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Home / Blog / Clothing and Style

How to Find Affordable “Made to Measure” Shirts Online

Published on June 20, 2012 by Brock McGoff · Clothing and Style May contain affiliate links (what's this?)

Made To Measure Shirt

Ah, the perfect dress shirt. It’s the white whale of men’s fashion. When it comes to buying dress shirts, men basically have three options:

  1. Buy off the rack (OTR) from a department store or boutique
  2. Have shirts custom made for you by a local tailor
  3. Order Made-to-Measure shirts from an online retailer

Stay away from the first option. Department stores are overpriced, and most guys – especially short men – don’t have an “off the rack” body type (if there even is such a thing).

The second alternative is great if you live near a good tailor, but it is generally the most expensive option. Bespoke shirts will probably run you at least $150 a piece. Of course, you will get measured, in person, by  professional, so the shirt will fit perfectly.

Old School Tailor
If you go to an expert, expect to pay expert prices!

The third option is the one we’re going to talk about today. Online MTM “tailors” have been popping up left and right over the past few years. Some are better than others, but they are pretty much all cheaper than going to a local brick and mortar shop. Also, the shirts will definitely fit better than anything you find at the mall.

The big downfall of these online services is the measurement system. And by measurement system, I mean you, because you’re required to give these stores your measurements. Since most of us don’t even own the right kind of measuring tape and have no idea how to get the proper measurements, this can be problematic.

Tailor's Tape
Tailor’s Tape on Amazon.com

Note: I recommend either ordering tailor’s tape from Amazon.

That said, all of these services have great, detailed, visual tutorials on how to get each measurement. If you have a friend that can help measure you, you will probably get more accurate numbers. Alternatively, most of these companies let you send in your favorite shirt for them to measure and copy.

Finally, don’t worry to much about messing up your measurements by a half inch here or there. These online custom clothing sites have great refund and remake policies. You can always order one of their cheaper shirts to start out with, send it back until it’s perfect, then update your measurement for future use.

Here are my favorite online made to measure clothiers, along with their price ranges:

  • Modern Tailor – $59 to $79 (best prices, most options…review coming up soon)
  • Blank Label – $75 to $145 (read my review of this shirt maker right here)
  • Black Lapel – $99 to $179 (if you’re in the NYC area, be sure to visit their showroom)

Do you have any experience with any of the above clothiers? Please share your experiences in the comments section so your fellow modest men know where to buy from and what to avoid.

Clothing and Style Custom Clothing, dress shirts, Indochino, long-sleeved shirts, made to measure, MTM

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About Brock McGoff

The Modest Man founder, Brock is an aspiring minimalist who enjoys working out, spending time with his family, discovering new brands and creating great content.

Background: Brock McGoff has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a professional background in digital marketing. He believes that men's fashion is just one facet of self-improvement, and he started The Modest Man to help regular guys feel more confident by improving their appearance.

An east coast native, Brock currently lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter. When he's not working, he spends time with family, training BJJ, reading/listening to books and podcasts, and unsuccessfully trying to decide which movie to stream.

Expertise: Brock has built a men's lifestyle YouTube channel with over 400k subscribers. He's also worked as the creative marketing manager in a men's apparel startup. Brock has been quoted in, mentioned by or featured in publications like Esquire, Huff Post, Men's Health, WWD and Forbes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Got questions? Want to share your opinion? Comment below!

  1. Tom says

    May 8, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    I have had pretty good luck with Proper Cloth. They get the shirt to you in 15 to 20 days and have a pretty good selection of fabrics.

    Reply
    • RJ says

      January 11, 2017 at 10:23 pm

      Had a bad experience with proper cloth. They couldn’t get the shirt to fit correctly, even after going to the store to get measured. Off the rack shirts fit better. I will definitely try JH.

      Reply
  2. Tom says

    August 6, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    Combatant Gentleman (www.combatgent.com) has a nice selection of seasonally-varied shirts that start around $40, and although they’re not tailored, they do offer high-quality tailored suits at very affordable prices.

    Reply
    • Brock says

      August 7, 2015 at 9:19 am

      The thing I love about CG is that the clothes are so affordable, it’s not too painful to pay for alterations. Reviewed a few items here – https://www.themodestman.com/combat-gent-review/

      Reply
  3. Sean says

    July 8, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Stantt Custom Shirts has poor customer service and very slow shipping. It is over three weeks and I have not received my expensive Order, and they don’t give a [crap].

    *Edited by Admin for language

    Reply
  4. Vlad says

    May 5, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    You had Deo Veritas listed as one of your favorites in a newer review. Would you favor them over Modern Tailor or Blank Label?

    Reply
  5. ANTHONY says

    August 25, 2014 at 2:14 am

    Atailor online MTM store should be added to the list. I myself purchased a few shirts in a variety of designs and even added different colours to my collar and didn’t even charge me! They don’t disappoint http://www.atailor.com.au

    Reply
  6. Lili says

    August 19, 2014 at 4:03 am

    Hiya Brock! I noticed that you don’t have Trumaker on your list. Trumaker is a startup in San Francisco that offers a great range of fabrics with outfitters that come right to your door to take all the hassle out of measuring yourself. Outfitters are carefully chosen and trained, and most of them have strong tailoring and fashion design backgrounds. Similar to J. Hilburn, but a bit more stylish and definitely easier to wear (especially for those that favor the casual look). Trumaker also fuses technology with design to create shirts that don’t include shirt fat, collars that don’t curl after washing, and customization points on every aspect of the shirt. Also, customers get package incentives and $20 credit for every referral!

    Reply
    • Brock says

      August 25, 2014 at 10:17 am

      Lili,

      Never heard of them but will check them out. Thanks!

      -B

      Reply
  7. Tom says

    July 27, 2014 at 11:20 am

    Thanks for this list! I personally love Blank Label, but I’m looking forward to trying some of these new brands (I had never heard of Paper Cloth, so thanks for that). I have struggled to get a good fit with Indochino, but they are very good when it comes to accepting returns. Thanks again!

    Reply
  8. Joshua Herion says

    July 23, 2014 at 12:29 am

    I have used the custom suits services of Indochino last year, on my Birthday I have ordered a suit to Indochino and I like their services and their suit fittings are best & recently I have used services of Modish Fit – Custom Clothiers from Canada. They are reasonable also with best services regarding on time delivery or suit fittings. I really recommend their services.
    Modish Fit Website – http://modishfit.com/

    Reply
  9. Sam says

    July 3, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    Australia is bit behind the 8 ball, but online MTM outfits such as George & King are slowing growing in popularity from down under.

    Reply
  10. Alex says

    September 29, 2012 at 5:22 am

    And what do you think of jhilburn.com? Should it be omitted from your list?

    Reply
  11. Kristie Henderson says

    July 2, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    You should definitely try J.Hilburn custom shirts. A style consultant comes to your door, takes all of your measurements in about 10 minutes and then you design the shirt that is perfect for you. Italian fabrics with contrasting collars or interior plackets, you choose the collar and cuff type. Pricing ranges from $89-$159 and you won’t get a better fit or a more pleasant non-shopping experience. http://www.jhilburn.com

    Reply
    • Brock says

      July 5, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      Kristie,

      Thanks for the recommendation. The only potentially “bad” thing I’ve heard about J. Hilburn is that the people doing the measuring are freelancers, so it’s possible to get someone who might not have very much experience.

      But I’ll definitely check them out!

      -B

      Reply
      • Ken Bruan says

        March 19, 2013 at 8:50 pm

        I have used Indochino, Black Lapel, and JHilburn. Even though the JHilburn reps are style advisors that are not tailors, the shirts I have through them are the best fitting that I have. My advisor stayed with me through the whole first experience and would have continued if I needed alterations or a remake, but the fit was spot on when she first delivered my first shirt. The fabric selection is not the greatest but the fit is.

        Reply
      • tdellaringa says

        March 28, 2016 at 11:17 am

        I can only echo the positive comments about J.Hilburn. I do know the stylists are trained to measure properly, and my stylist has been great (and I know it’s the first time doing this for her.) The shirt I got from them is amazing – the fit is incredible. I am ruined now wearing any other shirt, because nothing fits like this shirt.

        I also just got a pair of fine italian wool pants – also amazing – also fit perfectly. I did not have a good experience with Modern Tailor. The fit was not great, the material of the shirt was poor and the construction was just average. I donated the shirt, I couldn’t wear it.

        I also feel like the style of clothing J. Hilburn has is superior to a lot of the other options out there. If I had the means, I would be buying everything there.

        Reply
        • Brock says

          March 28, 2016 at 12:48 pm

          I think with any company like JH that uses individual stylists, it’s all about who you get. Glad to hear you’ve got a talented stylist!

          Reply
  12. Nicholas Crawford says

    June 30, 2012 at 6:01 am

    RatioClothing.com should be in the top 3 of any custom shirt list!

    Reply
    • Brock says

      July 1, 2012 at 2:32 pm

      Actually not too familiar with them, but I’ll check them out. Thanks for the tip!

      -B

      Reply

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