs will also be something we get to real soon as well.

Finally, we'll figure out a way for customers to more specifically design their collars and cuffs. As I'm sure you are well-aware, there are endless options in this area and we want to appropriately balance ease of use with flexibility.

We're moving fast on all of this stuff. Thanks for your patience and please keep sharing your ideas. :)

Cheers,
Seph
 
#19 ·
Quick update - we're now up to 133 options for primary fabrics. The new fabrics are mostly towards the high end of the spectrum - 100s, 120s and even a super silky 170s two-ply twill. Note that you can always order samples if you want to see how they feel.

Also, we've got the white collar/cuff option working in the design tool today.

Hope you like everything. More stuff coming :)
 
#20 ·
I'd like options for placket type, style of pocket(s), and sewn interlining rather than fused on the collar/cuffs/placket. The button down needs more of a roll to it and longer points -- the one in the illustration looks better than on the actual shirt!

Can't wait for the collar adjustment tool.
 
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N.O.Joe
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