Shirt in linen cambric in tin grey

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£160.00 — ex VAT

Shirt, made in London, with deceptively plain but extremely high-grade linen of fairly light weight (7oz) from Northern Ireland — and with dark horn buttons from the West Midlands.

Sizing

The shirt fits true to size — after a wash or two. Linen stretches when the shirt is assembled, see, so the length of body and sleeve are temporarily extended and this is observed when the shirt is first tried on. However, the lengths return to normal after washing. And indeed the cloth is stable: it does not shrink when washed, per se, but returns to its natural state — the same size and shape as non-linen shirts — and can be washed as normal. The mannequin is a 40, and is the most standard 40 in the whole world, so therefore wears a size M.

XS S M L XL
To fit chest 36 38 40 42 44
Pit-to-pit 18½ 19½ 20½ 21½ 22½
Collar 15 15½ 16 16½ 17
Shoulder 17¾ 18¼ 18¾ 19¼ 19¾
Back length 30 30¼ 30½ 30¾ 31
Sleeve from centre-back 34 34½ 35 35½ 36
The shirt is intended to be worn tucked or untucked. That's both. It has a fitted shape, so when tucked in, it rolls tidily into the trouser — but it is also casual, so when untucked it won't look like you've stepped out in an office shirt. It is a standard length: falling a couple of inches below the belt-line on most people.
The shirt has a spread collar — i.e. a collar that opens at a wide angle at the front. It is soft and unstructured, and its points are slightly rounded off.
The shirt has a front of six horn buttons — each of them, in their own natural way, different from one to the next. Meanwhile, every significant seam on the shirt is what's known as a single-needle, lock-stitch, French seam. They take twice as long as standard seams, but look nicer, wear better, and last longer.
The shirt has a chest pocket, with a narrow section on the inside-edge — for a pen, pencil, or chip fork, say — which is established with a long bar-tack. Bar-tacks also appear at the top corners of the pocket, for great strength, as well as several other parts of the shirt subject to the most wear and tear.
The cuffs of the shirt are unapologetically tight, so the sleeve can't step over the line that is the start of the hand, and they fasten with a single button. The corner of the cuffs is gently curved, echoing the collar.
The linen here really is cloth of the highest grade. It is a very fine, high-count weave of very fine, wet-spun yarn, first mercerised for deep colour and silky lustre, then sanforised to reduce shrinkage. It is light and yet strong, and creases less than most cottons, let alone crumpled, unkempt linens of stereotype.

As worn

The gentleman is as standard a 38 chest as you could ever wish to meet, so the shirt he's wearing here is an S.

Makers of

The shirt is made by a shirt-maker in north London. They make shirts and only shirts all day, every day, and so have developed something of a knack for it. They make with time-consuming but strong single-needle lock-stitch seams, and with an out-of-vogue dedication to older "how shirts used to be made" contraptions.
The cloth is woven by a linen mill, a few miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The mill was built at the end of the 1800s, back when Belfast was "Linenopolis". That it's one of the last mills still standing in the area is testament to its exemplary work in the weaving, dying, and finishing of luxury-grade linen.
The horn buttons were cut, shaped, and polished by the last such factory in Britain (now defunct). It was part of a tradition in the Midlands first linked to the meat industry of the 18th century. "It is no easy task," said William Hutton in 1780, "to enumerate the infinite diversity of buttons made in Birmingham."

So they say

Some words to tell you about the shirts I just received. They are simply beautiful and amazing with a great manufacturing quality. And very comfortable to wear.

This chap, in France, purchased a shirt in merino wool and a shirt in cotton in March 2019.

Just a quick message to say I picked up the shirt from the post office today and all I can say is: wow. The material is unlike any I have felt before: you have surpassed yourselves with this one! An incredible shirt. I'm extremely pleased with it. Thanks for the recommendation. I think it may well be the most comfortable piece of clothing I've ever worn.

This gentleman, living in Finland, picked up the shirt in superfine merino in March 2019.

I have spent the day speculating on which descriptive superlative to apply to the shirt that has arrived safely here — and I think delightful is the best word. But wonderful and beautiful apply as well. And the cloth itself is amazing.

Kind words from a kind lady in Denmark, who purchased a shirt in superfine merino hopsack in March 2019.

I’ve been using this shirt a lot, and I must say it’s outstanding, I really like it. The details in the workmanship are truly amazing, from the stitching to how well the buttons are sewn on. It makes me value the whole garment.

Spoken by a gent who purchased the shirt in desert cotton in the summer of 2017.

I just received my shirt, and I absolutely love it. It makes me wonder why I waited so long to give your wares a try. I will almost certainly be sending more business your way in the future. Thanks very much for the fast shipping as well.

Kind words from a gentleman who bought the shirt in desert cotton back in March 2017.

I don't know if I just got lucky or if you folks really know how to make your shirts (I'm inclined to believe the latter) but this is the perfect compromise between freedom of movement and a slim fit in the chest and the shoulders.

So emailed a man in response to the oxford shirt he purchased back in October 2014.

I received the shirts and they're all very impressive. Especially the desert cotton was a pleasant surprise, definitely something that has to be seen in person. The fit is spot on as well. Now I know my size I will definitely be ordering again. Thanks for the wonderful transaction.

This chap purchased three shirts, in three cloths, in August 2017.

I just received the shirt this afternoon. Worth waiting for it. The cloth is soft; the cut not too slim: a perfect casual shirt.

As said by a man in France on the second day of the year 2016.

Wow — it's just beautiful. It is so, so lovely. I'm thrilled.

A lady said this on buying a desert cotton shirt for her better half, Christmas 2016.

Just writing to say "thank you" for the delivery of the [trousers and] shirt. I deeply appreciate the thought and effort that goes into creating the garments. I look forward to being a customer of yours for many more years to come.

Nice words by a man back in October 2015.