Glad my question led to such a fruitful discussion. A separate thread would just duplicate content at this point, unless there is so much to say about the subject that it requires an entire thread to exhaust it. If we add the consideration of suits and shoes, it just might.

I recently bought three Hilditch & Key shirts on sale that fit me better even than MTM shirts I've had made. One of the things boasted in the blurb that came with the striped shirts is pattern matching. They also have the side gussets, which I recall Thomas Pink claiming as a unique "feature" of their shirts in some literature I read several years ago (not that I bought any of their shirts). One thing I like about the H&K shirts are the thin MOP buttons. Something about thick MOP buttons has always struck me as unrefined. Why would such thickness be necessary in such a naturally robust material? My thought has always been that they drive home the point that these babies won't break at the cleaner.

In any case, I'll be wearing the H&K shirts when I go to have my first shirt made at Ginza Tailor as a reference for the kind of fit I'm aiming for. I trust that if I were to bring up issues like pattern matching, they would disabuse me of their importance relative to other factors. But in the final analysis, fit, comfort and durability are my sartorial holy grails, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Is the president of American Sember related to his grace Malinda?

Out of curiosity, are Mr Siviglia shirts' buttonholes hand stitched? It's a detail I'm fond of.
Thankyou,
Daniele