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Proper Cloth Review: The Best Custom Shirt You’ll Ever Own

cocktail attire guide men

Proper Cloth Review: The Best Custom Shirts

I’ve been a fan of Proper Cloth since the beginning and have purchased 30+ shirts. This is my Proper Cloth review detailing everything you need to know about this custom shirting brand plus a $20 off coupon code for new users.

Have you ever had a shirt made just for you?  Not just tailored to you, but built custom for you?  For as low as $75 Proper Cloth will make the exact shirt you want, from fabric and style down to cut and fit.  Prepare to feel like a million bucks. This is our Proper Cloth review.

Use my link to get $20 off your first Proper Cloth order.

The Mind Behind Proper Cloth

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Proper Cloth started in 2008 as an online retailer with very few options.  Like all small businesses they hit their fair share of bumps along the way.The owner and creative brain behind the idea for Proper Cloth, Seph Skerritt, didn’t come from a background in fashion, he just knew that he wanted to make a shirt that fit.  Things moved slowly at first, but as the details were figured out and everything started falling into place, Proper Cloth learned how to make one hell of a shirt.

After several years in business they have continued to stay small, with one showroom in SOHO and only five employees on staff.  But being small hasn’t stopped these guys one bit.

Proper Cloth has made numerous appearances in GQ, Esquire, Men’s Journal, The New York Times and plenty of other well respected publications.  Small has by no means stopped them from conquering the world of custom shirting.

“We thought if we really want to do this…It has to be aspirational, it has to tell a story”

What Makes Proper Cloth Shirts Better?

The fact that you get to choose each and every detail yourself makes the experience great, but what makes the shirts so much better?

Proper Cloth uses fabrics sourced from around the world.  You have choices of Egyptian Cotton or Sea-Island Cotton, twills or broadcloth’s, imported from Japan, Italy, Portugal, you name it.

Not only do you have the choices, but the pool of which you choose from is full of nothing but the best, ensuring that whatever fabric or detail you pick it will be a good one.

Proper Cloth uses a collaboration of new school tailoring mixed with the old traditional ways.  The pattern and cutting is done by computer while the stitching is done traditionally by amazing tailors.

They strive to make sure your shirt is exactly what you want with custom sizing so your shirt can be as comfortable as it is stylish.

You really can’t beat it.

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Proper Cloth, $135

The Shirt Gallery

Proper Cloth shirts cost anywhere from $79 to upwards of $200, all depending on the fabric choices and customization options. At $79 for a fully customized shirt, this is one of the better prices we’ve seen, and once you figure out the right sizing it’s my favorite way to buy new affordable dress shirts.

The Proper Cloth monogram options allow for 3 letters, in 2 different scripts. You can place them on your left stomach, on your sleeve, and on your collar. It’s an extra $10 for monogram and adds that extra bespoke touch that really makes these shirts yours.

Of course not all men want to be faced with so many decisions while picking out a shirt.  For men like this, Proper Cloth still has you covered.  The Shirt Gallery has plenty of pre-designed pieces for you to choose from.  Made with the same quality fabrics and precision as the custom shirts, for a man that’s a little more strapped for time this is the perfect choice.

With Proper Cloth, You Pay for Quality, and You Get It

For the higher priced shirts, the real reason you’re paying more money is the fabric. But why would I want to spend money on fabric, don’t all shirts look the same and fit the same regardless of the fabric? That’s what I thought before I started to wear high end fabrics. For one, expensive fabrics are softer, which may not be that important, but if you’re taking a 5 hour flight in a dress shirt, the scratchiness of a cheaper fabric starts to not be so worth it. Also, higher end fabrics don’t wrinkle as much, saving you a last minute ironing session in the morning.

propert cloth shirts review

My motto as far as shirting goes is to buy less, more high quality shirts, and wear the hell out of them.

I’ve been buying all of my Proper Cloth casual shirts from their recent additions to the gallery. They’ve run denim shirts, seersucker, and chambray shirts, which as you can see are perfect for casual attire. Proper Cloth is obviously perfect for dressing for cocktail attire, since its their bread and butter.

Thomas-Mason-Blue-Mini-Houndstooth-Proper-Cloth-Shirt

Thomas Mason Blue Mini Houndstooth, $165

Summer-Block-Party-Proper-Cloth-Shirt

Summer Block Party, $140

Red-Blue-Large-Gingham-Proper-Cloth-Shirt

Red and Blue Large Gingham, $80

Black-Heavy-Oxford-Cloth-Proper-Cloth-Shirt

Black Heavy Oxford Cloth, $95

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Building a Proper Cloth Shirt

Custom-Design-Proper-Cloth-Shirt

Step 1: Choose Your Fabric

Above is the first screen you see when starting to design your custom shirt.  You can see shirt prices start from $85 and can go up from there with most top end fabrics reaching the $150-$180 price points.Choose from 1 of 244 (yes, you read that right, 244) fabrics and move on to the next step…

Step 2: Choose Your Style

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Step two is where you choose your style.  Pick the collar, the cuff and the pocket (or choose to chop off the sleeves in the summer).

Step 3: Choose Your Detailing

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The next step is the detailing.  Choose your buttons (standard white, mother of pearl, tall mother of pearl or black), choose whether or not you want accent fabric on the inside of the cuffs and collar, on the shirt pictured above I added it to both.  Lastly, choose whether or not you want your shirt monogrammed, just to make sure people know it’s yours.

A nice detail is that you can see the price change in the upper right corner as you make different choices for your pattern, keeping it much easier to stay on budget.

Step 4: Choose Your Sizing

Custom-Shirt-Proper-Cloth-Step-Four

Then comes the sizing.  As you can see Proper Cloth gives you control of every aspect of the size.  From your typical neck and arm sizes to your posture and watch allowance.  If your shirt doesn’t fit, it’s on you, because these guys spare no detail.

After inputting all your sizes and dimensions, you simply verify the order and you’re set.  It’s that easy, and you just designed your own shirt.

Accessories by Proper Cloth

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With every great shirt, you need some great accessories.  Grab a tie, some cufflinks, a tie bar or even a scarf with Proper Cloth’s accessories line.  Trust us when we say they will definitely put that extra touch on your outfit you’ve been looking for.

The Proper Cloth Lookbook

Want to see some great ways to wear your favorite Proper Cloth shirts?  Here’s a sneak peak to help you put that extra dapper in your outfit, when you’re finished browsing you can click here to see the entire collection of lookbooks for Proper Cloth.

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Added Bonus: Each shirt comes with a “guaranteed fit”, meaning if it doesn’t feel right to you, you send it back and Proper Cloth will either alter it or build you a new one free of charge.  Does it get any better than that?

Proper Cloth Coupon & Discount

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We want you to have a custom shirt, you deserve one.  We also want to help you save a little money.  Click here and you will be brought to the above screen, where simply signing up will save you $25 on your first Proper Cloth shirt.  It really is that easy to save money.

Our Final Thoughts on the Proper Cloth Review

We here at Life, Tailored obviously love things tailored to us, and what is more tailored than a custom shirt?  There is nothing like slipping on a shirt made just for you for the first time, knowing it is one of a kind and cut strictly for the man wearing it.  Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to one of these.  But we must warn you, you won’t be able to stop at just one.

Soft-Collar-Coffe-Lookbook-Proper-Cloth

ledbury men dress shirts lookbook - the morris check 120

Best Men’s Shirts Online

Ledbury is another brand you’re going to want to pay attention to.  Focusing primarily on fit, these guys make one hell of a shirt (and blazer, and tie, and pocket square…)  If you’re all about fit and quality, which all men should be, this is a brand you should look in to.  Click here to read Life, Tailored’s full review on Ledbury.

Bonobos Dress Shirts

We’ve been a fan of Bonobos going back to their founding, and they still do a great job with dress shirts and men’s pants. You can read our full review for yourself.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Lifetailored has partnered with Creditcards.com for our coverage of credit card products. Lifetailored and Creditcards.com may receive a commission from card issuers Additional Disclosure: This site has affiliate links. We may be compensated when users make a purchase or register to a third party website. For more details read our privacy policy.

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