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The Search for the perfect Button Up: Express vs. B.R.

July 22, 2011 By Joe | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head here to learn more.

Express 1MX – $59.90 | Banana Republic Stretch Poplin – ($35.50) $59.50

We’re on the hunt for the perfect button up shirt.  Versatile, comfortable, fitted.  We’ll be testing the best of the best, and if you have a suggestion, feel free to leave a comment or send one in via Style Tip.  Note:  B.R. Shirt sizes are limited online.  Part of their current “Summer Break” select items sale.

These aren’t neck and sleeve fit dress shirts.  What they are, are versatile, have a bit of stretch in the fabric, trim fit wardrobe workhorses that can be easily worn tieless under blazers with chinos, and just as easily under sweaters with jeans in cooler weather.

The Express 1MX, despite all if its drawbacks, has been a more or less unchallenged favorite forever.  But then the price jumped to $59.90 (never pay full retail at Express) and eyes started to wander.  A worthy challenger was found at Banana Republic for almost the exact same price.  Here’s the tale of the tape.
.

Sizes tested were a Medium “fitted” for the 1MX, and a Medium “Slim Fit” for the B.R.

Body Fit: Advantage – Express A medium 1MX in the fitted style is 19″ at it’s widest point through the chest and torso.  The Banana Republic is a full inch wider and that’s easy to tell in the above photo.

Sleeve Fit: Advantage – Banana Republic. The 1MX has always suffered from shorter than normal sleeves.  But that might have more to do with width of the shoulders than the actual length of the sleeves themselves.  The BR doesn’t feel short in the sleeves, and it’s about 1″ wider from shoulder to shoulder compared to the 1MX.  Which means if you’ve got some meat on your deltoids, they’ll pull the 1MX sleeves up.  Damn.

Fabric: Advantage – None.  The 1MX has 3% Spandex while the BR has 5% Lastol.  The BR is noticeably lighter weight which is great for summer, but it’s more translucent compared to the 1MX.  The 1MX is much harder to iron.

Durability: Advantage – Banana Republic.  So far.  The stretch poplin from BR feels stronger at the points where the 1MX tends to fray, chip, and completely self destruct.  Fabric feels a bit smoother too.

The Winner:  DRAW

It depends on your body type and what you want the shirt to do.  The BR poplin can’t be worn untucked because the shirt tail drops noticeably lower than the 1MX.  But unlike the 1MX, it’ll STAY tucked in.  If you’re a bit thicker by way of the gym or the dinner table, the Banana Republic is going to feel better through the shoulders & sleeves (but might need tailoring).  If you’re downright thin and like having the option of leaving it untucked, then the 1MX is for you

If your style is more casual, lean towards the Express.  If it’s more dressed up, head in the direction of the BR.  Regardless, buy during a sale on both of these.  $60 is a lot to pay being that you could snag either for $35-45.

Got a favorite fitted button-up?  Or an argument defending either of these?  Leave it all in the comments below.

Filed Under: Clothing Tagged With: 1MX, Banana Republic, Express, Stretch Poplin, style battle

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Gant Rugger. Yes, I know it’s pricey, but if you look well, you can find them for comparable prices. In fact, they’re on sale for 50% off on Gant’s site now (and a couple may still be available on Gilt if you’re there quick-like). The fit of these shirts is top notch on me (decent-size arms and shoulders, drop 12 sizing), and I like knowing that I’m wearing a high quality garment. I don’t necessarily want my whole wardrobe to be expensive pieces, but a good smattering of them does a whole lot, especially in something I wear as often as a neutral-color OCBD.

  2. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Would love to see a review of American Apparel’s oxford: http://store.americanapparel.net/rsacp400.html?cid=15

    On the above–while I don’t have these specific shirts, I do have an MK2 from Express and a poplin gingham from Banana Republic. They both get tons of wear, but the BR is holding up much better. The MK2 will need replacing soon, and I’ll probably look to BR for that.

  3. chriss says

    July 22, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    All I hear about the 1MX is the short sleeves. This is dumbfounding to me because I bought a few and found the sleeves to be 3-4″ too long. I wear a 15.5/32-33 and I can’t buy anymore of the 1MX because it’s a pain to have them tailored when there are other good options out there. I’m in love with Kenneth Cole Reaction slim fits right now. They’re always on sale at Macys.

  4. Alex says

    July 22, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    Brooks Brothers extra slim fit for the win.

  5. Brennan Knotts says

    July 22, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    I had 5 or so Express shirts that lasted me a good 4 years but I treated them as dry clean only. I recently started washing and drying them and they’ve completely gone to hell in a matter of weeks.

  6. Albert says

    July 22, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    +1 for BB Extra Slim fits.  Especially the Pima cotton OCBD.

  7. Albert says

    July 22, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    Do you dry them in the dryer?  Never put button downs in the dryer.  Hang dry and then iron while they’re still a little wet.  Same thing with polos.

  8. Matt says

    July 22, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    With my body type the 1MX is really more suited to me, and I own several of them. But if it comes down to choosing between the two I’ll almost always go with the banana shirt – I like the feel of the shirt better and mentally it seems like a better investment. AND I don’t have to roll the sleeves up because they look dumb left long and right above my wrists…

  9. BKA says

    July 22, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    For something a bit conservative but also a pretty decent “slim-ish” fit/cut, the Lands’ End Tailored Fit PPBD and OCBD in no-iron finish are my winners.  They are also very deeply discounted right now, though sizes/patterns/colors are limited.  Right now get $10 off $50 + free shipping with code: PARENTSA11 pin: 8355

  10. Jackson says

    July 22, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    I’m a fan of the Express shirt.  While there are certainly some faults, well documented in Dappered posts and elsewhere, the cut of the 1MX fitted, as well as regular sale prices of around $30, makes it pretty hard to beat.  Plus, they have finally introduced a spread collar edition.

    Agree completely with Albert about the non dryer drying.  Machine wash on delicate cycle and hang dry dress shirts.  Will increase lifespan considerably.

  11. Jordan says

    July 22, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    I’m a 15.5/34-35 and have never had an issue with the sleeve length on the 1MX and I’ve probably owned more than a dozen over the past five years.

    That being said, I’m all about the Trim Fit from Calibrate.  Higher quality shirt and decently priced when on sale.

  12. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    I’ll give good points to ESF bb’s, but gant ruggers still win; have and like both, though.

  13. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    A no-iron ocbd? Interesting.

  14. BKA says

    July 22, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    Yeah, sounds weird but they are rather soft and comfy (not as soft as the regular, but more like a regular broadcloth with light starch from the cleaners).
    http://www.landsend.com/pp/TailoredFitNoIronOxfordShirt~194223_59.html
    and even better but more $…
    http://www.landsend.com/pp/TailoredFitNoIronButtondownOxfordDressShirt~214663_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::JH7&CM_MERCH=IDX_Men-_-DressShirtsTies-_-TailoredFit-_-Oxford&origin=index

  15. Alex says

    July 22, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    I still have to give the win to BB due to exact sizes.  Even their S,M,L,etc. sleeves seem to run ~0.5″ longer in the sleeves which is perfect for me (arms just too long to fit in a typical S, but too skinny to fit a typical M).

  16. Phil L. says

    July 22, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    Yeah, I’ve always been pleased with the sleeves in the small fitted and extra slim fit 1MX shirts I’ve bought in the past year.  They may about .5-1″ too long, but because of the tailored sleeves it doesn’t look bad at all.  For me the extra slim fit is almost perfect tailored for me. I got a couple shirts tailored and compared to the extra slim fits there was only .25-.5″ more taken out from the mid-section and waist.

  17. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    Seems like the Calibrate is might be a little harder to dress down though.

  18. Jordan says

    July 22, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    How slim is the cut at Land’s End?  Is it a true “fitted” shirt like the 1MX or more liek the still-baggy, but slightly slimmer department store special?

  19. Jbryant Jb says

    July 22, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    Awesome breakdown on the review of these shirts. Id love to see this done to the nordstrom calibrate line of dress shirts or even the nordstrom line called 1901 perhaps both of them head to head both of which can be had at under 50 bucks right now for their sale

  20. Anonymous says

    July 23, 2011 at 3:32 AM

    Haven’t tried the BR slip fit poplin.

    But I swear by their slim fit non-iron textured dress shirts. A little more pricey, but well worth it.

    http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=56730&vid=1&pid=769360&scid=769360042

  21. Mdnicley says

    July 23, 2011 at 5:32 AM

    Just bought a BB Slim fit (also available in XSF,) Supima OCBD. http://tinyurl.com/42wvjhg Waiting for delivery with high expectations…

    I appreciate the assurance that comes with neck/sleeve sizing – I find that most shirts that fit my chest/shoulders are too long in the arm (6′ tall, 42R suit, 16.25″ neck, 34″ sleeve.) This is especially noticeable when wearing a blazer/sportcoat/jacket, as anything more than 3/4″ sticking out of the arm looks so bad.

    Also a plus to this shirt for being made (and grown) in USA. Minus that I bought it at full price for about twice the cost of a made-in-china dress shirt on sale. And paid shipping. Could have had a Todd Shelton shirt for another 10 bucks.

  22. Derek says

    July 23, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    The sleeves are actually the perfect length for me.

    As for durability, I always get them dry cleaned, so they last…forever?

  23. Douche Canoe says

    July 23, 2011 at 3:53 PM

    Between those two, give me the BR.  If you’re worried about the fit, invest about 10 bucks to go to a tailor to get it properly fitted.  BTW…I’ll never buy a 1MX shirt again.  They fade or start fraying after a few months of washing.

  24. Brett says

    July 24, 2011 at 1:02 AM

    1MX fits me perfectly.  For me, the BR slim fit shirts have sleeves that are way too long. 

  25. Christopher says

    July 25, 2011 at 6:09 AM

    Arms and body is still quite baggy. A bit more fitted than their regular offerings, which are quite tent-like.  However, the fabric is very sturdy (hyde park ocbd) and think they are worth the extra tailoring cost b/c it will last through just about everything.

  26. Ricky Cavazos says

    April 2, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    BR uses better quality fabric and uses a higher quality cotton for their shirts. The Express 1MX shirts have cheap fabric and develop a white lining/fading on the collar after the first wear with a tie. The only advantage that the 1MX shirts have over BR shirts is the versatility of colors that BR does not currently offer. Otherwise, invest in BR shirts. Far better.

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