The years of working in this industry as a designer has allowed me to develop a keen eye in visualizing how things come together. I can pull different elements and start to create and visualize how the finished item may appear – it is far from fool-proof and I am always adjusting and learning from mistakes along the way, but ultimately, I have certain go-tos in my decision tree process that help me create samples and garments that feel individual, wearable and fresh. At J.Hilburn, with our current offer on essential shirts, I thought it may be helpful to walk you through some of my own personal choices, hopefully sparking some ideas for you.
Our Goldline Giza collection are amongst some of our most luxurious shirts that we offer and not for everyone, but as someone who appreciates sartorial excellence, this quality is incomparable in beauty and refinement. I would probably choose Light Blue Herringbone Twill (LR5) and why not try putting a second contrast of the White Fine Oxford (W41) – this fresh combination always works nicely within the tasteful and almost tonal contrast and remains the type of interest I appreciate in a shirt imagining it catching the eye in a subtle way. I then perhaps would opt for a white thread choice, though another favorite option is the button thread choice in a subtle play of a light blue tone could look nice and not stand out enough to make it difficult to wear.
The next fabric on my list would be the Oxford – a super refined and easy to wear fabric that has all the characteristics of a luxury shirt but at an outstanding value. The grey colorway of the Light Grey Oxford (JS4) catches my eye as it feels like such a modern take on an Oxford which of course is traditionally blue. Maybe here I will play with the light grey thread in the buttonhole with the new Steel color Imitation MOP button to highlight the modernity of this color thinking it will look great layered under a Zip Neck sweater or knit in grey. I can never get away from keeping things tonal!
Personally, I rarely wear a tie, so my collar choices are mostly based on how well the collar looks open. This generally means that the cut-away styles appeal to me more, so I do not have points sitting towards the front of my neck but away to the side. I have never been a cufflink guy either, as I often find myself having to roll sleeves at work and I cannot deal with the trickiness of a French cuff, but I do allow a monogram on my left cuff.
I am big fan, like most men, of a good Non-Iron shirt. They are very smart, and learned from years of travel and being on the go, that these shirts make the perfect travel companion when you need to show up fresh and ready to go after a long journey. Non-Iron Taupe/Blue Tattersall (NI71) has a fine tattersall with blue and taupe that would allow me to play perhaps with a pale blue solid contrast on the inside of the collar, but I love the way the taupe color in the pattern could play nicely with the new Sand color Imitation MOP button. Adding the almost tonal taupe thread for the buttons, I think that this combo will look thoughtful and deliberately mine. I can get excited thinking how chic and smart this will look and though I am not traveling any time soon, I know I will have a wonderful shirt to look forward to wearing when I do. A taupe monogram may be too much this time, so I abstain from this choice but think the double button cuff may be a nice way to add the right amount of personality to my cuff peeking out from a sportcoat.
The great thing about custom is that everyone can create their very own version, of even a classic shirt and whilst I prefer to stay within confines of timeless subtlety, I realize that many of our client love more overt choices to reflect their taste and personality. What I say to this is: knock yourself out and enjoy the pleasure of building your custom-made wardrobe exactly how you like it.
