Disclaimer: Original Stitch sent me a shirt and asked for my honest feedback. Is it worth buying? Read below..
Change in Priorities
In an ever-changing menswear world, priorities for good fit and quality continue to grow alongside what men look for in manufacturing standards.
Even in the last five years, the arguably “lost” art of sartorialism is making a comeback, as seen on social media platforms like Instagram and in the e-commerce industry, with companies like Original Stitch as a steadily emerging brand.
“sartorialism”
noun. an interest in matters of or relating to the tailoring of clothing
Japanese Craftsmanship
I partnered with Original Stitch to build my very own custom shirt. What I thought would be a relatively easy task required a little more decisiveness than anticipated with the many points of customization!
Original Stitch was born and is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Japan. With a nod to the “age-old principles” of fine Japanese craftsmanship, they deliver high quality, handmade (seriously, every part of the shirt is hand sewn, from cuff to collar) custom men’s shirts that continue to turn heads all over the internet and the country alike.
If my mention of Japanese high-quality craftsmanship already persuaded you, move on to the next topic. But be warned, the hardest part has yet to come — choosing YOUR shirt amongst the thousands of possible combinations!
Building The Shirt: To be bold or to be subtle?
Browsing through fabric options, I thought of two different paths I could take when creating about the right shirt for me. Playing it safe meant getting something, for example, in a white fabric with a bold but subtle accent. To be daring meant opting to step out of my comfort zone with a bizarre and worldly print.
After much deliberation, I finally thought to create a dress shirt with a safe base fabric and a more daring accent fabric.
“We believe that everyone has the potential to make their mark on the world.”
Original Stitch “About” Page
For my base fabric, I picked a white herringbone broadcloth; good for temperature regulation. For my collar, inner cuff, and inner placket, I picked a houndstooth Glen plaid collar, making the shirt distinguishable from other ordinary white shirts in my closet.
Other features I had the option to customize were the collar style (I picked the cut-away collar), the angles cuffs and the dark grey button color.
Balance is Key
Truthfully, I was contemplating choosing much trendier shirt fabrics, but the whole point of customization is to project your personality. I feel as though I made the right call for three distinct reasons:
- This shirt is still far more badass than something you’ll find off the rack, even at a more euro-trendy retailer.
- Since it’s built to my exact measurements and will fit me perfectly, I’m probably going to want to wear it regularly. That meant picking a fabric that would subtly blend in with many outfits.
- Personally, I’ve just been feeling more traditional outfits as of recent and felt this would make the perfect addition to the ol’ wardrobe.
The Consensus: Is Original Stitch really worth buying?
Yes — it’s awesome. It came in the mail not even three weeks later, from Japan, mind you, and immediately started to make friends in my closet. It feels luxurious. It’s soft, but you can tell it’s a strong fabric, and in my opinion, this quality shirt is worth way more than the price tag of $90-$110.
The Full Look
For this shoot, I wanted to showcase traditional neutrals with a slight edge and did so by pairing it with one of the new slim fit stretch suits from Express.
With the greys in the collar, I chose a bold black tie and a thick grey and black checkered cotton pocket square, both from The Tie Bar.
For that edge, I added a vintage pineapple tie clip and a black and chocolate color-blocked cap toe shoe from Ace Marks.
Build your very own Original Stitch shirt and make sure to use my special code, gentleman10, to get a discount on your next purchase!
Let me know what you think of this brand on my Instagram!
