Things That Please Me

alexandergrant:

David Hamilton responds to shirt pricing:

Our mission is to provide the world’s finest shirt at every price point we offer.  In other words, nobody is offering a better shirt at a lower price.  

We use the world’s finest raw materials.  I see lots of shirts that retail for prices below our raw materials cost.  All of the shirts are sewn and hand cut in our Houston workshop.  All employees earn a living wage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage .  

It’s understandable that many consumers won’t see the value in a $200+ shirt.  That’s completely understandable and there are many quality shirts available at lower prices.  

As the go to custom shirt maker for Houston’s wealthy, a lot of Hamilton shirts (the custom made, not 1883 line) end up in Houston thrifts. From the hands on that I’ve had with more than a few of them, they’re excellently made and the material does feel pretty sweet. This is coming from someone with little education in real textiles or construction, though. Are they worth $200+? for the 1883 line, it may be a fair price, but that doesn’t mean I’d pay it. Actually, the 1883, like Gitman Vintage and ROTM, suffers from t-rex arms so it’s a non-starter for me — but if they fit I’d likely still stick with Brooks Bros OCBDs for casual shirting.

If I ever have the cash for the customs, though, you can bet I’ll be marching myself down to Richmond Ave to get fitted for some Hamiltons that are designed and constructed by Houstonians and have been for 100+ years. From the shirts I’ve seen at the thrift store, they’ll last much longer than I’ll fit into them.