Proper Cloth boasts the most technically cutting-edge custom shirt service. But does the quality, fit, and famed exchange system match what you can get when shopping in person?
I’m a millennial. And I’m a man. I have no qualms about buying things over the Internet. Sure, I live blocks away from Fifth Avenue (and I grew up blocks away from Rodeo Drive). Still, I’ve never enjoyed running around town, accumulating shopping bags. In fact, department stores give me hives. However, I still fully believe that tailoring, dress clothes, and high-end garments need to be acquired in person.
Proper Cloth has showrooms here in New York, but what if you don’t have access to them? Can you trust their supposedly comprehensive online system? They guarantee high-end materials and a perfect fit.
I’ve been wearing pieces from Proper Cloth for the past two months. I’m going to tell you all about their quality, style, and fit. By the end, you’ll know whether the brand meets its promise, if the clothes are modest-man-friendly, and if they’re for you.
My Build
I’m 5’7” and a half (easily 5’8″ and up in shoes) and 130 lbs at my fittest. Still, I’m generally a “skinny” guy. I have a 35” chest and wear XS tops. My waist is a size 28, which means I even have to get XS shirts tailored half the time.
About the Brand
Proper Cloth was founded in 2008. The goal was, and is, to make shopping for high-quality clothes easier for all men, not just the fashion-literate. Today, they offer a comprehensive selection of men’s classics, including dress clothes, casual pieces, and outerwear.
Take a quick gander at their website. You’ll notice they’re quite competitive, with cashmere and wool pieces priced below the market. Moreover, you can use their interface to get the perfect fit. And, of course, if the fit isn’t 100%, each order comes with easy repackaging and a return label.
What I Tried and Overall Thoughts
I received the following items from Proper Cloth:
- The Greenwich Club Collar Shirt, 14.5 (XS) collar, 33 sleeve, extra slim
- Merino and Cashmere Cable Turtleneck Sweater, XS
- The Merino Wool Flannel Shirt, L
- The Versa Stretch Dress Pant, 28 waist, 28 inseam, slim fit
- The Wool and Cashmere Downing Jacket, 34 (XS)
Hands-down, the quality is there. The outerwear is well-structured. The brand beautifully stitched this shirt, and the added stretch to the pants is a modern touch that doesn’t compromise the classic style. When it comes to aesthetics, Proper Cloth checks all the boxes. Especially for a guy who has classic taste, standard taste, or even a guy who has no idea what his tastes are. The pieces are pretty universal.
The fit is great. Ordering from the website is straightforward, and the return process is easy thanks to the added label and reusable packaging. The proprietary fit interface is user-friendly. Outside of this review, one of my friends received Proper Cloth pieces he wasn’t sure about. He sent pictures of him in the clothes to customer service, and within the day, they came back with recommendations of what to fix.
By the way, the packaging is excellent — secure and user-friendly.
I’d say Proper Cloth accommodates all men if you enter your actual measurements. It’s a bit of a chore, but they provide a straightforward and clear video tutorial.
When it comes to standard sizing, Proper Cloth is still better than most brands. I exclusively ordered standard sizes, and the fits were mostly perfect. If you’re under 5’5”, I’d say take the time to measure yourself and enter those numbers in. Their standard XS size fits me perfectly, and I think would fit men a good two inches beneath me well, too.
Okay, let’s get specifics.
The Greenwich Club Collar Shirt
I don’t mean to speak in superlatives, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Greenwich Club Collar Shirt, which was the first item I received. The fabric looks to be a fine thread, or at least on the finer side of medium. Still, I could feel the fabric’s strength when I pulled on it. It’s a testament to how fortified the twill stitch is via its weave rather than the thickness of the thread. Sophisticated stuff.
The light blue body and contrast spread collar are charming. The collar has a slight sheen, giving it a luxurious but not stuffy feel.
You can wear it with sharp tailoring for a throwback power suit look, with tweed, or with a softer, elegant aesthetic—think cardigans and sweater vests. I’ve even pulled off some high-low looks with denim and workwear-adjacent pieces.
Is the Greenwich Club Collar Shirt Modest-Man-Friendly?
Yes, I’d say so. Again, I’m 5’7”, which is on the taller side of below-average. The sleeves hit exactly where they’re supposed to. And by that, I mean they peek out of my suit jackets and pull back enough to reveal my dress watch when I bend my elbow.
Supposedly, it’s meant to shrink slightly after a wash. I didn’t notice this after I first washed it, so any shrinkage must’ve been quite slight. Finally, depending on your proportions, I can see this standard XS fitting just fine on men an inch or two shorter than me, too.
Beyond that, again, I recommend going for the specific-measurements option.
Merino and Cashmere Cable Turtleneck Sweater
The Merino and Cashmere Cable Turtleneck Sweater is my new favorite turtleneck sweater. I prefer soft fabrics to strong ones, but I also love cable knits. The merino wool is strapping enough to hold the sweater together with exceptional structure. Meanwhile, the added cashmere gives it a luxurious, cozy look and feel. Form, meet function. This is a well-made sweater.
The fibers are fine and don’t pull easily. Moreover, it’s retained its shape over the past two months, even though my relatively large head needs to get in and out of that ribbed turtleneck. By the way, I love that the neck is ribbed. Topography on the neck and the body makes for a more cohesive look.
I’ve found this sweater effectively insulating. However, it doesn’t overheat. I was warm enough while running around the city during winter, but I didn’t break out into a sweat or needed to take it off when I was indoors, either.
Truly, this sweater is one of the most versatile items in my closet right now. I was able to wear it with a full suit to work, with chinos over the weekend, and with basically every piece of outerwear in my closet.
Is the Merino and Cashmere Cable Turtleneck Sweater Modest-Man-Friendly?
Absolutely, yes. I ordered the XS, and as a relatively short gent, I can tell you this would fit beautifully on men much shorter than me, too. It has a sort of Goldilocks length; the extra two inches on the body and arms wouldn’t look oversized on you if you’re 5’5” or even 5’4”.
Horizontally speaking, the sweater sits close enough to my body but structured enough that I’m sure it’ll drape well on more medium-sized short guys.
This bodes well for their sweaters in general. Proper Cloth isn’t a dedicated short-guy brand. However, their approach to more inclusive sizing means most guys of below-average height will likely find a sweater for them.
The Merino Wool Flannel Shirt
I’ll talk more about this when I focus on its size, but I ordered this flannel in a Large.
Here’s why. I don’t usually wear flannels. It’s not because I don’t like the style or function. I just don’t often have reason to wear them over, say, a shirt and pullover. Instead, I’ll give my flannels a different assignment than what they’re made for. So, I’ll do one of two things.
Sometimes, I go for a size smaller than a flannel should fit, and I’ll wear it like a closer-to-body button-down (which is what I did with the Abbreviated Apparel flannel). Or, I’ll get an extra-oversized one and wear it like outerwear. That’s what I had planned for the Proper Cloth flannel.
As with all of the pieces so far, this flannel is built sturdily and with clearly high-quality materials. The fibers feel fine and lovely against my skin. It’s also quite strong, thanks to the solid stitching. It kept me very warm. Moreover, when I got caught out in a light drizzle, the droplets rolled right off.
From a style perspective, this is definitely one of the more sophisticated flannels on the market. The slate hue is deep, like a vivid navy, making it highly versatile. The soft Franklin English spread collar and horn buttons are exquisite and elegant. You can wear this shirt casually or even with a suit jacket or blazer over it.
The way I wore it, it looked like a sleek shirt jacket. There’s truly a lot you can do with this well-designed shirt.
Is the Merino Wool Flannel Shirt Modest-Man-Friendly?
I’m quite confident it is, but I lack some information. Yes, if you use the exact measurement options, you can tailor it to fit yourself.
Again, regarding the standard sizing, I ordered it as a large. But I don’t have information on what fit they gave me (slim or relaxed) and what length (short, regular, or tall). They sent me the exact measurements. However, I don’t know what this is relative to their standard sizing.
Regardless, the large fit me the way I wanted — as a layerable, purposefully oversized piece of outerwear. I had a 6’2” gent wear it, and it fit him like a flannel should. It was relaxed but clean-lined, and he could wear it untucked or tucked.
Versa Stretch Dress Pant
Thanks to its versatile design and easy maintenance, I’ve worn the Versa Stretch Dress Pant almost every day.
The composition is that of a classic dress pant. It has a clean, two-pocket front and blind hems. This means you can’t see the stitching at the bottom of the pants, but the drape is still strong and neat.
The material makes this piece wear like something between a chino and a dress pant. Proper Cloth constructed these pants out of a non-iron stretch twill. This means it isn’t as soft as a traditional wool suit pant. However, the clean, non-iron construction still registers as aesthetically formal. The slight stretch adds comfort as well.
I’ve worn these pants with everything, from dress shirts and suit jackets, button-downs and blazers to turtlenecks and cardigans. You can definitely wear them with a T-shirt, too. Basically, you can style them as a dress pant or a sleeker chino. Overall, there are very few garments that don’t go with these pants.
Is the Versa Dress Stretch Pant Modest-Man-Friendly?
Absolutely, yes. They’re a perfectly classy, slim-lined fit. They’ll look a bit more relaxed on guys shorter than me, but that’s fully on-trend right now, anyway. Again, you can always use their proprietary fit system to achieve the exact cut you want.
For me, I love the way this slim 28 x 28 fits on my waist and legs. It’s classy but not uptight. In fact, I can finesse where the waist lands to create a dressier silhouette or one with a slight, subtle break. These are one of the easiest pairs of pants for general wear.
Wool and Cashmere Downing Jacket
The Wool and Cashmere Downing Jacket is beautiful. Upon taking it out of its impressively secure garment bag, I noticed the deep hue, the fine cashmere wool blend, and the strong structure. I also loved the wide lapels, which are a classic sport coat touch. It’s currently trendy but evergreen, so you never have to worry about it going out of style.
The version I received, a pine green, looks like something in between a strong, less stuffy sport coat and a refined suit jacket. This is because the forest tone is more subdued, not least of which is thanks to the tonal buttons.
You can wear this jacket with a shirt and tie, with a structured t-shirt, or even over several layers. It locks in warmth so well you can wear it like a light jacket on cool days. This jacket is in the ~$800 range at the time of this writing. It definitely looks, feels, and wears like something double the price.
Is the Wool and Cashmere Downing Jacket Modest-Man-Friendly?
Yes. This jacket fits beautifully on me. Even more impressively, it fits both like a sleek suit jacket and like a more rugged cold-weather blazer.
It has clean sleeve lines and a classic body fit like the former, but the wide lapels and strong shoulders add an almost athletic structure. Still, this fortified architecture doesn’t take away from its overall elegance. This is exactly what you want out of a sport coat.
There’s so much you can do with this jacket because of that.
Conclusion: High-Quality and Customizable
There’s no denying that the quality is there. Proper Cloth doesn’t skimp on materials or construction, and the style is perfect. As mentioned, men with classic or traditionally posh sensibilities will love the offerings. However, trendy guys and more casual-leaning gents have much to choose from. The designs are trend-resistant but relevant — evergreen, as mentioned. And because of this, guys who have no idea what to wear can essentially pick anything from the range, too.
Finally, I’m thoroughly impressed with how sophisticated their fit offerings are. Most men of below-average height can find something in their standard offerings. All men, no matter how short or tall, can use their proprietary fit system to get exactly what they want.
Questions? Comments? Have you tried Proper Cloth? Let us know!
