Charles Tyrwhitt Classic Dress Shirt

Ah, the good old CT shirt. I've got a couple closets full of 'em, and am glad for it. The dress shirts come in four basic cloth types, 'regular' (being 80s and 100s cotton depending on the fabric), non-iron (as described in the original review), 140s Sea Island Quality, and 180s Superfine.

(Occasionally, they have other fabrics as well. Last summer, for example, they did a dress shirt in cotton/linen blend, which was very nice.)

The shirts come in two styles of fit: regular (for chubby guys) and slim-fit for slimmer guys. I usually opt for slim-fit, and it's not excessively slender, so you don't have to be a marathon runner to look good in it. (There are no slim-cut 180s shirts.)

You can also get (in regular cloth/fit, and perhaps in non-iron regular fit,) a spread collar. Otherwise all the shirts come with the same collar style as pictured above.

Having extensive experience with all fabric types except the non-iron, I can heartilly endorse all, but note that the 180s is a very light-weight fabric. If you like your shirt cloth sturdy, get the regular twill shirts.

They will usually have a very good selection of colours and stripes &c., changing everything twice a year (about February and August, if memory serves.) Selection can get spotty toward the end of the season, but prices are lower.

Don't ever pay full price. They are almost always having some sort of sale, and of course the best sale is at the end of each season when they're clearing out and getting ready for next season's stuff.

I scored them '9's for price, quality and value. They are close to really top-notch shirts, for much less; bear in mind my 'don't pay full price' advice and the 'value' can hit a '10' if you get the right sale. They are well made, and the brass collar studs are a bonus. The buttons are real mother of pearl on the 140s and 180s shirts only. One brief period in the past I receved a few shirts that were shorter in the sleeve than they ought to have been (hey, I order 17/35 too!!) but generally the fit is accurate, so I gave them '8' for fit/finish.

They sell lots of other stuff too, but I won't get into that here.

(Dude, bring back the shave cream!!)

Once you subscribe to a men's fashion magazine it seems as if your mailbox fills with dozens of catalogs from various clothiers. One of those that seems to hit the post box every month or so is Charles Tyrwhitt. After looking around online and seeing they had a good reputation I decided to take the leap and order three of their "white twill non iron classic dress shirts." This is an 80's cloth with a traditional collar. I am always on the hunt for high quality dress shirts in the under $200 price range and these fit the bill at $65 each (first order price).


Initial impressions were immediately impressive, they come individually wrapped in a heavy mil plastic bag, there are no stick pins holding the shirts together, and each shirt comes with its own pair of brass collar stays. Stitching is tight, buttons are well secured, and the French cuffs are well done, and will accommodate almost any set of links. The four piece yoke is very well assembled, and the two piece collar is very well structured. The buttons appear to be of good quality (imitation mother of pearl on my shirt) though there are no extras. Overall quality appears to be very high.


I proceeded to try on the shirt. I typically order 17/35 shirts, that allows me to put two fingers between my neck and the collar, which suits me best. The fit was perfect. Sleeves are long enough to allow a quarter inch reveal, shoulders were appropriately draped, and the fabric feels heavy and comfortable. Length is more than ample and allows for a proper tuck without a chance of the tail coming out. This is a superior shirt when compared with Gitman Brothers or other formal shirts that I own that were less than $100 and easily come close to some of my more expensive shirts like Robert Talbott and Alexandre Julian.


Overall I would say this as a fantastic shirt for the price, well made and a great purchase. Shipping took about two and a half weeks from England to Virginia. I will buy from Charles Tyrwhitt again.