When it comes to shirt collars, there is a long list of styles I could run off. Today, I present the spread collar shirt by Ratio Clothing. Ratio Clothing is a custom dress shirt maker that was founded by Eric Powell. For your shopping convenience, you can order your custom dress shirt online, personalizing each component from cuff style, to darting, and collar style. Don’t forget to enter your specific measurements to get your tailored dress shirt sized to a T. Once you’ve completed your order, expect a fine shirt or two in the mail within a few weeks.
There are things that I am very particular about when it comes to my clothes and my shirt collar is one of those things. Most guys have tons of straight point collars in their closet, as well as, a variety of button down collared shirts. Aesthetically speaking, I prefer a spread collared shirt for two reasons:
Spread collar shirts add an elegance to your entire outfit
For framing purpose, the spread collar shirt puts your tie knot on display much better the traditional straight point collar (the distance between the points on your spread collar will sit between two to three inches apart. Most straight point collar shirt are around 1.5 inches apart)
I highly recommend Ratio Clothing custom dress shirts because of their fit, attention to detail, customer service and overall quality of these shirts.
Working the Spread Collar
Lessons on the Collar
Check out this brief interview that I did with Eric Powell of Ratio Clothing:
Why should guys buy made to measure shirts from Ratio Clothing?
It comes down to value for us. Our shirts are the same level of quality that you might find in a $200-$250 shirt at Saks/Nordstrom/etc., but we’re able to sell ours at a comparatively reasonable price because we make every shirt custom for the person that orders it. For us, it means that we don’t need to invest in a ton of inventory or risk making 5000 shirts in a fabric that might not sell. For the customer, it means they get a shirt that is made just for them (both in fit and style preferences) for a price that is about 1/2 what a comparable shirt would cost in a department store or from a designer. Plus, it doesn’t matter how expensive or nice a shirt is if it doesn’t fit the man. So, all our shirts carry a perfect fit guarantee. If you don’t like the fit, we’ll alter or remake it for free. To top things off, we’ve tried to make things really easy. About 85% of our customers get a perfect fit on their first try and, for the most part, they never touch a tape measure. It’s all things they already know.
Also, we care very much about the apparel manufacturing tradition in the United States and all our shirts are made here. That means a shirt from Ratio supports manufacturing job growth in the US.
Would you branch into other menswear items?
Potentially. If we find could a way to leverage our strengths into other areas, we’d definitely pursue it. We are focused on shirts for now, but who knows where things will go. A lot of common menswear items are overpriced and poorly-fitting at traditional retail stores, so there is definitely an opportunity.
What do you consider your go to shirt to be?
For me personally, it’s our Campus Oxfords (http://www.ratioclothing.com/c-17-oxford.aspx). I dress casually most of the time (we’re an online company, after all) and have always thought it was odd that tailored clothing was mostly limited to “dress” clothes. While you can certainly dress up an oxford, they are best a little wrinkled, broken-in and, naturally, when they fit perfectly. That said, if you wear a tie to the office every day, our new Signature Twill white dress shirt (http://www.ratioclothing.com/p-49-white-signature-twill.aspx) is a great way to upgrade a closet staple. The subtle texture gives it a little personality without overwhelming the outfit. It’s one of our more expensive shirts, but for the fabric and construction, still far less than you’d pay elsewhere.
Special thanks to Ratio Clothing & Eric Powell for the amazing shirts and interview.
Founder & Creative Director of Men's Style Pro, Sabir has a deep passion for menswear and all things manly. Selected as one of the "5 Best Dressed Men In America" by Esquire Magazine in 2010 & as #GQFall 2013 Best Dressed Man. As of 2014, Sabir serves as a freelance brand ambassador & executive stylist for GQ Magazine & GQ Report. Outside of that partnership, Sabir serves as an independent brand consultant as well.
Reach me directly at SABIR@MENSSTYLEPRO.COM