Brands Worth Knowing: Just A Cheap Shirt – $35 – $70
Heads up: There’s a J.A.C.H.S. Sale on Gilt today. More on Gilt’s new policies here.
Finding a trim fit casual button up can be a total pain. You want something that can do multiple jobs. A shirt that can be worn under a cotton sport coat with jeans, or under a slim sweater with chinos. Slim-fit neck & sleeve dress shirts just don’t feel right in those situations. The fitted 1MX is decent, but limited when it comes to patterns… and GAP can be completely hit or miss on fit.
Enter the brand “Just a Cheap Shirt” (J.A.C.H.S.). Found all over flash sale sites like Gilt and JackThreads, J.A.C.H.S. makes a huge variety of button up shirts that fit like an Express 1MX, but (so far) have none of the self-destruction issues. Other positives include:
- Many have extra reinforced cuffs, collars, and other details
- They look and feel more durable than the 1MX.
- The sleeves are long enough for all but the most gangly armed fellas.
- Those same sleeves roll up extremely well.
- The collars are pronounced enough to frame your face
- The fit, again, is quite close at the sides.
To compare fits, a Lands’ End Canvas Medium Oxford runs around 19.25″ from seam to seam at its widest point in the body. The mediums from J.A.C.H.S. run 18.5″. At 5’9″ish and 170, the sides are right up to my torso, but not straining against it, which looks and more importantly feels incredibly streamlined.
Drawbacks include some seriously over the top / obnoxious patterns and colors, and not every shirt comes with slots for collar stays (a huge knock). But keep your eye out for dressed up looking patterns like simple checks and stripes, and you might walk away with a new favorite do-anything shirt for around $35.
Have any experience with J.A.C.H.S.? Leave it all in the comments below.
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Is there anywhere to find these shirts other than the oft frustrating Gilt or Jackthreads? I’m not opposed to using Gilt with their new return policy, but it’s not as conducive to the pensive shopper like myself. Not complaining, just curious and interested.
They’re around $70 on Nordstrom, and you can usually find some of them on Bluefly: http://www.bluefly.com/Just-A-Cheap-Shirt-white-and-black-check-cotton-shirt/cat10022/310890001/detail.fly That one, for example, is the checked black/white shirt you see on the right. I think I got it for $30-$35 off Jackthreads. Runs $51 on Bluefly.
I have one of these, they do fit fantastic. I picked mine up at Urban Outfitters on sale for $20 last year, haven’t seen them there since. I wish they made more shirts with button-down and traditional point collars though.
Anyone know how long these button ups are? Looking for something I can wear untucked for casual situations and prefer my button ups to not dangle past my back pockets.
Good to know where to find them and to have an idea of what price they run at different place. Thanks Joe!
The three mediums I own run 28.5″ from the base of the collar to the end of the tail. Drops not too far past my belt, so the one’s I have can certainly be worn untucked (but for some odd reason, they also stay tucked much better than the 1MX.)
I find it very amusing the day this is posted the two simplest shirts they offer on gilt up and disappear before 12:45…
That red check was just available on Jack Threads last week. Stay tuned for it there, plus more of the simple stripes/even solids. Gilt (shocker) brought mainly odd patterns / colors on their sale today.
I bought a size M since, and I wear 34/35 sleeve dress shirts. My Jachs shirt fit perfectly when I bought it. Unfortunately, after one wash, the sleeves shrunk and is unwearable unless rolled up.
Cold wash tumble dry low?
bought a large (6’0 165) and the fit was great but the collar was a little flimsy.
I had that problem with a 1MX shirt, and I didn’t even put it in the dryer. Machine wash cold, hang to dry… shrunken sleeves. It’s bizarre how some shirts just do that.
how long are your arms and what jacket size are you? I’m 5’11 in about a 42 jacket with freakishly long (36/37) arms.
Really like the one shirt I have from them – the only problem, and I echo, is the collar. No slots for collar stays and the thing dangles in strange directions and shapes. Do really like the fit though – I’m a tall skinny guy (6’3), and I find the medium fits awesome (I like my shirts very slim). Due to my long torso, tucking in is pretty much a no-no, as the shirt isn’t long enough to stay tucked in. A nice untucked, I’m going out for a few beers shirt. Nothing more.
No slots for collar stays and no buttons to button down the collar = huge drawbacks. Those are dealbreakers for me being that I’m completely hooked on wurkin stiffs. The two shirts at the top of the page both have slots for collar stays and man are they nice. It’s hit or miss with these. I’ve got a plain white and a red check on the way from Jack Threads. I’m hoping they have the slots.