The biggest problem with H&K is that the quality is slipping, both fabric and stitching. I have chosen H&K for over 20 years because I preferred the collar to that of T&A. If I was to choose RTW again, my choice would be limited to T&A, Budd or Alexander Boyd (Rayner & Sturges).

... Got me thinking about my Old Uncle George now who was much more into clothes than my Father although he was always far more casually dressed:

Various (usually striped) English spread collar shirts - T&A, H&H - He used to come down to London once a year.
Plain Lambswool Cardigans - M&S or anywhere else.
Often dark worsted trousers which looked like part of a suit, but weren't.
Plain dark belts & shoes.
Rarely a tie - He gave all he had away at the end so he couldn't be buried in one.
And also very rarely a suit/jacket - He attended my Grandmother's funeral in a Navy cardigan as I recall.

Looked like Rex Harrison until he got ill & after that he looked like Churchill. Kept his hair until the end and wore it swept back with wings over the ears. Trimmed at the back each month against the nape of his neck, but the rest got a trim very infrequently - Probably only on Quarter Days.

Bolivar No.2s & stiffly mixed drinks.

A Gent. Not an iGent.

I bought 4 H&K shirts in their recent sale this summer ... out of the 4 ... 2 had damaged cloth (weave had broken and left a semi tear of an inch or so) ... all had stiches which hadn't been trimmed although I easily trimmed these myself (so leaving half and inch or so jutting out), material is the thinnest cloth (standard poplin) i've ever seen in a shirt and is so sheer on the white and 'ice' shirts that you can partially see skin through them ... also after washing one of them the buttonholes are so tight that the buttons have to be squeezed through to fasten (although handily the rest of the shirt hasn't shrunk more than you'd expect, so its not general shrinkage but buttonholes which haven't been cut large enough/stiching around them is over done).

on the plus side they were 'only' 60 quid a pop .. and they were happy to take back those damaged shirts (frankly they didn't look surprised when I showed them ).

this is becoming a bug bear of mine ... I want to pay sub £100 for a well made and decent fitting shirt  ... I always wear a jacket (unless we are in searing heat like now in the UK) ... is this asking too much these days? do I need to go Italian as our fora friends would probably suggest ... do I need to remorgage my house and spend precious holiday leave travelling the earth in search of handmade bespoke shirts stiched by lovable old Italian grannies like a moo foo fan? 

fruity

Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-08-04 05:30:27)

Certainly.

ok so you would suggest going the tailored shirt route. where do you find a decent tailor who doesn't charge £250+ for a shirt ... I just cant afford it & to cap matters my old lady has a habit of damaging my shirts (& other clothes) whilst washing .. I'm beginning to suspect its some sort of deliberate attempt to stop me spending a lot of money on clothes.

Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-08-05 05:44:56)

You like H&H for their RTW or for their Bespoke shirts doghouse?

fruity

interesting ... i've never bought anything from there, their prices are so cheap @ about £45 a shirt (on sale) that I assumed it wouldn't be a very good product ... but perhaps this snobbery was mistaken.

whats their bespoke operation like? how much is it per shirt and is there a minimum order there?

fruity

Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2013-08-05 12:59:46)