Southlake · Est. 1972
Shirts cutto your neck
The garment closest to your face, and the one most men accept a poor fit on because the collar size was roughly right.
Custom dress shirts for Southlake men, measured at The Man’s Shop in Arlington. Collar shape, cuff, sleeve length per arm, and body cut are all specified rather than approximated. Four to six weeks, and your pattern stays on file so reorders take a phone call.
Why off-the-rack fails
Two numbers cannot describe a torso
A ready-made shirt is sold on neck size and sleeve length. Everything else — chest, waist, shoulder slope, the difference between your two arms — is assumed from an average.
The result is the shirt most men wear: correct at the collar, billowing at the waist, and with one cuff sitting at the wrist bone while the other sits half an inch short. It is not a defect. It is what happens when two numbers stand in for a dozen.
A custom shirt specifies all of it. Collar height and spread, cuff depth, sleeve length measured separately for each arm, body taper, and the yoke across your actual shoulders.
What gets specified
The decisions off-the-rack makes for you
- Collar
- Height, spread and stiffness. This is the part people look at while you talk, and the part a ready-made shirt is least likely to get right for your neck and face.
- Sleeve length per arm
- Measured separately. Arms differ more often than most men realize, and a cuff should sit at the wrist bone on both sides.
- Cuff
- Barrel or French, depth, and how much shows beyond a jacket sleeve. Roughly half an inch is the target.
- Body
- Taper through the waist so the shirt stays tucked without billowing. This is the difference you feel when you sit down.
- Shoulder and yoke
- Cut to your slope. It is why a custom shirt keeps a clean line across the back when a ready-made one pulls.
Shirts that travel
For a wardrobe that lives in a suitcase
- Cloth that recovers
- A high-twist cotton or a good twill hangs out overnight. Fine poplin does not, and arrives creased.
- Packing count
- Four shirts covers a week of travel if two are white. Beyond that you are carrying laundry rather than options.
- Reorder remotely
- Pattern on file means the next four shirts are a phone call to Austin or Patrick. Several Southlake customers work this way exclusively.
- Collar stays
- Removable metal stays outlast sewn-in plastic and survive hotel laundries, which sewn-in collars often do not.
- One trip, then remote
- Come once, settle the pattern, then handle everything afterwards without another visit.
Getting started
How most men do it
Start with two
One white, one pale blue, both in a collar that suits your face. These will tell you within a week whether the difference is worth it to you.
Wear them for a month
Then come back and adjust. First orders are rarely perfect and the second order is where the pattern gets right.
Then order properly
Once the pattern is settled, four or five shirts at a time is the efficient way to buy them.
Common questions
Custom shirts, answered
What does a custom shirt actually improve?
Sleeve length per arm, collar shape against your neck and face, and taper through the body so it stays tucked. Those three are what a ready-made shirt guesses at, and together they are most of the visible difference.
How long do custom shirts take?
Four to six weeks for a first order, because the pattern is being made along with the shirt. Reorders from an existing pattern are usually quicker.
Is it worth it for one shirt?
Most men start with one or two rather than committing to a run. It is the honest way to find out whether the difference matters to you, and it usually does most for men who are hard to fit off the rack — long arms, a big chest, a short torso.
Do you keep my measurements?
Yes. Your pattern stays on file, so reordering is a phone call to Austin or Patrick rather than another appointment. Most customers order the first few in person and the rest remotely.
Can you copy a shirt I already own?
We can measure a shirt you like and use it as a starting point, which is often the fastest route if you already own something that fits well. Bring it to the appointment.
What shirts travel best?
High-twist cottons and good twills, which hang out overnight. Fine poplin creases in a case and arrives looking slept in, so it is a poor choice for anyone who flies weekly regardless of how comfortable it is to wear.
How do I stop shirts creasing in a case?
Fold along the existing seams, put the collar in a collar guard or roll a belt inside it, and hang the shirt in the bathroom while you shower on arrival. Cloth choice does more than technique, but technique helps.
How should I launder custom shirts?
Wash rather than dry clean, warm rather than hot, and hang them damp. Dry cleaning is harsher than most men assume and shortens the life of a shirt considerably; pressing at home after a wash is gentler and gives a better result.
Southlake to Arlington
Book with Patrick or Austin
Start with two shirts. You’ll know within a week.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116