# How do you rate Van Heusen and Arrow shirts?



## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

I see these as the "workhorse" dress shirts available here in Manila, perhaps the minimum standard I'd set, and a notch below Polo and Lacoste dress shirts and the like. Van Heusen's designs are getting more modern, and the selection is expanding. However, now that I'm working long stretches every day, they just aren't as comfortable.

The construction seems okay enough that export overrun vendors are also carrying Van Heusen these days. If I considered them a baseline, what exactly makes other shirts better? Is it mainly the fabric?


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## JohnnyVegas (Nov 17, 2005)

Most of the dress clothes I accumulated (re: parents bought me) in college were made by Van Heusen, Arrow, and similar brands. The short of why they are lower quality: machine-made, poly/cotton, plastic buttons, skimpy fabric, and approximate sleeve lenghts. The only upside is that many of these companies make "fitted" shirts.


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## Xavie (Jun 19, 2005)

I own 2 Van Heusen shirts, they are ok.. nothing special to me. I would compare them to Jc Penney's Stafford brand, or other common department store shirts. I do like the fact that they come in a fitted or athletic size, such as stafford when ordered online thru Jc Penney.

I have recently purchased a few shirts from Express I got on sale.. which are a slimmer fit, and some have french cuffs.I like them much better than Van Heusen, Arrow, or Stafford.


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

Van Heusen shirts only come in one sleeve length (per collar size). That's all you need to know about them.


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## Frank aka The Minotaur (Nov 12, 2004)

I don't think the kind of language I'd use to describe those shirts is allowed in *Andyland* (I saw that in another post). I just weeded out a pile of Van Heusens and Arrows, among other cheaper brands (Geoffrey Beene, Stafford). I have come to dislike to polyester/cotton fabric. The cuffs and plackets tend to pucker, probably from a difference in the shrinkage rates of the polyester and cotton. Oh, and not to mention a skimpy fit.


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## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

I'm honestly confused. These shirts only come in 100% cotton in the Philippines.


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## mack11211 (Oct 14, 2004)

As established at greater length on SF, Arrow shirts on sale in Manila seem quite unlike, and better than, those sold stateside. I myself have seen VH shirts from England that are much better than teh domestic ones. So, like many global brands, licensees may have maintained quality better than the licensor.


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

I received a van heusen catalogue in the post this morning.

They must have bought my address because I have never bought their shirts.

4 shirts for Â£100 if anyone is interested www.van-heusen.co.uk

Many (but my no means all) of the shirts are 100% cotton and some are described as having 'Jermyn Street collars'.

They make much of their royal warrant.

The fact remains they only come in one sleeve length and this sets them well apart from any real shirtmaker.


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## Anthony Jordan (Apr 29, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Trimmer_
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> I received a van heusen catalogue in the post this morning.
> 
> ...


I also received that catalogue (and they must have got my details by the same route); fortunately it eschewed the purple prose of the previous issue, which sang the praises of their shirts to an exaggerated degree. I would bracket them somewhat below Pink, Tyrwhitt and Lewin in terms of quality and styling from what I have seen of them. They are a stablemate of Peter England and I would say are on a par for quality.


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## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

Van Heusen has a royal warrant in the UK?


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by josepidal_
> 
> Van Heusen has a royal warrant in the UK?


*"By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen the British Van Heusen Co Ltd London Shirtmakers"

Maybe she buys them for her staff.

I wonder why they call themselves "the British . . . ". 
Perhaps there is another one which is better, or worse.

*


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## Srynerson (Aug 26, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by josepidal_
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> Van Heusen has a royal warrant in the UK?


Yep. Go to the following website and punch in Van Heusen in the search field: The warrant's from "HM the Queen - Master of the Household".

EDIT: Sorry, Trimmer was faster on the trigger than I was.


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## Pickwick (Dec 24, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Trimmer_
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This really cracked me up. LOL


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Srynerson_
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*But your posting led me to investigate further:

â€œThe Master of the Household is responsible for domestic arrangements and staff, as well as the catering and official entertaining at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. . . Staff include cleaners, porters, specialist furniture craftsmen, pages and footmen . . . â€œ

So now you know who wear Van Heusen shirts.

Trimmer*


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## RJman (Nov 11, 2003)

Dettol cleaning solution and Sara Lee shoe polish are also granted warrants, and the Queen's not likely to be swabbing the floor or shining Charles' Lobbs. Many, many warrants are granted for use by Her Majesty's staff or the Royal Army and others -- including nurses, as there is a Royal Maker of Nursing Uniforms.

-- l'homme-RJ


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

"British van Heusen" ... I seem to remember that van Heusen is a South African company now, but I could be wrong. Here, they are made by Amber who also make Summit and YSL. They are mainly 100% cotton and are considered better business shirts, being available from menswear stores rather than all the other polycottons from the department stores. However, they are not top quality, although quite where people get the quality of shirts some of you talk of, in this country, is beyond me.


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## Holdfast (Oct 30, 2005)

I'm not a big fan of Van Heusen shirts.

They are simply exceedingly mediocre... I used to have some back in school and that's where they should be left IMO. If a fairly disposable, poor quality but inoffensive (except to those that appreciate quality) shirt is all you want, you'll get much more bang for your buck buying supermarket shirts at 3 for Â£10 or whatever they charge.


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## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Trimmer_
> So now you know who wear Van Heusen shirts.


My barber.


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## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

Not a fan of these at all. They just *feel* cheap to me, compared with better brands. I agree with the other posters who recall wearing these in their college days. Respectable enough for an undergraduate, but IMO you can really do better.

I'd not consider such a purchase these days. 

Hilditch and Key, however...

Or even Lewin, on sale.


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## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

Not even Lewin superior 140's?


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## faxx (Feb 16, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Holdfast_
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> I'm not a big fan of Van Heusen shirts.
> 
> They are simply exceedingly mediocre... I used to have some back in school and that's where they should be left IMO. If a fairly disposable, poor quality but inoffensive (except to those that appreciate quality) shirt is all you want, you'll get much more bang for your buck buying supermarket shirts at 3 for Â£10 or whatever they charge.


Memoriesâ€¦ I also had some back in school. They were very slim fitted and the construction was much like the Clydella school shirts very plain. All these British Van Heusen school shirts were made in Taunton, England. Easy to wear, easy to care and easy to replace for any boy I suppose.


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## Brideshead (Jan 11, 2006)

Van Heusen certainly seem to offer more than one range here, although there is no particular distinction in terms of presentation and packaging. In their own shops they appear to offer mainly all cotton shirts that, as has been said, are just about OK. They also sell shirts through department stores and 'outlet shops' of their own. These latter offerings are usually cotton-mix and again are only OK.

Every now and then you spot what looks 'authentic' Van Heusen with different packaging carrying the Royal Warrant more prominently and usually in plain white.

Arrow shirts seem to have all but disappeared from my neck of the woods. I used to quite like their oxford cotton button-downs in the 80s which seemed well made and of high quality cotton. Again not really top-notch, of course.


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Brideshead_
> 
> Every now and then you spot what looks 'authentic' Van Heusen with different packaging carrying the Royal Warrant more prominently and usually in plain white.


*Plain White and the Royal warrant?

Remember the 'White Shirts: who wears them thread?'?

We know who the Queen buys them for . . . *


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## maxnharry (Dec 3, 2004)

I think that there is an attempt to resurrect this brand and make it "real" once more. These used to be middling quality shirts in the US, but I can think of many places I would want to buy shirts from first before these two brands.


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## Brideshead (Jan 11, 2006)

> quote:_Originally posted by Trimmer_
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I don't recall that thread - I've only been here a week. Was it long ago?


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## josepidal (Jul 24, 2005)

Not that long ago. The black pants thread was older, if you're interested.


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Brideshead_
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*
It was last seen at:

I was observing that in the US the white shirt is a power symbol whereas in the UK the opposite is the case and it tends to be associated with uniforms. In the US the guy in the white shirt is the boss, in the UK he is the waiter.

*


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