Thomas Pink Refreshes its Brand

Thomas Pink, the venerable British clothing company most famous for its iconically English shirts, recently launched a thorough re-branding.  Embracing its Britishness like never before, they have deftly combined classic Art Deco polish with Jermyn Street tradition.

The refreshed brand now sports Union Jacks and the Cheeky Fox, reinforcing the transitional heritage that underlies the company’s history.  The shirts are updated too – cut slimmer to match the style sensibilities of today’s customers.  Although most folks associate Thomas Pink with its famous shirting, they also provide outstanding made-to-measure suiting, sport coats, sharp accessories, and fun socks.

OTC was recently invited by Thomas Pink’s PR team to visit the new Tyson’s Galleria store; images below.  We were impressed with the fresh yet vintage take on retail design, the classic riding kit gracing the front entrance, and the clever shadow box shelving that both defines the store’s space and highlights interesting pieces.

In fact, we are so impressed that we’ll be doing a follow-up post on some great Spring looks, courtesy of Thomas Pink.

 

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Hall & Madden: Shirts Just for You

collar Hall & Madden: Shirts Just for You


If there is one trend in menswear today bringing about real change in both how guys dress and how they shop, it is customization.  Depending on your outlook, the ability for a man to purchase clothing that fits just right and do it online is either a godsend or a tragedy.

For some in the fashion literati, fixated on the minutiae of bespoke and “true” custom, the rise of online custom clothing is mildly distressing.  To these folks, the only kind of custom clothing that matters is that which takes time, requires multiple visits to a tailoring atelier, and costs more money than most people are prepared to spend on a suit or a shirt.

HM Photo11 Hall & Madden: Shirts Just for YouFor the rest of us, the ability to get clothing that fits us just right, at an affordable price, and in a timely fashion is groundbreaking.  In many ways, it has re shaped the fashion expectations of stylish guys across the world.  And one small brand is working hard to ensure that they deliver not only affordable style to their customers but also outstanding clothes you will wear for a long time.  And, with that kind of starting point, it is easier than ever to start building a fresher, renewed wardrobe that better reflects your own sense of style and also fits you better.

The detail-obsessed team of co-founders Richard Hall and McGregor Madden has developed an efficient and quality-focused model that allows them to deliver extremely high quality men’s shirts at seriously affordable prices.  The new concept, Hall & Madden, is a web-based brand that makes some of the highest quality dress shirts to be found.  These guys have done to shirting what they did to suiting with their other brand, Proper Suit.  Hall & Madden shirts are equal to if not better than some of the most expensive off-the-rack shirts out there – and a few custom labels to boot.

Hall & Madden does not make custom shirts.  Instead, they have a set collection of three core shirt designs – slim, athletic, and classic – that reflect most body types. The consistent styling across these models reflects a clean and modern sensibility.  While one can certainly wear a tie with these shirts, the collar style, a shortened hybrid spread, was specifically selected for it’s ability to look great without one.

fabric Hall & Madden: Shirts Just for YouWith a variety of fabrics and patterns, these shirts are outstanding.  And, delivered in sets of three for $150, they are a remarkable bargain.

The web-based company takes a vertical integration approach to business, so these shirts are designed, manufactured, and shipped through Hall & Madden’s value chain.  This operational advantage is reflected in the price and in the focus on quality and service.

When we asked co-founder McGregor Madden to highlight the advantages of Hall & Madden shirts, he noted that the business model was geared for busy customers who see the benefits of outsourcing.  Their customers don’t’ have to hop in the car and head out to the store.  Guys get shirts when they need them and skip the mall and hassle, saving time and money.

Each subscriber gets access to a team that will help round out their wardrobe and fast, free shipping.  The kind of quality they sell could easily go for $165 or more per shirt.  The sizing is similar to Hugo Boss, and because the fit is predictable, customers know exactly what they are getting.

Madden also likes to point out that with Hall & Madden, there is no buyer’s remorse.  All their shirts are always sold at the same low price all the time.

We can say that from our perspective, Hall & Madden is a refreshing change from the ordinary.  We expect that our closet will be Hall & Madden territory from this point forward.

Dyson Logo Hall & Madden: Shirts Just for YouDyson Digital Slim™ vacuums have a detachable long-reach wand for floor to ceiling cordless cleaning. Powered by the Dyson digital motor, they’re the most powerful cordless vacuums.  Learn more at www.dyson.com/digitalslim.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dyson via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dyson.

 

Style & Substance: Ign. Joseph Shirts

Ing. Joseph Shirts Style & Substance: Ign. Joseph Shirts

Ignatious Joseph is not a subtle man.  Known sartorially for an elegant and distinctive style of dress, including his ubiquitous handmade red shoes and bowler, he also happens to make some of the finest dress shirts available.

Based on shirts from the 1930s, when the soft collar swept the menswear world, Ignatious Joseph’s eponymous brand is coveted by bankers and traders from London to New York, Milan to Brussels.  His shirt’s signature soft collar, luxurious fabrics, and vibrant color schemes are the brand’s collective calling card.

The philosophy behind his shirts is simple: they are luxury shirts for everyday wear; a modern sense of spirit derived from traditional craftsmanship. Ignatious Joseph shirts are what might be called semi-handmade and there is a reason for that.

Lexus Logo Style & Substance: Ign. Joseph ShirtsWhile he is obsessive about craftsmanship, quality, and construction, Mr. Joseph does not entirely forgo modern technology.  The decision of what to do by hand and what to do by machine must be taken with a view to the product as a whole, and based on the skill and experience of the master shirt maker.  It’s a blend of economics and craft.

Joseph©Godry 823 b2 227x300 Style & Substance: Ign. Joseph ShirtsMr. Joseph’s shirts are made by shirt makers who have refined and improved their specific craft over generations. “In order to produce shirts of the highest quality, and which are still affordable – meaning that there is a realistic margin for manufacturer and retailer – the critical tasks of cutting the shirts and sewing the non-fused collars are performed entirely by hand,” he says. Assembling the torso, a less challenging portion of the garment, is done by sewing machine.

Non-fused collars are the trademark of an Ignatious Joseph shirt.  They are complex creations which require highly skilled artisans.  Most high-end “handmade” shirts do not have hand sewn collars, due primarily to the expense and skill needed for such detailed work.

A pragmatist as well as a craftsman, Mr. Joseph demands that every Ignatious Joseph shirt be of the same high quality each and every time. This is only possible when each step of the shirt’s production is performed using the most appropriate method by experts in their craft.

As he likes to say, “The whole of the product is made not only by hand, but with brains.”

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by LEXUS via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of LEXUS.

 

Ignatious Joseph: The Shirt

0571 300x225 Ignatious Joseph: The ShirtI recently wrote about the irrepressible Ignatious Joseph, shirt maker extraordinaire, and am now, finally, doing a promised follow-up.

Ignatious was kind enough to send me a lovely shirt to test out and I’m darn glad he did.  It’s of course very well made of a luxuriously dense and fluid but lightweight cotton.  It’s also unique, as are all IJ shirts, due to its collar.  Joseph constructs only soft dress shirt collars, meaning there is no stiffness at all around your neck.

This is an expensive and rather complex process but it makes for a genuinely custom and unique fit, unlike any other dress shirt I own.  Overall, the shape is decidedly fitted but not overly slim or binding.  The sleeves are a tad too long on me and I plan to have them shortened.  He also makes fully custom shirts, but, as we are on two separate continents, I opted for a ready-made model so by no means is perfection expected.

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Nonetheless, it is a virtually flawless and incredibly comfortable shirt.  It’s also a very sharp shirt, so much so that I wore it to the BeSpeak launch party over the summer.  While at the Custom Shop earlier in the day, the BeSpeak team sat around suggesting ties for my shirt and along the way it was immortalized in my BeSpeak virtual closet.

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Now, as you can probably can see in these photos, I chose not to iron the shirt before snapping a few images.  While of course pressed and formal when I head out to the office, today I wanted to highlight the detail, construction and design of this shirt.  No better way to do that than by taking a look at it in its delightfully rumpled state.

Notice the obvious softness of the collar and collar band, the precise stitching, the fabric’s thick but soft hand.  You can also see the exacting matching of pattern and the signature shaping of the shirt, to better fit the wearer.

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Clearly, this is  a great shirt.  But more than that, it’s made by a man dedicated to the art and science of shirt making; shirts and only shirts.  The love shows.