[David_E]

On the advice of a board member I ordered a Tailored Fit dress shirt from Lands End. I've received it and while it is a nice shirt it doesn't seem dramatically slim fit or tailored. It also doesn't say on the shirt that its tailored/slim.

Are LE tailored shirts labeled as such on the shirt itself? If so, where?

I ordered a Tailored, No Iron, Pinpoint, Oxford - labeled as "TLRD PTN LS NIPP STC" on the order form/receipt.

Slightly off topic, but while I'm here anyway... When I tried on the shirt my father in law pointed out that there are some small vertical folds where the arms meet the body on the upper chest, just inside where the seems fall on the shoulder. I had never noticed this before (but hadn't looked specifically for it either on other shirts). Is this normal or indicative of a problem with fit?

Thanks!

 

[PedanticTurkey]

I habitually remove the tags from mine, but, yes, I believe that they are.

Edit: or maybe not. I remember there are two tags in the yoke--one says LANDS END, the other I thought said "tailored fit," but maybe it actually said the style of the shirt (e.g., Original Oxford).

 

[iclypso]

David,
I had the same question when my "tailored" fit shirts arrived. I called Land's End and the representative assured me that the shirts were tailored fit even though they're not blatantly marked as such. I agree with you that it is still a generous cut.

Dan

 

[David_E]

Thank you both.

I think I will keep it, but I agree that while it may be "tailored" compared to the normal LE cut, its not objectively "slim".

Thanks again!

David.

 

[godan]

For me, as well, the tailored LE shirts are not tailored enough. Their tailored chinos are just right. For a "tailored" shirt that fits perfectly out of the box, I select the RL Custom Fit. I think everyone who cares about this must shop around and even compromise, up or down, on price point to search for something that is exactly right, or nearly so. When I am lucky enough to find such a sweet spot, I often order several copies, since changes in sourcing occur often for the larger companies, and sizing details can thus become different enough to matter.

 

[David_E]

Thanks for the tip! Probably more than I'm willing to pay for my shirts but I'll keep an eye open for them on clearance.

Do they stick the logo on the pocket or keep it clean and dressy?

 

[TEL]

I have never received one that was formally labeled slim/tailored/trim etc. They provide a mall graphical "menu" that allows you to choose regular or tailored fit - and a brief explanation of what "tailored" is to LE. The thing is, it is based on the "regular" fit - so unless we know what that is there is no way to establish any reference for the difference. The first LE shirt I bought was perfect everywhere except the body which felt "blousey"! So I decided to order a subsequent shirt - if you re-order they provide another menu which allows you to make a considerably number of adjustments. Remember, these shirts may be "custom", but they are not bespoke and are surely some type of standard pattern that is adjusted per your requests. Since not every manufacturers baseline fit is the same it is quite the norm to have to make adjustments. Every time you switch manufacturers - you start over.

The "vertical folds"...? Any pictures you could post would help.

 

[David_E]

Tel,

Mine wasn't even custom, just the new(ish) "tailored" line of shirts by LE - a bit slimmer through the arms, and with less outward flare going towards the hem. A forum member had mentioned that they had a more athletic cut than some of the other slim fit brands so I thought I would give it a shot... After trying it on again, I would say it is less "blousey" than a "regular" dress shirt, but does not have much of a V or hourglass shape.

I also ordered some slim fit chinos. I really don't know whats going on with waist sizes these days... I always thought that they were supposed to be an objective measure in inches... but the other day I was trying on some snug at the top button trousers that were sized 32, where as these were size 31 and I could fit my fist into them while wearing them at the waist. The overall cut is pretty good - not crazy tight through the pelvis, but with a pretty good taper down the leg and not much bag in the seat. The rise does seem a little long even for pants to be worn at the natural waist which seems odd for a chino - I think they tend to be worn a bit higher than jeans but lower than suit trousers. They also seem a little long though I had them hemmed at 30".

I'm going to wash both garments in hot and see if a little shrinking will do them good - I'm wondering if they are _not_ preshrunk.

The worry over vertical folds were just a product of being hyper-critical due to ordering on line. I put on a different shirt that I like quite a bit this morning and noticed that it has a bit of the same and I had never been bothered by it before.

Thanks again!

 

[TEL]

Wow - I can't believe that I completely assumed you ordered a custom! -1 on me!

It's funny though how everybody has such varying "objective" opinions on fit - I would never have considered LE shirts to have a more "athletic cut"!? Unfortunately, you end up really having to just take shots with each manufacturer. Best of luck!

 

[J.Marko]

I just checked my LE tailored fit shirts, and they don't say anything either. If you think they are big, just try one of their regular shirts! The tailored are a big improvement, but not 'slim' fitting at all. Need to go to a tailor to slim your shirt for that, or order a slimmer one from someone else. Someone at some point did a post with a link to a chart with the actual measurements of all the slim fit shirts and ranked them for slimness. You might want to search for that.

Could the vertical fold be the side pleats that go up into the yoke? LE is nice because they have split yokes and side pleats. Most similar shirts have a center pleat and straight yoke. Maybe that is what you mean?

 

[NoVaguy]

LE's tailored fits generally have a 4 1/2 inch chest to waist drop; I think the regular fits have a 2 inch (or less) drop - just measure the P2P and the waist (and double the measurments) and see if they are about 4 1/2 inch different or if there is only 2 inches difference.

Fwiw, a 15.5 neck LE Tailored fit should be about 46.5 inches at the chest and 42 inches at the waist; a 16 tailored fit should be 48.5 and 44; a 16.5 should be about 50.5 and 46.

If you get a regular fit, then I think (going off memory, not sure) the measurements are, for size 15.5 neck: 50 chest, 48 waist, 16 neck: 52 chest, 50 waist, and 16.5: 54 chest, 52 waist.

Also, keep in mind that the shirts are graded by neck size - for each 1/2 of neck, the chest and waist go up about 2 inches. If you're lucky like me and have almost no fat on your neck (I can just get into a 15.5 neck at 190 pounds), slim fit is fairly slim. If you have a disproportionately large neck relative to your body, even slim fit will be baggy.

 

[David_E]

Thanks for the advice NoVaguy - My "proper" neck size is 14.5 - I can fit a finger or two in without straining anything - but I have trouble finding shirts with a 33 arm - 32/33 are just a hair too short to show past a tailored jacket sleeve after washing - and it leaves the shoulder seams a bit too far in if I button the top button. I go for 14.5 for shirts that I intend to wear very casually, but for "dress" shirts I need to go to 15 - which tends to leave me more extra fabric in the torso than I really like.

J. Marko - Thanks for the tip! I'll see if I can find that chart. That would be great!

Tel - No problem BTW, if you don't mind my asking - about how much do the custom shirts at LE run? Do they ever go on sale? How custom are they? Mix and Match of set components, or give them the measurements you want and they match them?

Thanks again all!
The vertical ripple/line/loose fold were on the front of the shirt just inside the shoulder seam... I think they are a red herring though - perfectly normal.

 

[Cruiser]

I have a bunch of LE Tailored Fit shirts and some of them say "Tailored Fit" on the size tag while others do not. I can't find any rhyme or reason as to why this is. For example, I recently bought three oxford cloth shirts at the same time. Both the blue and French blue shirts say "Tailored Fit" while the white one doesn't. Just yesterday I received a pinpoint oxford and it isn't marked "Tailored Fit." None of my point collar pinpoints are identified as such.

Cruiser

 

[J.Marko]

I need to amend my earlier statement to conform with Cruiser's - I have a couple LEs that do say Tailored Fit I just found. So I have 2 17.5 neck shirts, one with tailored and one that doesn't say tailored (but I believe I ordered tailored) - both measure the same, 53 at the chest and 50 at the waist. They are both from late 2008 I believe, and I think last year they were claiming they made them more tapered, but I haven't ordered any lately. I have one labeled tailored that is 17 neck that is 50.5 chest and 47 waist, but I never laundered it (a bit tight in the neck so thought I might return) so it could shrink a bit. That is around a 3" difference for half a size. My actual waist (at navel) measures 42", so no wonder the 17.5 are still lose on me. The 17" seems a little tight across the shoulders. I guess I need to take them to the tailor if I want less around the middle.

I just compared this to CT slim and classic fit as described on their site - at 17H neck, CT slim is 49 chest and 46 waist, and CT classic is 53.5 chest and 52.5 waist. Big difference!

I just found the link I mentioned comparing the slimness of various shirts. It may be a bit dated, but worth a look https://propercloth.com/slim-fit-dress-shirts