An interesting article from the Permanent Style website on 21 bespoke shirt makers noting the different approaches each takes. In London, for example, he notes that Turnbull & Asser and Emma Willis tend toward traditional styles whereas Budd can be more contemporary and innovative. Note that his preferred style is Italian so he is less enamoured of British and French tailors.
Of Italian tailors he notes D’Avino of Somma Vesuviana (near Naples) and Luca Avitabileas of Naples with Simone Abbarchi of Florence as a good place to start. Many of these bespoke tailors also do made-to-measure and ready made shirts.
Of French tailors Charvet in Paris in most noted.
Budd are one of the top shirt makers in London, located in the Piccadilly Arcade.
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| Budd shirt selection |
Turnbull & Asser are an old establishment shirt maker holding a royal warrant.
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| Pale blue cotton | Blue and white | Pink and white |
Harvey & Hudson have also been around for many years.
Kent & Haste, noted gentlemen's tailors, share accommodations with Stephen Lachter, maker of bespoke shirts.
Emma Willis is one of the leading bespoke shirt makers in London. According to her, “A man just needs three beautiful white shirts and three beautiful blue shirts. A mixture of button cuff and double cuff, so you have some formal shirts too.”
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| Emma Willis MBE |
For Willis, a fine bespoke shirt is worth the expense: "It’s like a
bottle of wine – if you use quality materials and make it
perfectly, it will get better with age. Our shirts last longer than
others and get smoother with time."
Read the full article in the
Ettinger Journal.
Emma Willis, 66 Jermyn St, St. James's, London SW1A 1HD
Made-To-Measure
A cheaper alternative to the truly bespoke shirt is the made-to-measure which can come close to a custom fit. Typically this is achieved by taking multiple measurements: collar size, sleeve length, shoulder width, chest size, stomach size, and hip size. The shirt makers typically have a large selection of fabrics that can be high quality, and the shirts are well constructed.
Recommended by Patrick Boyle, Tailor Store is an online company that makes bespoke shirts based on an extensive set of measurements that the buyer submits. They seem to have much more customization than the above made-to-measure suppliers; you can select collar and cuff style, tail length, back and shoulder style, pleating, button colour and thread colour separately, as well as monograms. Available in cotton and linen blend in a large variety of fabric colours and styles. Prices are from about $160-260. Use the Patrick Boyle link to get a 25% discount on your first purchase.
