Business and formal shirts

The collar is the whole decision

More business shirts are let down by the collar than by anything else, because a collar cut for wearing open does not work under a jacket. It needs height at the back to meet the jacket collar and enough spread at the front to sit under the lapel without being pushed aside.

• Height set against your own neck, not a standard band
• Spread chosen for whether you wear a tie and how you knot it
• Enough structure to hold shape through a humid afternoon
• A roll that stays clean under a jacket rather than flattening

The full set of options is oncollars and cuffs.

Cuffs

The cuff decides how the shirt meets the jacket sleeve, and it is worth specifying rather than accepting. A cuff cut to your wrist shows the right amount of linen below the jacket instead of disappearing or sliding over your hand.

• Button or link, chosen for how formal the day is
• Cut to your wrist so it sits where it should under a jacket sleeve
• Sleeve length measured to the wrist bone, not to a size band

Cloth for a working day here

The expensive-feeling cloth is often the wrong one. A very tight, high-count poplin looks superb folded and stops moving air the moment you leave the building; by mid-afternoon it is holding every crease from the car.

• Open-weave cottons: air moves through them and they recover
• Twills where you want a little sheen and more crease resistance
• Heavier poplins only for days spent entirely in air conditioning
• White and pale blue first — they carry more of a wardrobe than anything else

More on cloth and construction.

Fit through the shoulder and arm

This is where an off-the-peg business shirt fails first, because the shoulder and the upper arm are where a size band has to compromise. Cut to your own measurements the shirt stays put when you reach across a desk instead of pulling out of the waistband.

• Shoulder seam ending where your shoulder does
• Body shaped through the waist rather than left boxy or cut tight
• Enough length to stay tucked through a full day

How it is measured

1. We come to your office or hotel with cloth and tape.
2. Neck, chest, waist, shoulder, sleeve and cuff taken directly, and posture noted.
3. Collar and cuff specified against those measurements.
4. The first shirt is tried and adjusted before the rest of the order is cut.
5. Your measurements stay on file for reordering.

More detail onhow we take your measurements.

Ordering again

The second order is where the file earns its keep: the pattern is already corrected, so a reorder needs no appointment and no trip. Several reviews on our Google profile describe doing exactly that from overseas.

Questions we are actually asked

Who is the best tailor in Bangkok?

Not something anyone should claim about themselves. What you can check: are the shirts cut from your own measurements, is there a fitting before the whole order is made, and will they tell you when a cloth is wrong for you. Those are answerable questions and they sort the field quickly.

Is Bangkok good for tailored suits?

And for shirts, yes — with the same caveat. The city holds serious tailors and shops working to a two-day promise. The difference shows in whether anything is tried on before the rest is cut.

How many should I order at once?

Two or three is the common first order, because the measuring and the first fitting are done once and then apply to all of them. The second and third shirt cost you no extra appointments.

Which collar goes under a suit?

One with enough height to meet the jacket collar at the back and enough spread to sit under the lapel at the front. A collar cut for open-necked wear collapses under a jacket, which is the most common fault in a bought business shirt.

Can you fit me at my office?

That is the normal way we work. Cloth, tape and the bunch books come to you, between meetings, rather than asking you to cross the city twice.