# A Question of Quality: Charles Tyrwhitt



## somepeoplecallmemaurice (Jan 18, 2013)

Does anyone have any opinions or experience with Charles Tyrwhitt shirts? WSJ weekend issue featured a small flip book of a promotional sale they're running in which $140-160 shirts are marked down to $39.50. I was wondering if they are worth trying out or if anyone could give me their opinion of this brand.


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

They are not $140 shirts, they are perpetually on sale for about $50. $39.50 is a real 20% off price. They are decent shirts, I have a few and like their 2 button barrel cuff. Well worth $40.


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## wrwhiteknight (Mar 20, 2012)

^^ Seconded. They may have been $100+ shirts at one point, and they ARE definitely better than most $40 shirts out there, but both Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin run these promos so often that they have diluted their own stock.


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## straw sandals (Apr 14, 2010)

I have one shirt with French cuffs and a point collar. It's a well constructed shirt, but seems to be wearing out very quickly. I'd say that they're worth a try, but there are better shirts out there - especially if you're not in the market for spread collars and bright shirting fabrics.


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## somepeoplecallmemaurice (Jan 18, 2013)

I figured I'd give them a try to put some sport shirts into my wardrobe. Thanks guys.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

arkirshner said:


> They are not $140 shirts, they are perpetually on sale for about $50. $39.50 is a real 20% off price. They are decent shirts, I have a few and like their 2 button barrel cuff. Well worth $40.


This. Acceptable budget-end shirts. Used to buy but sizes stopped working for me (they have funny arm lengths), and have increasingly gone for quality over quantity with shirts. (Assuming US and UK the same in quality.)


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

straw sandals said:


> It's a well constructed shirt, but seems to be wearing out very quickly.


This has been my experience. Not a bad shirt for being just a step above JAB. However, they have serious longevity issues.


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## jkidd41011 (Jan 20, 2010)

Bought three white non irons a few months back for work. They wash up well with the exception the collar points have curled slightly. Better quality than JAB, but I think the Nordstrom or BB seem to a step up.


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## Hobson (Mar 13, 2007)

One caveat, their non-iron shirts do not require the use of a dryer. Most other non-iron shirts require a dryer in order to remove the wrinkles. Tyrhwitt non-irons don't look like they were just pressed, but you can simply hang them to dry. A real advantage if you want to cut down on wear or if you don't have a dryer.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I dunno. Maybe their shirts are iffy, but I still want to try that fantastic-looking evening waistcoat.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Quality/price is good. Awesome compared with most b&m men's stores shirting.


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## Marcc237 (Mar 22, 2004)

It may be me, but I find too much shrinkage in the collars of some of the CT shirts. I do not have the sam eissue with my other shirts (e.g., LE, BB, or PF)


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## mrfixit (Dec 30, 2012)

i went on a small shirt buying spree from a variety of places. CT are by far the best i could score in the $30-40 neighborhood. i can't speak to the longevity because mine have 2 wears on them, but the fit and materials seems best in class at that price, at least for me.


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## AncientMadder (Apr 21, 2011)

I placed two orders with Charles Tyrwhitt and ended up returning both. The spread collar points were too short to reach my lapels. 

If you want to give them a try, the return policy is excellent. I laundered the shirts and wore them a few times, and they accepted a return four months after purchase, no questions asked. My second return got lost in the mail, and they still refunded my payment. The shirts didn't work out, but the customer service was excellent.

Sometimes they run sales where the shirts get down to $35 or so and they throw in a free tie.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Slightly off topic, forgive me: That whole thing of "the collar points must reach your lapel" is a bit of an iGent fallacy, IMO. My mid-spread collars don't do that unless I were to wear a high roll three button coat... which I won't. So long as the collar harmonizes with your face, it will look fine.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Jovan said:


> Slightly off topic, forgive me: That whole thing of "the collar points must reach your lapel" is a bit of an iGent fallacy, IMO. My mid-spread collars don't do that unless I were to wear a high roll three button coat... which I won't. So long as the collar harmonizes with your face, it will look fine.


Conversely, I consider shirt collars that do not reach the jacket lapel to be a ghastly look, instead of a smooth sleek cynosure of sweeping and complete lines it fragments the tableaux and grants the area the flavour of a patchwork or jigsaw.


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## jeffreyc (Apr 8, 2010)

jkidd41011 said:


> They wash up well with the exception the collar points have curled slightly.


I have had quite a few over the years and always find the collar points curl. It cant be just me as they have a comment on their website stating that when slightly damp you should pull the points to stop this happening.
I would echo the points made - a good budget shirt and their service is very good.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Shaver said:


> Conversely, I consider shirt collars that do not reach the jacket lapel to be a ghastly look, instead of a smooth sleek cynosure of sweeping and complete lines it fragments the tableaux and grants the area the flavour of a patchwork or jigsaw.


If you say so.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Jovan said:


> If you say so.


aww c'mon Jovan, old friend. We are merely exchanging opinion - no need to get *ahem* _shirty_ about it.


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## Aryeah (Feb 5, 2013)

I recently purchased 3 shirts from CT during their annual after christmas sale. One regular, non-iron, and sea island quality. The regular shirt is very nice and feels good for this price range (with coupon around $30). Must have been a better quality fabric. The non-iron, feels more like a heavier twill and is a little shiny. The sea island quality (around $60 with coupon) feels a little more like cardboard and is stiff, most likely due to the heaver weight of the material. Once I have them laundered they will probably get a little softer. 

All 3 shirts were 2ply/100s/poplin....In my opinoin the sale prices of the shirts at $39.95 or lower if you google a coupon to also use, are a good deal for shirts in this kind of range.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Shaver said:


> aww c'mon Jovan, old friend. We are merely exchanging opinion - no need to get *ahem* _shirty_ about it.


Uh-huh. Perhaps the geometry of those cutaway collars is cutting off circulation to your brain if you think any other looks "ghastly"!


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Jovan said:


> Uh-huh. Perhaps the geometry of those cutaway collars is cutting off circulation to your brain if you think any other looks "ghastly"!


I cannot abide cutaway collars. They are ...errr.. dare I say it? Ghastly. :redface:

I prefer a medium spread but which is a decent size, enough to reach the collar of a two button jacket cf. my avatar.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Funny... you consider that a medium spread though? I thought medium was 4" and wide was 5" -- yours appears to be the latter.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Jovan said:


> Funny... you consider that a medium spread though? I thought medium was 4" and wide was 5" -- yours appears to be the latter.


Well there is no exact science to the categories, of course. Either way, I don't own anything that could be remotely described as a cutaway.


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## diaby2afc (Dec 12, 2012)

They have outstanding customer service and return policy. 

My only issue is that the shoulders and arms are way too baggy for tailored fit. And I'm a bit chubby. Anyone else have this problem?


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

A cutaway has a straight line to the side, like its been 'cut away'. If it doesn't go straight out to the sides it's not a cutaway. Only the Italians do cutaway right. They can be lovely with the right rig. IMO a subdued one with low contrast and subdued tie. They can add a certain something. One has to be sure one has not added too much already though, before considering wearing a cutaway collared shirt. 

Wearing it open collared can look gauche. Pairing it with navy blazer and slick back hair worn too long in the neck can say 'my dad has money, but I fell through the genome tree, and the family fortune ends with me'.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

diaby2afc said:


> They have outstanding customer service and return policy.
> 
> My only issue is that the shoulders and arms are way too baggy for tailored fit. And I'm a bit chubby. Anyone else have this problem?


With better shirts, they are cut narrower, I agree.

I see these types of shirts simply as cheap underwear though


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## Aryeah (Feb 5, 2013)

I ordered the slim fits and the armholes are baggy. They measure around 11.5 inches for an armhole measurement. I wear a 10.5 inch armhole. They are good for the price point of never paying more than $35 to $40 for a shirt if you are on a budget


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## Shiny (Jan 7, 2013)

Really good shirts for their pricepoint. Like how they have longer tails so they won't come untucked as often.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

A lot of cheaper shirts do indeed skimp on the tails.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Jovan said:


> A lot of cheaper shirts do indeed skimp on the tails.


Yep ...


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## Traser (Jan 10, 2013)

Can't beat them for work-wear - especially if you wait for the sales and snap them up for £25-30. Almost 'disposable' at that price! However i wouldn't buy them at the full pre-sale prices.

Quality wise I rate them as better than the likes of M+S, TM Lewin etc.

Ultra quick delivery if buying by mail order; decent collar and as the posts above confirm, a decent length of tail.


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## goonerk (Feb 20, 2013)

A bit off topic here but there's a 'private event' in-store only right now..lasts until Thurs.

5/$200 on shirts


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## Barry_432 (Nov 20, 2013)

Traser said:


> Can't beat them for work-wear - especially if you wait for the sales and snap them up for £25-30. Almost 'disposable' at that price! However i wouldn't buy them at the full pre-sale prices.
> 
> Quality wise I rate them as better than the likes of M+S, TM Lewin etc.
> 
> Ultra quick delivery if buying by mail order; decent collar and as the posts above confirm, a decent length of tail.


 I would tend to agree but have now migrated to H&K for my work shirts. In the recent sale at £63 each. My concern with CT is the perpetual sales - I'm sure that by law they have to offer them for the same period of time at the full cost but I have never seen a full cost CT shirt. At the normal prices they offer good value but are nothing special. H&K on the other hand are a real step up.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

I bought eight CT shirts about 2004 or so. Some non-irons, some regular. I stuck with solids and country checks for the most part. I liked them.

A couple years ago I bought a couple of non-irons. The fabric was like sandpaper, and they fell apart in the wash. A bad batch, or an indication of an overall lapse in quality? I don't know, but I haven't bothered with CT since.


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## GatorFL (May 13, 2013)

What is the difference between buying online vs a Tyrwhitt store? I travel to DC and Chicago often for work and would feel more comfortable buying shirts after a proper fitting.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

I actually purchased a tuxedo shirt from them recently over a comparatively priced BB shirt due to fit. This one (extra slim fit turndown collar Marcella front) is seemingly permanently marked down to $99 from $199, but I was able to snag it for $79 with a coupon they sent me. I'm very happy with it and would recommend them as a way to (relatively) inexpensively build a rotation of shirts.

FWIW, I also like TM Lewin I the same category. I had originally purchased a tuxedo shirt from them but the stud holes were too small to accept my studs (which are normally sized).


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

Just did the same thing, buying a tuxed shirt from them. By going in with another forum member to get the 2 for $160 price and using the same code (US20D4 for $20 off $100+), dropped it to $70. Did have to spring for the $30 expedited shipping to get it here by the end of the week, but c'est la vie. If you're in a bind, though, JAB actually carries decent-quality flat front tuxedo shirts nowadays, royal oxford though, no marcella bib front. Sales associates will have authority to drop the cost by at least 50%, though, so make sure to stick to your guns if there's not an applicable sale.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

GatorFL said:


> What is the difference between buying online vs a Tyrwhitt store? I travel to DC and Chicago often for work and would feel more comfortable buying shirts after a proper fitting.


Your neck and sleeve size shouldn't differ from one shirt to the next.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

GatorFL said:


> What is the difference between buying online vs a Tyrwhitt store? I travel to DC and Chicago often for work and would feel more comfortable buying shirts after a proper fitting.


With one you pay sales tax but no shipping....the other you pay shipping but no sales tax. Guess they don't teach that in Hogtown.


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## Shoe City Thinker (Oct 8, 2012)

I have both Tyrwhitt and T.M. Lewin shirts and the T.M. Lewin shirts have a leg up in quality. My peeve with the CT shirt is that the has been more noticeable value engineering done on the shirts compared to what I bought six years ago.


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## GatorFL (May 13, 2013)

I was really referring to the fitting experience. I've only bought off the rack before and there is a range of sizes that fit me. I'm typically a 16 1/2 34 but have had 16 1/2 33 and 17 33 shirts fit just fine. I do have 3 fitted shirts on order but until they arrive I can't opine on the fit, but the number of measurements that went into the shirt were impressive, especially the left hand cuff which should hopefully be large enough to cover my watch.


Jovan said:


> Your neck and sleeve size shouldn't differ from one shirt to the next.





FLCracka said:


> With one you pay sales tax but no shipping....the other you pay shipping but no sales tax. Guess they don't teach that in Hogtown.


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