It’s easy to assume that a shirt’s label dictates its value.
But that’s not always true. Sometimes even more than the name or materials, it’s the fit that makes one shirt better than the other.
“We used to sell a lot of Gant shirts because they were a popular, reputable brand,” my father, a merchant, recently told me. “But when Gitman came out they had a higher value product.”
My dad owned our family’s department stores in North Carolina, which dated back to the 1920s. This was back when small towns had a variety of stores. It was also when stuff was made stateside; my mom’s dad ran the local factory for Hampton Industries, which made shirts for a variety of labels, and he’d come into my dad’s store to buy Gitmans.
“He ripped them apart to see how they did what they did,” my dad told me. “He wanted to understand the fit.”
Gitman still has that slim fit nailed tight, and they’ve partnered with a Santiago Shirt, group of artisans in Santiago, Chile, where they are handmaking this capsule collection using their classic fit-IP.
Aside from the standard, double-pocketed oxfords the label is known for, the limited collection includes four Chilean prints as well as three flannels.
At $115-125 they are a good value, especially when you consider the mileage a good fit can yield (as the vintage in your closet will attest).
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