Proper Cloth Shirts Review: Custom Shirtmaker Puts You in Control

In the world of menswear, the dress shirt is a critical cornerstone of any well-rounded wardrobe. A properly-fitting shirt in quality fabric can elevate your style and give you confidence. But with so many ready-to-wear and custom shirtmakers vying for your dollar, how do you choose?

In this in-depth review, we‘ll take a close look at Proper Cloth, a leader in custom shirts and menswear. I‘ll give you my honest take on the quality of their products, what the ordering process is like, how they stack up to the competition, and whether they‘re ultimately worth your hard-earned money.

By the end of this review, you‘ll have all the information you need to decide if Proper Cloth is the right shirtmaker for you. Let‘s dive in!

About Proper Cloth

Founded in 2008, Proper Cloth is a New York-based menswear brand specializing in custom dress shirts. The company was started by Seph Skerritt, an MIT engineering grad who was frustrated with the poor fit and quality of off-the-rack shirts.

Proper Cloth has a unique origin story. Despite having no formal fashion training, Skerritt taught himself all about shirtmaking, from design to fabrics to patternmaking. He started the company right as the 2008 financial crisis hit, operating out of his small NYC apartment.

From these humble beginnings, Proper Cloth has grown into a major player in the custom menswear market. They now offer a full range of custom and ready-to-wear shirts, suits, jackets, trousers, and accessories.

A few key things set Proper Cloth apart:

• Massive selection of high-quality fabrics (over 600 options from world-renowned mills)
• Precision custom sizing based on your measurements
• Obsessive attention to detail and construction
• Excellent customer service and perfect fit guarantee

But perhaps most importantly, Proper Cloth retains a down-to-earth, customer-centric ethos. They‘re relatable and unpretentious. It‘s clear that delivering a top-notch product and experience is their number one priority.

Proper Cloth Custom Shirts Review

Now let‘s get into the meat of this review: Proper Cloth‘s made-to-measure shirt offerings. How does the ordering process work? What customization options are available? And most critically, how do the shirts stack up in terms of fabric, construction, fit and value?

How Proper Cloth Custom Shirts Work

The first step is to create your size. You can either take your own measurements following their guide, measure your best-fitting shirt, or answer a "smart sizes" questionnaire.

Once your measurements are saved, you can completely customize your shirt from collar to cuff. You choose from 30+ collar/cuff styles, select your fabric from 600+ options, personalize the buttons/thread color, and can even add a monogram.

After finalizing your design, Proper Cloth uses your measurements to create a unique, precision-cut pattern just for you. Your shirt is then expertly constructed and shipped out. The entire process takes about 2 weeks from order to delivery.

If anything doesn‘t fit quite right, Proper Cloth offers free remakes and alterations. They tweak your saved measurements based on your feedback so your next shirt will fit even better. Very few competitors offer this level of post-purchase fit adjustment.

Fabric Selection

One of the biggest draws of Proper Cloth is their staggering fabric selection. At the time of this writing, they offer over 600 fabrics ranging from basic whites and blues to seasonal plaids and prints.

Proper Cloth carries shirtings from many of the most prestigious mills in the world, including:

• Thomas Mason (Italy)
• Albini (Italy)
• Canclini (Italy)
• Grandi & Rubinelli (Italy)
• Ringhart (Austria)
• Alumo (Switzerland)
• Soktas (Turkey)

You can filter fabrics by color, pattern, material (100% cotton, linen, wool, etc.), thread count, price, and more to easily find what you‘re looking for. The filters are extremely detailed, allowing you to select from different shades of a color, for example.

Most importantly, the fabrics themselves are top-notch. Having ordered multiple shirts from them across a range of fabrics, I‘ve been consistently impressed by the quality. The cottons have a crisp, smooth hand-feel. The prints are vibrant and well-executed. These are fabrics that look great and hold up wash after wash.

Customization Options

While some made-to-measure shirtmakers focus just on fit, Proper Cloth lets you customize every last detail of your shirt.

Customization options include:

• Front placket style (no placket, French placket, standard placket)
• Pocket (no pocket, standard, flap)
• Back pleats (none, center box pleat, side pleats)
• Bottom (three hem styles)
• Buttons (20+ color options)
• Collar and cuff styles (30+ options)
• Contrast fabric inside collar/cuff/placket
• Monogram (placement and font)

So whether you want a basic white dress shirt or a funkier print with a cutaway collar and French cuffs, you can build exactly the shirt you want.

The sheer number of options could be overwhelming, but Proper Cloth does a nice job showing you mockups as you design your shirt. You get a clear visual of how your choices affect the look.

Shirt Quality & Construction

So how do Proper Cloth shirts stack up in terms of quality and construction? Overall, I‘ve been extremely impressed.

A few key indicators of quality I look for:

• Clean stitching with no loose threads
• Precise pattern matching at seams
• Thick, durable buttons
• Removable collar stays
• Gussets to reinforce stress points
• Split yoke construction

Proper Cloth shirts consistently nail all of these details. The stitching is always neat, patterns line up perfectly, buttons are thick and feel securely attached. It‘s clear that a lot of care goes into constructing each shirt.

One unique feature is Proper Cloth‘s soft, slightly lowered first button placement. It‘s a subtle design tweak, but makes the shirt more comfortable when buttoned up.

The fused collars and cuffs have a nice amount of structure without being too stiff. The collar points always stay crisp and never collapse under a jacket.

Is the construction on-par with top-end shirts from the likes of Kiton or Charvet? Not quite – those shirts often use special features like hand-sewn buttonholes and extremely fine stitching. But for 99% of guys, Proper Cloth‘s build quality is more than sufficient. These are exceptionally well-made shirts.

The Perfect Fit

Fit is make-or-break with dress shirts. You could have the nicest fabric in the world, but if it fits like a tent or sausage casing, what‘s the point?

This is Proper Cloth‘s greatest strength, in my opinion. Once dialed in, the fit is absolutely spot-on. The shirt drapes cleanly through the torso, the sleeves are trim but not restrictive, the collar hugs my neck without choking me. It‘s really as close to a truly custom fit as you can get without visiting a master tailor.

I‘ll be honest, it took me a couple iterations to get my measurements just right. But Proper Cloth made it easy with their "Perfect Fit Guarantee" remake policy. They ask for photos of you in the shirt and specific feedback on where it‘s too tight/loose. They then adjust your pattern accordingly before making your next shirt. After 1-2 remakes, my fit was perfect.

The key is really nailing your measurements from the start as best you can. Definitely follow the measuring guides on Proper Cloth‘s site, and consider having a tailor or friend help. The effort is well worth it for a flawless fit.

Proper Cloth Casual Shirts

While best known for dress shirts, Proper Cloth also makes stellar casual button-ups. These run the gamut from classic Oxford cloth button-downs to flannel work shirts to breezy linen tops.

The same customization options and perfect fit guarantee apply to casual shirts. You can choose your collar style, pockets, buttons, etc.

One thing I love about Proper Cloth OCBDs in particular is the fabrics. They use exclusively long-staple two-ply cotton, giving the shirts a robust heft and a starchy crispness that holds up over time. Construction details like lined back yokes, locker loops and box pleats complete the collegiate look.

When fall/winter roll around, Proper Cloth‘s heavy brushed twill and Japanese flannel shirts are a go-to. The flannels have a perfect antique hand feel that only gets softer with age.

If you want casual shirts a notch better than what you‘ll find at the mall, Proper Cloth is a fantastic choice.

Suits, Jackets & Trousers

Over the years, Proper Cloth has expanded well beyond shirting into tailored clothing. They now offer fully-customizable suits, blazers, vests and dress trousers.

I‘ve ordered a couple suit separates from them. While not quite on the level of a true bespoke suit, the quality and fit are impressive for made-to-measure.

Proper Cloth uses a half-canvas construction, which is a sign of quality. The jackets have nice lightweight structure and clean, modern lines. I dig the tasteful details like AMF stitching, Bemberg lining and functional buttonholes.

Trousers can be customized with different pleats, pockets, waistbands and hem styles. They are made from cloths by revered Italian mills like Vitale Barberis Canonico and Reda.

Overall, I‘d recommend Proper Cloth tailoring if you want well-fitting foundational suit separates. The value is very solid. Just be aware that nailing your sizing can take a couple tries, so plan accordingly if you have a time-sensitive event.

Customer Experience

So what‘s it actually like to shop with Proper Cloth? In my experience, quite enjoyable! The website is well-designed and easy to navigate. There are helpful resources like the "Proper Manual" with tons of information on fabrics, collars, style tips and more.

Customer service has always been prompt and helpful in my interactions with them. They seem genuinely eager to answer questions and solve problems. The Perfect Fit Guarantee gives great peace of mind, and I like how quickly they process remakes/alterations requests.

One thing to note is that shipping times can vary. Expect at least 2 weeks for the first order, and up to 6 weeks if you‘re ordering a full custom suit. But in general my orders have arrived in a reasonable, quoted timeframe. They also offer easy online returns if you‘re not satisfied with a ready-to-wear item.

Proper Cloth vs. The Competition

There‘s no shortage of online made-to-measure shirt companies these days. A few of Proper Cloth‘s main competitors:

• Ratio Clothing
• Luxire
• Spier & Mackay
• Indochino

Having tried all of these (and more), I keep coming back to Proper Cloth for a few key reasons:

1. Consistency of fit. With some other brands, the fit can be hit-or-miss from shirt to shirt, even using the same measurements. Proper Cloth is extremely consistent once your fit is dialed in.

2. Fabric selection. I‘ve yet to find another brand that can match Proper Cloth‘s variety and quality of fabrics. They just have way more options from the most respected mills.

3. Customization. While most of these companies allow some basic customization like collar/cuff styles, Proper Cloth takes it to another level. The ability to personalize every detail is unmatched.

4. Quality. To my eye, Proper Cloth has a slight edge in overall quality, especially when it comes to finer details like pattern-matching and stitching. It‘s a close call, but I find their shirts consistently well-built.

This isn‘t to say the other options are bad – just that Proper Cloth is a cut above, in my opinion. Of course, you pay a bit of a premium for that, so budget is part of the equation.

Speaking of…

Is Proper Cloth Worth It?

We‘ve arrived at the key question: all things considered, is Proper Cloth worth your hard-earned dollar?

It‘s hard for me to answer that conclusively for every reader. Worth is deeply personal and dependent on your budget, style and needs.

Here‘s what I can say: if you appreciate great fabric, obsessive attention to detail, and a truly custom fit, then I believe Proper Cloth is absolutely worth the price. It‘s an investment, but one that pays dividends every time you reach for your shirt. The quality and fit are a clear step up from all but the priciest off-the-rack options.

I also believe the value is there. When you compare Proper Cloth to other online custom shirtmakers, they deliver more for your money. The fabric options and level of customization are unrivaled.

My suggestion: if you‘re in the market for quality dress shirts and have some budget flexibility, give Proper Cloth a try. Nail your measurements, pick a fabric that excites you, and see for yourself what a difference a truly tailored shirt makes to your style and confidence. I suspect you‘ll be hooked.

The Bottom Line

Still with me? Let‘s recap:

• Proper Cloth is a fantastic online shirtmaker that delivers on their promise of an excellent fit and quality fabrics.

• They offer the widest selection of customization options I‘ve found, from basic white twills to funkier prints and patterns.

• Construction and attention to detail are top-notch. These are finely-made shirts.

• Once you nail the fit, Proper Cloth shirts fit like a dream. The feeling of a properly tailored shirt is hard to overstate.

• Customer service is great and they stand behind their product with a remake guarantee.

• While not cheap, the value and quality is there compared to other made-to-measure options.

Ultimately, if you‘re looking for dress shirts a solid notch above what you‘ll find off-the-rack, Proper Cloth gets my enthusiastic recommendation. Find a fabric that speaks to you, dial in your measurements, and prepare to experience the power of a truly personalized fit.