A review of Jermyn Street shirtmakers

Harvie & Hudson

Harvie & Hudson is a boutique shirtmaker specializing in brighter colors. There retail price is £120 per shirt with a multibuy option available at £100 if purchasing three shirts and a sale price of £75. For US based customers the £30 shipping fee can be a deterrent particularly when placing an order for a single shirt. The items listed in the sale section tend to be stronger, seasonal colors as one would expect. Neutral shirts rarely go on sale since they never go out of season. They ship very quickly. When you place an order, you can have the shirt in your hands within 48 hours or two business days. Their business model seems to involve limited selection of bright colored shirts. When something sells out that’s it. This allows them to operate at a reasonable price point particularly in light of their size. They have a nice balance of double cuff and single cuff shirts which is nice to see since double cuff is rare these days. That includes striped double cuffed shirts. As far as colors go, they do a good job with sky blue, white and yellow. They employ a rather dark shade of purple and include a burgundy red in some of their textures. The pink on the other hand, is a very salmon rather than being the cherry pink or deep pink one would prefer to see in a shirt. Green and red seem to be weaved within certain checkered patterns but are not the primary color for any shirt. The entire collection unifies smoothly under one creative vision and so there’s a cohesion and a clear brand positioning to what they sell. This is a double-edged sword though. The same cohesion also leads to repetitive motifs and overlapping designs. For example, some of their striped and checked shirts are really the same colors and design just that in one case they include horizontal lines in addition to vertical lines. Overall, you get the sense they have specific grid templates for both checkered and striped shirt where the variable they change is the color rather than the structure of the patterns. Changing up their collection from season to season would be key to sustaining repeat customers otherwise you would end up with very similar shirts. It should also be noted that overall, their stripe patterns are more audacious than their checkered patterns which largely focuses on gingham. Whereas they will vary the width and spacing of the stripes. Sizing wise they do carry your exact size and you can choose both the collar size and sleeve length. Given that ties are worn more infrequently there is a role for brighter stripey shirts especially in recreational settings to add color to one’s attire.

Thomas Pink

Thomas Pink shirt prices range from $125 to $220. Their strength is really in their vintage designs. In particularly what they have done, which every heritage shirtmaker should consider, is running a Jermyn Street edition where they periodically revive some of their funkier patterns form the 1980s. Their heritage items are by far the most exciting items as their current collection largely revolves around plain colors that are very faint. They hit the right shade of pink it’s just too understated. They seem to offer solid, striped and herringbone patterns. No checkered or plaid unfortunately, something they used to include in their collection. They have a decent selection of French cuffs. You are not able to customize the cuff type for a given shirt. Thomas Pink offers greater variation in patterns with colors that are less pronounced than Harvie Hudson. Two key concerns are sizing and shipping. They keep a limited inventory and may not have the desired item in your size. If you do identify your size, you will notice that they only supply two sleeve lengths per collar size: Regular and Long. They don’t let you alter the sleeve length at checkout. This is a knock since many folks won’t be able to get a shirt in their size. The shirts with a wider collar size will also have a wider frame and so it won’t work for a lot of people. Shipping to the US is $30 which can be hefty for a single shirt purchase.

Hilditch & Key

Hilditch & Key prices range from $225 to $360. They offer both single cuff and double cuff. They have a range or striped and checkered patterns including multi-stripe. For example, for checkered shirts they have gingham check, plaid checks, windowpane check, graph check and dupplin check. Their plain colored shirts cover a wide breadth of colors however none of them are bright shades. Blue seems to be their flagship color and their blue multi stripe are their most interesting patterns. They don’t seem to handle other colors as well. Their pink is faint, salmon and does not draw the eye. They don’t seem to have anything in green, purple or yellow. They default to one sleeve length per collar size. If you want to get it altered to your size there is an extra $29 surcharge and that adds five days to the delivery. Given that the shirts are already selling at a premium, alterations really ought to be included in the price. It should be noted that for altered clothes they cannot accept returns or refunds which is understandable.

Hawes and Curtis

Hawes and Curtis shirts retail for $109 but there is a multi-buy at $66 each if you buy three shirts rendering their pricing competitive. Multi-buy is really geared towards someone looking to change up their wardrobe either because they are starting a new job or outgrew their clothes. If you buy shirts one at a time as a collector discovering individual treasures, the multi-buy doesn’t do much for you. They offer a very large selection indicating they are a mass market shirt maker. They offer a gamut of colors across plain, striped and checkered patterns. The patterns themselves follow set templates with color rather than texture being the primary variable. They have decent purple options whilst the pink is too pretty faint. They have a rich French cuff selection than spans patterns and colors. Shipping is competitive with free shipping to the US offered on orders over $290 and otherwise charging $8 which is very reasonable. As far as sizing is concerned, they offer a limited number of sleeve lengths per collar size ranging from one to three. If the standard sizes work it’s a good deal however if not they offer no recourse through alterations. For larger collar sizes your sleeve length may run too long.

Emmet London

Emmet London is a luxury shirtmaker where prices range from $240 to $336. They cover a large pallet and bright colors. Impressively they cover multiple shades of colors including pink. French and barrel cuff are both on offer. Their selection is larger than a boutique shirtmaker but less selection than a mass marker retailer. Their striped colors are creative. They are a one sleeve length purveyor and typically keep a single digit number of shirts in stock for a given size. If you want to shorten the sleeves you need to pay an additional $42. Especially in light of the fact that these are expensive shirts the idea of having to pay extra to get something in your size does not seem right. $42 is also more than it would cost to get it adjusted a local dry cleaner. To order something that doesn’t fit though and then go get it altered is inconvenient. It is far more convenient to be able to specify your size and any required alterations in the checkout flow. Shipping costs are also significant running at £38 with free shipping for orders over £500.

Hackett

Hacket is competitively priced with prices ranging from £77 to £150. Given the wide range it’s worth checking the price tag for items that might interest you. Their specialty are monochromatic shirts. A good choice for those who want dress shirts in a range of solid colors (turquoise, yellow, pink green) but are not very focused on patterns. While there are a few patterned shirts plain color shirts is what you go to them for. There seems to be a seasonality to the inventory with ample linen options during the summer. Overall, there is a more casual feel to the brand. The listing photos often involve sleeves rolled up, the top two buttons unbuttoned, no tie as well as short sleeve shirts. A few of the shirts have prints. The shirts are overwhelmingly barrel cuff with a few French cuffs. Prices are listed in pounds which would imply a UK focus. In terms of their sizing some of their more casual shirts are only offered in small, medium, large sizing rather than letting you specify collar size. For formal shirts they let you specify collar size but sell one size sleeves. They do not offer alterations when making a purchase and it’s not apparent when checking out what the default sleeve length is as you need to reference the sizing guide. As far as shipping costs are concerned, they only ship to the United Kingdom albeit at no additional cost.

Charles Tyrwhitt

Charles Tyrwhitt retail at $129 but you can get them at a multibuy price of $64.75 when buying four shirts. The multibuy is what’s worth it since the full price is not much a deal vis-à-vis another shirtmaker. What’s interesting is that in their physical stores the tags don’t seem to specify pricing. This would indicate they have a dynamic pricing strategy in the interest of moving inventory. Overall, it’s a great option for office appropriate barrel cuff shirts that are either plain white or contain simple textures. Their shirts are all professional and neutral rather than aiming for a fashion statement or bright colors. Their patterned shirts tend to be very faint to maintain the neutrality. Their French cuff selection is limited relative to the shirt patterns they offer. They do offer sizing gradations which is a real differentiator given that many shirtmakers seem to try to sell shirts with one size sleeves. Being able to get your exact size is a plus. If you need alterations beyond the standard gradations those cost $17.95. They have an extensive US presence and can ship for $15 to $30 depending on how fast you want it. They do have a sale section for approximately $40 a shirt where they mainly sell seasonal items. The customer service is also excellent with the staff being informed about the product and able to speak to fine differences such as the type of collar their brass collar stays would work for.

Turnbull & Asser

Turnbull & Asser is high-end bespoke heritage shirtmaker. With prices ranging from $555 to $825 it is by far the most expensive option evaluated here. The question therefore arises whether the premium is justified especially with regard to their ready to wear shirts. Perusing through their fabric patterns, they have some intricate textures but overall, the coloring is too subtle for the price. They seem to use white as a base color for patterned shirts. Their designs lack the brightness, vitality and complexity of truly unique designs. T&A’s legacy brand position is that of the peacock of Jermyn Street. They appear to have diluted their brand positioning by attempting to compete with the trend towards casual and appeal to a broader audience instead of honing in their niche. To command those prices, they need to offer a truly differentiated product, a shirt one cannot find elsewhere. Their ready-to-wear offering does not include enough customizations given the price point. They don’t let you customize the cuff type and sleeve length. There is no option for alterations at checkout. They have some French cuff shirts but you can’t choose the cuff type for a given shirt pattern. They default to three-button cuffs which are a little more interesting. There doesn’t appear to be an option to add monogramming and spare collars and cuffs are not included when you make a purchase. They should also have the option to make one cuff larger to accommodate a large wristwatch.

What is really lacking though is a trademark signature look that goes with luxury brands. A Canada Goose is distinctly different from any other winter coat. Many of the shirts they make are not visually distinguishable from a shirt you could have bought somewhere else. They have a bespoke section but the user experience is not ideal. There are too many clicks required to complete a purchase. They display fabric stiches as thumbnail icons instead of showing you what the finished product looks like making it hard to envision the whole shirt. They really need to jazz up their patterns. Nobody pays for those prices for something office appropriate. They should offer the customizations available in the made to measure section for all shirts. Those are: sleeve length, fit, collar size, body size, whether you want a gauntlet button, whether to pleat the forearm, monogramming and pocket selection. Changing the type of placket and color of the buttons is not necessary. It’s important to strike a balance between giving the customer the optionality they want without inundating them with so many decisions they never complete the order. They need to merge the made to measure and ready to ware into one product that is a hybrid of the two. The merged workflow should let you select a distinct cuff type such as a turnback cuff which the majority of shirtmakers don’t offer but without the friction currently required by made to measure. For the bespoke section let you book an appointment but it’s not easy to locate the link. That need to give you the option of booking an appointment as a floating button.