# Intro, question - Express 1MX modern fit shirt



## homepiece (Mar 15, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I'm starting a new job in April that will require me to dress business casual - decent slacks and shirts. I'm 31 and fairly lanky, so I want clothes that will look good on a kind of young, slimmer guy. I wear 15.5 34-35, but there's always way too much room in my shirts.

I was happy to find this forum, and I'd like some comments on Express 1MX modern fit shirts, particularly from those who own them. Specifically, can you tell me about:

* Quality - will these shirts last 2 years if worn and laundered (at home, cold water, gentle cycle) once per week?
* Tendency to wrinkle - is ironing necessary (I expect yes), are they easy to iron? Can I steam instead?
* Fit for a slim guy - does your significant other like the way it looks?

Please note that I'm asking about the modern fit shirts, not the fitted shirts, which supposedly wrinkle much more than the modern fits.

Ideally, I could find quality no-iron, slim fit, modern-looking, pocketless shirts in a variety of colors and patterns, but that's pretty hard to find. So I could sacrifice the no-iron aspect, provided the Express shirts meet my other needs.


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## Nerev (Apr 25, 2009)

Ahh, memories of this shirt when I first got out of college. My first job, a tax accountant at a Manhattan tax firm, I pretty much wore these exclusively. They were cheap if you stacked them with coupons, and there are Express stores almost everywhere. To answer your questions:
- Quality is bad, OK at best. These probably lasted 2 years at most, and that's pretty much if you wore them once a week. I found that these things shrink badly, and while I laundered them the same way, I would really suggest hang drying instead of using a drier, even on the low setting.
- Wrinkled bad, wrinkles like mad if you don't hang them right away when they are still a little damp. You should be ironing these (I didn't so I accepted the wrinkling), and I doubt steaming would get the wrinkles completely out.
- This is definately a slim fit shirt, and after a year when these shrunk, were extremely slim fit.

Now that I think back on it, I would have just skipped these and bought shirts at Land's End for these reasons: 1) Price point, Land End's shirts on sale are roughly $20, $30 if you get the Hyde park. Express shirts are $30-$40, and if you stack the $30 off $75, you can get 3 shirts at $90 - $30 = $60 or $20 each, same price as the basic LE shirt. 2) Quality, LE is definately a hell of a lot better made than Express. LE shirts are workhorse shirts and are built like one with a thicker fabric (that feels better quality wise) and the cosntruction is very good for the price. 3) Looks, LE does not wrinkle as much, in my opinion, and if you hang them while still a little damp, most of the wrinkles can get away. 4) Shrinkage, or lack thereof compared to Express.

If you want a slim fit shirt, maybe something more casual, I suggest Calvin Klien. The quality is much better, and while more expensive, it irons a bit easier and I've had no shrinking problems. At that price though, almsot $40 a shirt, you may be better off with cheap MTM. If your budget is $20 though, $20 is all you can spend heh. Lastly, I do have to say that I've retired my Express shirts years ago, I sometimes wear the CK shirts when in jeans and no coat, and I've only got a few LE shirts. Most of my shirts are BB, MTM, and working on upgrading from there. If you are thinking 3+ years in advance, I would just try not to gain too much weight and just go straight to what most people have here.


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## medhat (Jan 15, 2006)

agree with comments above, although I own 2-3 of them (frankly, they look nice for casual shirts, I don't wear them for work). They're definitely not non-iron, and quality control is a misnomer, particularly with the collars. I have one solid color shirt that is nearing unwearable due to how the collar looks after being washed, while the other 2 shirts have been no problem. These are the slimmest shirts I own, so I wouldn't expect that to be a problem for you. I also have a bias in work shirts against "in between" sleeve sizes (eg. 32-32, 34-35, etc...). For work, I'd suggest searching the sale racks at Banana Republic (I think they're of better quality and better fabrics, and their modern fit may suit you). Even with their custom and tailored shirts, I think Land's End is still too big (for me), so I think you'd find them enormous. So my vote would be for the BR sales rack. Good luck.


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## FrontHeadlock (Dec 1, 2009)

What is your profession?

I'll be honest I've worn them from time to time, but they fit and appearance of most of them reek of nightlife a bit too much for office wear, so I'll usually throw a sweater on top.


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## YoungTrad (Jan 29, 2010)

I bought probably two or three of these shirts from Express.. I agree, the collars look awful after a while and the fabric feels cheap to me.. The price is good, though. If youre looking for owning it for a year I think youll be fine. But the ones Ive bought havent lasted much longer.


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## DPC3 (Jun 15, 2009)

I think if you are after fit and quality I would definitely buy my shirts from Brooks Brothers. I bought my first shirts for work ten years ago from BB, and I still have some. They really are not too expensive, and they have many good looks. I like striped, tattersall, and gingham shirts and appreciate the quality of their shirts; additionally, I would not launder your shirts at home. I guess I never have tried to launder a fitted shirt at home, but it doesn't seem too much to ask to commercially launder a shirt. I guiess if your shirts are only $25 and it cost $3 to launder them I guess I can see why someone might not, but it will never come out the same as if it is lightly starched and pressed. Look at: https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=306 see if they have your size. This is to BB clearance . . .maybe they have your size -- I noticed some in extra slim.
-DPC3


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## ASK (Feb 27, 2010)

Just an FYI if youre considering BB, I was told today at the store that the friends and family sale will start March 28 and end on April 6. I think he said 25% but Im not totally sure, thats usually what it is though.


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## homepiece (Mar 15, 2010)

FrontHeadlock said:


> What is your profession?
> 
> I'll be honest I've worn them from time to time, but they fit and appearance of most of them reek of nightlife a bit too much for office wear, so I'll usually throw a sweater on top.


After 4 years of being a member of the teaching faculty, I'm going to be an Assistant Dean at my university.

I haven't read all the responses yet, getting to that now, but thanks everyone.


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## homepiece (Mar 15, 2010)

ASK said:


> Just an FYI if youre considering BB, I was told today at the store that the friends and family sale will start March 28 and end on April 6. I think he said 25% but Im not totally sure, thats usually what it is though.


Thanks, I was interested in BB but I've heard that even the slim fit shirts wear like a tent. Fortunately, BB, Jos A Bank, and Express are all in the same neighborhood downtown. So maybe I'll check out all of them.

I have some Calvin Klein slim fit shirts that I really like, but they're not no-iron. Anyone have any experience with CK no-iron?


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## jblaze (Oct 6, 2009)

homepiece said:


> * Quality - will these shirts last 2 years if worn and laundered (at home, cold water, gentle cycle) once per week?
> * Tendency to wrinkle - is ironing necessary (I expect yes), are they easy to iron? Can I steam instead?
> * Fit for a slim guy - does your significant other like the way it looks?


To answer your questions:
1) They should last 2 years, but may start to fray, fade... after a year or so, but they are not terrible. Don't use the dryer for these, BTW.
2) They will require a proper ironing after washing.
3) Only you can tell if you like the fit, but they taper nicely and I like the fit. Just make sure you don't get any that are really bright as these are more suited for going out than to the office.

There are other brands that are nicer at a similar price point. Just look at different suggestions from forum members, but these shirts aren't bad.


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## DPC3 (Jun 15, 2009)

Since I assume that you are not buying the proposed shirts because of their price, but for a superior fit. I would like to draw your attention to a reasonably priced custom shirt maker that many on this forum have enjoyed. You can go to www.mytailor.com, and customize and request your shirts as slim as you would like them. If you do go there their website is set to blended fabric by default so move off that to a cotton style you might enjoy. They let you fully customize your shirt and I think you would enjoy it. Also please do consider laundering your shirts at a drycleaner or commercial laundry facility.
-DPC3


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## homepiece (Mar 15, 2010)

dcahill3 said:


> Since I assume that you are not buying the proposed shirts because of their price, but for a superior fit. I would like to draw your attention to a reasonably priced custom shirt maker that many on this forum have enjoyed. You can go to www.mytailor.com, and customize and request your shirts as slim as you would like them. If you do go there their website is set to blended fabric by default so move off that to a cotton style you might enjoy. They let you fully customize your shirt and I think you would enjoy it. Also please do consider laundering your shirts at a drycleaner or commercial laundry facility.
> -DPC3


Duly noted, thank you very much, I will check this out. I would consider paying the $60-70 for higher end shirts if push came to shove.


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## saiyar1 (Feb 18, 2010)

I'm going to go ahead and go against everyone on the forum thus far. :icon_smile_big:

I have found these to be my go-to shirt. I workout a lot and so my shoulders are significantly wider than my torso. If you truly have the same issue as me, then you know exactly what I mean. This means that Land's End, Banana Republic, all other "slim fit" brands, etc ALL will be baggy. I'll leave it at that because I know... I've tried them all. This is the ONLY shirt that fits right.

The cloth, which some may view as low quality, is just average in reality. There is definitely some harsher comments about it, but I think that's a result of the satorial influence. An average person would find it more than adequate. It does have some stetch, but it makes it great for those who really want a truly slim fit off the rack and want to be able to move your arms totally freely (harder to do when you have bulky shoulders, etc.)

I have it in white, pale yellow, and light blue. So far in 3 months they are just fine. I launder them and then hang dry because of the possible shrinkage. Other than that, they are holding up great. I think if you grab 3 white, 2 light blue, a pink, a light lavender, and maybe a pale yellow, those will all be fine for business caual. They definitely don't look unprofessional.. again, I think it's the forum's skewed mindset after shopping at upscale places (same satorial influence happened to me, but with suits!).

I definitely think they can last you two years if you rotate them around evenly. There are always sales, so you can get them for right under $30 easily. The only problem is wrinkling. Out of the wash they are very wrinkle prone, but just iron it using some spray water and it is as easy as steaming. Any negatives are completely outweighed by the perfect fit though.

In the end, I think nothing is lost buying a plain white one and trying it out once after a wash.

Good luck.


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