Charles Tyrwhitt shirts - any good?

I find them good, and can get the arms adjusted to correct length. Had some for nearly 4 years out here in Rio. Not bad in this climate!

Well I must be a real pleb!

I have never bought a shirt from anywhere but Marks and Spencer! Shoes from Elts in Worcester or in the olden days Elts in Hereford. They mainly offer shoes and boots from Jones, and these are very durable and look stylish enough to polish up now and then!

The last time I ironed a shirt was in 2002, for my last ever paid concert!

What on Earth difference does it make if the shirt is pressed?

An utter waste of finite resources to heat an iron, and to what benefit?

If you hang them out to dry carefully they come out quite smooth enough.

What a lot of Dandies we have here!

ATB from George

Well George, in the days before infection control in hospitals, which now means wearing nothing below the elbows and no ties, along with the abolition of white coats, it was expected that a certain level of attire was maintained. In those days I used to go to work in a suit and tie. I would buy my shirts at Hilditch & Key in Jermyn Street, not because I was a dandy but because of the quality of their material which would last multiple washes and still look smart. Nowadays we tend to dress more casually to suit the infection control measures and instead of the formal dress of old I guess you may call it smart casual. That's where the Tyrwitt and Lewins shirts come in. They do a good range of smart casual shirts and the prices are actually less than the equivalent in M&S at around £20/shirt. So, from a price point of view, we're no more dandies than you with your Marks and Spencer shirts.I know standards have dropped but I wouldn't go to work in an unironed shirt. What would my patients think?

Much to my surprise this has actually been a very interesting and informative thread. I'll definitely take my Tyrwhitt mail solicitations a bit more seriously in the future. And, of course, George and Steve are always worth reading.

George - as Steve suggests, I think the discussion is largely based on the premise of wearing shirts to work and therefore a factor to be weighed is the standards expected.  I wouldn't think of going to work in anything other than a suit, collar and tie, and have done for over forty years.  The only time I would think of wearing that outside work would be weddings, funerals etc.  And as it happens I've had one or two suits from M&S and have been happy with them.  

Back on topic, one problem I've encountered with shirt-buying is inconsistency of quality.  I'm sure the first shirts I bought from Lewin when that supplier first appeared were of better quality that those I've bought subsequently.  Most stark in this respect was Austin Reed.  A few years back I bought three or four shirts from AR and was seriously impressed at the quality of the cotton, collars, cuffs and general tailoring. I still have them which is a testimony to their durability.  I thought Austin Reed shirts were the ones for me, but going back later and buying some more shirts - same price - I couldn't believe how far standards had fallen.  Those subsequent buys were consigned to rags within months and I've never bought another shirt from Austin Reed.    

Unlike our favourite brand of hi-fi, shirt-makers cannot be relied upon to maintain the same high standards of quality and it pays to shop around. 

M

Un-ironed shirt - whatever next? There's no way I'm going to sit in a select committee meeting looking like I've been sleeping in my shirt, or having members thinking I can't be bothered.

I was rather expecting that people would say the CT shirts are rubbish, but it seems quite the opposite. I have to say that the 'normal price £80, but buy 4 for £100' is quite ridiculous, but if the quality is at least as good as an M&S Autograph £35 shirt I'll be happy. Those Hilditch & Key shirts look lovely, but at £180 they jolly well should. I had a rummage on the Thomas Pink website and their shirts all seem to be imported, so are they any more Jermyn Street than Tyrwhiitt? 

Unfortunately Hilditch & Key's shop in Jermyn St closed a few years back. I used to enjoy going to the Boxing Day sale there to buy my shirts for the coming year. However, although the Lewins and Tyrwhitt shirts aren't quite as good quality they are generally acceptable and exceptional value. They also have a greater range of styles and pattern. 

One of the problems I have generally with shirts is I have a large neck but a long slim body, as a result of the sport I've played over the years. When I used to buy the H&K shirts a 17.5" shirt was way too big in the body. With Tyrwhitt and Lewins I now have a choice of slim fitting shirts and as I no longer wear a tie to work I can buy a slightly smaller neck size which helps.

Afraid not HH.  Most have been bought in the sales (H&K etc..) and many more have lasted decades.  Most important are good shoes, next comes a good shirt.  Worth making sacrifices elsewhere for them.

As for CT shirts, I know the owner so I'm inclined not to comment too much.  However, I can tell you  that it's a successful business that's been around since the '80s so I guess he's been doing something right.

Nigel,

I already explained that the secret is to hang the shirt on the line carefully. Certainly the end effect does not look like it has been slept in.

You should pay more attention if you are going to reply! You are fairly much to be called a pedant when it comes to grammar snd spelling in posts by others, and yet your punctilious approach seems selective.

ATB from George

I've just about given up on M&S shirts, they don't seem to last more than a year, whereas my three pairs of shoes - Barker, Church, Cheney (aren't they all the same company?) - have just gone on and on and on.....they pre-date the daughters (eldest is now 24), were hell to break in, have been re-soled & heeled a dozen times and only now are finally starting to break up!

An interesting thread, thanks to all. I now have a dilema...either a few good shirts or....a second olive 250, and I'd quite like an 82, and so it goes on. After all what do I need decent shirts for, I'm only a smelly engineer! 

Well, George, you must be better at hanging up the shirts that I am. I get them out of the washing machine and put them on a hanger to dry, and they still look like rags. Maybe if they were poly cotton they'd be OK, but there's no way I'm wearing poly cotton, as they get smelly and horrid really quickly.

Dear Nigel,

I am rather practiced! Several pegs are needed for each shirt. Also if you hang them nicely, a bit of breeze is helpful in straightening them out. In the winter this often less easy, but I agree that they rarely look even half-decent if dried on a hanger.

Like you I cannot stand poly-cotton! I used to have a lovely shirt that was made of almost the sort soft of cotton that you used to find in those old fashioned sheets on beds. Very warm and yet I never came close sweating in it.

I am guessing that it cost far more than I would spend on myself, but it was a Christmas present. I wore it to death, and it lasted over five years. Smart casual really, but definitely smart. Well not smart towards the end of its service!

ATB from George

Winceyette...... Lovely and cosy, and ideal for jimjams. 

Dear Nigel,

I have not thought of that word for years! 

Times have changed! I kept using that shirt long after the collar and cuffs had frayed, for riding the bike where it was proof against wind, and was warm, but never sweaty.

I wish I knew who the maker was!

ATB from George

Hey there George, welcome back!

What on Earth difference does it make if the shirt is pressed?

An utter waste of finite resources to heat an iron, and to what benefit?

If you hang them out to dry carefully they come out quite smooth enough.

Agreed!

 I have bought a number of casual and formal shirts from CT. Their non-iron shirts are the best in the business. I was put on to them by Crombie (where I buy my suits) when I asked them if they did non-iron shirts. (Htey don't). The price is good, (currently £19.95) as is the quibble free gurantee. The cut and cloth are excellent and they wear well (both senses). I've had mine for 7 years or so. M&S or John Lewis shirts were £35 each and only lasted up to two years each. My son has some excellemt trousers from them too, but we don't reckon the suits/shoes.

Hawes and Curtis aren't bad either. But, in terms of sheer quality and weight of cloth they can't beat the top flght shirts from Crombie, but then they start at over £175! I only have two of those (bought in the sale!).

Charles Tyrwhiit: not an artificial name.

Hey Loki, you can [try to]check out, but you can never leave!

I have finally got some proper first class Michelin road tyres for the Carlton, and yes they are better than than budget tyres. And how! No longer have a Photobucket account, but the Carlton looks just splendid on these skinny tyres - one can see the proportions the makers had in mind ... And the gears feel much lower than before. It races along ...

I am doing a nice British Heart Foundation "50 miles sportive" soon. I guess that might appear here as we cross the line. We have a "Team Carlton" entry! Not that we are racing mind you. Finishing will be enough!

How is Hades?

ATB from George

Hades? Valhalla, dear boy!

My old Dawes Scorpio road trainer (Reynolds cro-mo) runs on Continental Gatorskins. Fast and puncture-proof.

Where's the sportif? Hotel California?!

ATB Loki

I prefer the TM Lewin to the Tyrwitt,(although there Twill shirts were good in Winter).  That said the Luxury Lewin are a thicker cloth and don't crease like the Lewin 100, which is poplin like, but creases easily - fine under a suit, not as good alone.  I like the Thomas Pink shirts, they just didn't seem to last. I have some of their great 7 fold ties still.

I don't recommend shipping across the pond, sure the VAT comes off, but the customs more than wiped it out.  And either of them always have 'sales' never buy at full price.

Its always a great side trip visiting Jermyn St or Savile Row (Gieves & Hawkes) when back in London.  The Hilditch & Key are still there, they just moved near Turnbull & Asser.

The shirts arrived today, with mixed results. The quality was OK, the fit was good, but the white formal shirt was almost transparent, so it's going back for an exchange. I was rather vexed to find an invitation to subscribe to the Torygraph, which I detest, and one to join Laithwaite's wine, purveyors of overpriced rubbish to the indiscriminate. And in the promotional leaflet that I needed to look at to find the returns label was a picture of the type of person I will cross the street to avoid (see below). Let's hope the replacement is better.

OMG - the shoes thread is infecting the shirts.

OK, back on topic (ish)....

HH, I'm curious about the type of person you would "cross the road to avoid".  Do you go out of your way to avoid male models, or people wearing a suit and tie.  Or perhaps it's anyone who wears a handkerchief in the breast pocket or the careless way he has his glasses in that same breast pocket?  Or maybe it's the crinkly smile and sense of self-satisfied smugness that rankles...?

Or have I got it wrong and the guy modelling the suit is someone you know. 

C.

I Couldn't resist this.

It's that look of smug entitlement. Somehow the whole Tyrwhitt promo thing embodies it with the language, image and Telegraph subscription offer. Nice shirts though! It's like  the time I went to the Conservative Club with my mother in law, who is sadly no longer with us. I hated everything about it, it would have been impolite to turn her down and the beer was cheap.

Anyway, after returning the nasty transparent white shirt, I now have its replacement in the form of a 'business casual' shirt in Egyptian cotton, in white with little red and blue squares. It's rather lovely. Assuming it washes ok, I think I'll get some more - the business casual shirts have cutaway collars and therefore look good without a tie, but also look fine with a tie on the rare occasions I need to wear one for a meeting. I'll wait for the next 4 for £90 offer.

If you see someone swaggering through the streets of Chichester, wearing a natty shirt and kicking dirt in the eyes of the unwashed, that'll be me, infected with the Tyrwhitt effect.....