We’re back again with another custom, made-to-measure shirt review. This time it’s a company we’ve been seeing quite a lot on social media — Instagram specifically — and that is Tailor Store. If you take a look around online, most of the feedback from them has actually been quite positive. They look very similar to Hockerty as far as price point and quality, but the experience people report online is even more positive. Plus, they offer suits, and sometimes outerwear as well, so it’d be great to know if they truly were a solid place to get MTM clothing from.
Ordering Process
The Tailor Store website is actually amongst the best we have seen in the online MTM space. You can pick from pre-designed options, or go about it yourself designing your own shirt from scratch. Their customizer is quite elaborate and allows you to see live updating changes as you make your selections. Their fabric selection is quite vast, though I wish you were able to sort by price, newest, etc. While they do have some fabrics that are blends, and thus of lower quality, most are not. Yet they still offer quite a bit at their lowest price point of about $60. (You can get your first trial shirt for just $29 depending on the promotions they are running at the time.) While they do offer quite a bunch of customization options, I do wish they offered more options with various spread collars, soft collars, soft cuffs, popover shirts, and things of that nature. Compared to Proper Cloth, say, they don’t offer quite as intricate or advanced customization options. A-
The First Fitting
On my first go-around I went with a light blue, chambray-ish type fabric. I put in my measurements, and just a couple of weeks later — shipping is pretty reasonably fast at, in my experience, 2-3 weeks — I got my shirt. The packaging was nothing special, but it did the job. The fit was… okay, but not wearable. It was all around much too tight. Still, nothing was way off, and so the changes that would be needed shouldn’t be that major.
And this is where the real question comes in. How good is their customer service? Unlike Proper Cloth, Ratio, or Indochino, there is no one to call and speak to. You have to do it all over email. For the price, I certainly was not expecting to truly consult with anyone on my fit, but, at the very least, email response time should be quick, and they should be very open to helping you and remaking your shirt. And, indeed, it was. Within a day I heard back asking what changes I would like to make. I made my suggestions, they replied the next day saying my profile was updated and that they credited my account enough to order a new shirt.
Would I gave preferred them actually speak a bit back and forth with me to figure out what was wrong about the fit and how to make it better? Sure. But, given that I generally know what I want, and how to achieve it, this worked out fine in my case. If you’re less certain, though, and would like someone to consult with as to your fit, I can tell you right from this point that Tailor Store is not for you. If you know what you want, and just want an inexpensive option that will be open to remakes and helping you, then this is definitely it. B+
The Final Fitting
I decided to switch up the fabric my second time around, and I went with a black and white small windowpane cloth instead. The final fit was good, but not at all perfect. Despite letting out just about every measurement, certain things were still off. The armpit and chest in the front is a bit too tight and uncomfortable, while there is billowing in the upper back. The torso length of the shirt is also just a tad short. This is where more advanced fit customizations would come in, like sloping shoulders, adjusting neck posture, and so on. None of these options are offered by Tailor Store. Meaning, while I can adjust the chest and so on to improve the fit, I will likely never get a truly perfect fit with them. Still, if I can fix the rear billowing as well as maintain a slim bicep without an armhole that is too tight, I would be happy, especially at their prices.
Another thing: Like so many other MTM companies online, they do not offer a separate measurement for the armhole and bicep. The former is determined by the latter. This means that if you, like me, are on the slimmer side, but still want a trim sleeve, you’ll likely end up with an armhole that is too tight, and not much to do about it.
All of this is to say, as is usually expected with MTM online, the second fitting is much better, but still not perfect. In this case, while I can adjust and tweak to get an even better fit next time using their easy-to-adjust online measurement profile (ahem, I’m looking at you Hockerty), it will likely never be perfect. Will I bother ordering from them again just to know I have a cheaper MTM option should I ever want it that fits 95%? I have yet to decide. B+
Quality & Construction
I was not super impressed with the quality of either shirt fabrics or buttons. They are what you expect at the price. That being said, they’re certainly of good enough quality to be worth the money. I’d put them on par with something you would get at J Crew Factory. It’s really nothing terrible by any means. It’s just a clear step below anything from Proper Cloth or Ratio. At least at their lower price points (they do go up to some nicer fabrics). A-
Value & Conclusion
Tailor Store Custom Dress Shirts — ($59+): Overall, the company is quite solid. Lots of options, great website, and good customer support. Quality is fine, and worth the price, though nothing to write home about. I’m also super interested in some of their other offerings as far as suits and blazers go. At the very least, this experience is enough to have me confident to order something more expensive from them. If I sound lukewarm about Tailor Store overall, though, it’s because I am. But it’s really just by their nature, and not actually inherently negative. They’re a lower-end online MTM company that more than gets the job done, but isn’t going to turn any heads. And, in many cases, that is just fine. A-