I also really believe that once people get the right proportions down (pants rise, jacket length, etc) the full cut of a shirt is really not that big of a deal.

I'm looking forward to pairing those tattersalls with corduroy and tweed- with and without tie!

Yeah, I want to try out some of the solid white and blue Superfine Broadcloths and maybe the British Khaki on White 2MM Graph Check to wear with my old J.Press pins. I think the latter would look great with camelhair or cord. Maybe the blackjack or red black tattersall to pair with tweeds.

Last edited by Oliver (2014-09-26 10:21:33)

It's also worth mentioning they do "j press" flap pockets.  Here's lookin' at you, Stan.

The arms are cut a bit longer to account for shrinkage... as always, they look better with time and wear!

No they're vintage, they need to be altered here and there though.

Re Mercer: can anyone talk me through the minefield of ordering from them please ?

Remember i am based in the UK though.

After slagging them-off something rotten, I sported my Kamakura Graham Marsh Ivy shirts last week for work, with the right tie and jacket combination both shirts, the chambray and cream/near white worked quite well. The fit was also better than I remembered.

I'm in a slim-fit mood of late. Including with watches, my mission is to find the ultimate affordable wafer watch.

Sal, unless you dig a really tapered Purist fit then I can't imagine you being dissatisfied if you just go half a size down on the body from the collar. I take a 15-14.5-33 and they're every bit as good as my mid century Makers. I've just called Serena this week to place two more orders for spring/summer. Tell her I sent you if/when you order and if it's your first purchase, you automatically get 15-20% discount. Hard to beat that! You'll be a return customer for life. They're undeniably the best made OCBDs available today; don't deprive yourself, man!

Re. supplemental costs for tapering... don't add a taper!! It's really not necessary; especially if you want a Makers cut. I followed someone's bad advice for my first order and requested additional taper. The shirts are not THAT blousy to begin with. A half size down is all you need. I plan on cutting out the collar of that wrongly ordered shirt to use it as an experimental pattern for a club collar that I'd like to try and make now because I'll never wear it again. They shrink up a touch after the first wash anyhow. No extra costs necessary if you stick to the stock shirt styles. Unless you start requesting rear collar buttons and flap pockets, and mess around with the placket, etc. there's no need to spend more.

If it's helpful to you, I can post detailed measurements for my shirts after many months of wash and wear...

Sal, what size are you man?

I have a 15 neck, 14.5 body with added taper that I can send to you if you want to give it a try. I find that it not only feels to tapered but looks wrong as well. It's akin to darts on a jacket. It just breaks up the clean boxy looking canvas. I made the mistake of doing this with university stripes and it was a bigger failure. If you go down a FULL size, you REALLY don't need the added taper.

If you want to hold your horses for a little while, I do have a very tasty treat in store... the absolute DEFINITIVE button down shirt. Better than vintage Makers... unless you happen to luck out on a deadstock 1950's Brooks! Priced similar to Mercer, though it hasn't been cemented yet. I may be able to post a sneak peek this week. Stay tuned...