# CHARLES TYRWHITT SHIRTS VS BROOKS BROS.



## rbstc123 (Jun 13, 2007)

I only own BB dress shirts and I am very satisfied with them. I just ran across a CT sale and I was wondering what the differences are between the two. Is CT superior to BB? I know there are different categories in all the shirts such as the sea island cotton ( which I am not looking at). But over all should I take advantage of the CT sale on the shirts? Are they better?

Thanks for the advice.


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## charlie2 (Oct 16, 2007)

i find the CT shirt and tie patterns more interesting than BB, but the cut is sliimmer - ask to try on a shirt in the store. And i like the brass collar stays.


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*I wouldn't say they are better, but....*

different. All Jermyn street shirts have a different fit from BB. Most BB shirts have a center pleat. English rtw shirts have side pleats. Collars generally come in two styles: classic spread and cutaway. Some are button down, but not the average. The buttondown collar shirt was brought to this country by English polo players, and Brooks Bros. picked it up. Now, most English shirt makers offer a button down only to appease their US customers.

Tyrwhitt standard shirts are either 80s, two fold or 100s, 2 fold, with fused collar and cuffs. Some on this forum don't like fused collar and cuffs. Tyrwhitt shirts come without a pocket, as do most Jermyn St shirts. A pocket on a dress shirt destroys the looks of the shirt so they don't put one on. You can have them put one on if you're a pocket geek. Jermyn St shirts generally have French cuffs which are dressier.

You are rejecting the Sea Island Quality of Tyrwhitt which is often on sale. Sea Island Quality is a 140s, 2 fold made from cotton not grown in the Sea Islands. This is the best shirt Tyrwhitt makes. The 180s, 2 fold is made from fabric milled in Italy, but most Americans won't like it because of the thinness of the material.

All in all, the Tyrwhitt Sea Island Quality is of higher quality than anything Brooks Bros makes. Others have to be compared by the features you like such as material, cuff style, collar style, fusing, and of course, fit.


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## Benjamin E. (Mar 2, 2007)

I thought CT and other Jermyn Street shirts have a rather tent-like fit, as do classic Brooks Brothers shirts.


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Shirts*

Gentlemen

I have owned all of them. I am pleased with TM Lewin, H&K and Turnbull Asser. Also, still happy with the Brooks button down shirts.
Go look at the Jermyn street if you can. Lot of difference.
For instance. I don't like Thomas Pink . Lacks the quality of the others.
You have to try them on. I love the cutaway collar. It is not baggy as the Brooks shirts also.
Also, I have over the years. Done well with the Golden Fleece shirts. Onsale. Have picked up some elegant shirts. That mimic my better shirting. Except Sulka that is.

Anyway, a different animal. Go for it. I did 35 plus years ago.

Nice day


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## rbstc123 (Jun 13, 2007)

*Fused*

Are the BB 1818 shirts fused as well?
After reading a lot on this site everyone treats fused like the plague, as do I when buying suits. However I have never heard of shirts being fused. Live an learn. Is this as big of a deal with shirts as with suits?:icon_smile:


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## rbstc123 (Jun 13, 2007)

*hello*

Any other Tyrwhitt shirt advocates out there that can help?


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## SkySov (Mar 17, 2008)

I check CT frequently for their clearance section. Usually I find something I like for really cheap. But now their clearance section is gone. I don't know if this sale is any better than their other sales. They always have a sale. I like the shirts because they come without a pocket. I don't understand why shirts in the US, be it Macy's or BB, have pockets. I like LE custom because you can just say no to pockets.

I was shopping at Stein Mart awhile ago and during checkout I saw one of the polo shirts I grabbed had a pocket on it! Polo shirts with pockets! Why?


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## Tonyp (May 8, 2007)

Have heard that they are not worth the $ but on sale maybe. Fusing in shirts is common. the collars of alot of shirts are fused and that is one reason that there is more shrinkage in a shirt collar that is fused vs. hand sewn such as a Borrelli or Kiton shirt.


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## rbstc123 (Jun 13, 2007)

*Thanks*

Thank you all lfor your input. Sounds like CT on sale ain't half bad. 
Gotta go...
BACK TO THE BEACH!!!!
Happy 4th to all!!!


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## medhat (Jan 15, 2006)

They are similarly-priced, comparable quality, but quite a bit different, style-wise. I prefer the CT "standard" collar (cutaway too bold for me), and this is pretty similar to BB's "Ainsley" collar (a pretty standard spread). I find the CT collar a little more firm than BB (maybe it's the fusing, I can't tell). I buy slim-fit for both, and although the fit is slightly different, it works for me. I think, size for size, the CT shoulders are a touch narrower. CT has a more diverse range of cloth patterns (I'm boring, most of my shirts are white, or some variant). Last thing I can recall, I do love how CT does french cuffs with 2 "inner" cufflink holes, so I can get essentially a RTW 33.5" sleeve length. Best advice I can give... buy on sale, they're always on sale.


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## ashie259 (Aug 25, 2005)

Just to say that I went into CT yesterday for some silk knots and noticed they had shirts on sale for some silly prices (even for them). I bought a very nice bengal stripe slim fit in just my size (16/36) for *£19*.

I normally get H&K, H&H or T&A where possible, and I know CT aren't as well regarded here as those two. But really, for £19, I'm pretty happy with this shirt. In fact, I wish I'd bought more while I was up there.

To my (admittedly uncouth) eye, the stitching, construction and quality of buttons in this shirt looks identical to a H&H shirt I compared it directly to. I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the washing and wearing.

*The digested read:* CT have some nice shirts in lots of sizes on offer on Jermyn Street for under £20.


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## smr (Apr 24, 2005)

rbstc123 said:


> Are the BB 1818 shirts fused as well?
> After reading a lot on this site everyone treats fused like the plague, as do I when buying suits. However I have never heard of shirts being fused. Live an learn. Is this as big of a deal with shirts as with suits?:icon_smile:


For the large majority of members here, fusing in shirts is definitely not nearly as big a deal as fusing in jackets, and to the extent it is focused on at all on this site, it is mainly with OCBD's, as it affects the soft roll of the collar. Outside of BB, Mercer, and Gitman OCBD's (and perhaps some other styles and fabrics from Mercer), and shirts from several English shirt makers, it seems that pretty much all shirts have fused collars and cuffs. As I learned from Alex and others here, not all fusing in shirts is the same. On better Italian-made shirts, for example, the material used for fused interlinings is softer (and some have posted is the same that would be used for a non fused interlining) than that on a BB or CT shirt (or on other cheaper shirts). I still prefer a non fused collar, but better shirts with fused collars (and cuffs) don't feel all that bad to me. I am not a fan of CT's 100's fabrics shirts mainly because of the fusing (you also might consider Harvie and Hudson or H&K, or even TM Lewin, or at least that's how I'd go for 100's fabrics). Haven't tried their SI cotton equiv. (140's) shirts.


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## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

*To reiterate what others have said . . .*

I own many shirts from BB, and a fair number of shirts from Tyrwhitt, of varying fabrics and price points. The only truly striking difference, construction-wise, between BB and CT is that CT collars and cuffs seem to be stiffer and heavier than their BB equivalents.

Otherwise, I've bought both shirts on the basis of price and pattern - CT on sale can be cheaper even than BB on sale, and CT, as an English shirtmaker (albeit with factories in Peru and India) does offer patterns that an American-based maker (albeit with factories in Malaysia) does not - bolder colours and stripes, and all without pockets. (FWIW, I've seen a Tyrwhitt shirt with an applied breast pocket - my recommendation is to forego this addition, as in the one case that I've seen, the pocket looked slapped on.)

The fabric choices between BB and CT are varied. The Italian fabrics of BB's luxury lines are as soft, but thicker, in my experience, than the finer CT fabrics, but, ultimately, it comes down to a matter of personal preference and taste.

In terms of fit, "classic"-sized shirts from either maker are going to be generous of shape, and their slim-fits less so, but not without allowance for 21st-century waistlines. (I am a 16-34, with a 36" waist, and I can fit into BB's slim-fit shirts without discomfort.)


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## charlie2 (Oct 16, 2007)

CT slim fit is tighter than BB slim fit.


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## Buffalo (Nov 19, 2003)

Brooks Brothers also has exact sleeve lengths which to me is an enormous plus factor. Also, I find that unlike CT shirts, BBs shirts are sturdier and do no shrink with repeated washings.


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## shirtguy (Oct 12, 2006)

ct shirts have at least a 3 inch cuff while bb is only 2 7/8
ct makes true cutaways while bb is just starting to make some spread


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