Beyond Fabric • Have it your way: the custom shirt

Have it your way: the custom shirt

If you’ve been following me from the start, you know I have a thing for custom made/made to measure items. Luckily for me, Portugal has a strong textile industry, especially here in the north, and is well known for its specialized workforce in the area (it’s not a coincidence that major players such as Paul Smith or Our Legacy have their items produced here).

I was pleased to find out that Porto still maintains its tradition in what regards the tailoring business, with several stores and ateliers still being frequently visited by loyal customers. Apart from the traditional bespoke suit (usually the most sought after item at tailors), you should broaden your horizons as what you can have made to your liking. One of the best items, in terms of quality/price ratio, is shirts. Chances are, you’ve already considered this while browsing retailers for that specific shirt you envisioned: the fit is wrong, the pattern isn’t quite what you wished for and likewise for detailing and fabric. What if you could have exactly what you pictured, and more (since it would be unique and designed for your body), for the same or a fraction of the price of ready-to-wear options? Sounds appealing right?

I’ve been wanting to get one of a kind shirts for a while, something you won’t easily find on major retailers, and my wishes were granted by a local store with more than a century of bespoke/tailoring history. I payed them a visit and ordered a club collar oxford shirt in light blue, with contrasting white collar and cuffs (it will definitely make an impression). After carefully going through the multitude of available fabrics, I made my choice as regards the tone of blue and weight of the oxford cloth: I was aiming for something in between a dress shirt and your usual oxford button down.

I then tried on one of their slim fit shirts in order to evaluate the fit, and luckily enough the Medium size was spot on: usually, the shirt would be crafted according to my measurements, but in this case, they just had to adapt their own model to my requests.

A week after, my shirt was ready: