The Splurge: Ratio Clothing – Custom Made in the USA Shirts

ratio/clothing dress shirts: $63.38 – $81.75 w/ 25% off first order code DAPPERED

NOTE: Code DAPPERED expired awhile ago (this post ran in 2011), but new ratio customers can use the code FIRSTORDER for 10% off.

Shown:  Blue windowpane – $73.50 w/code, which must be in all caps.  Follow them on Facebook for more savings.

J. Crew says this about their $75 dress shirts, which now come in standard neck and sleeve sizing: “…a truly impeccable fit…it’s pretty much as close to custom as it gets.”

Horse feathers.  Poppycock.  Poppy feathers and Horse we’ll-leave-it-at-that.  Ratio clothing has shattered J. Crew’s claim.  Instead of relying on just two measurements, ratio uses five.  All of which are measurements you know off the top of your head.  When it comes to the neck & sleeves measurements, they offer sizing down to unheard levels of precision.  How precise?  Try to the quarter inch on the neck and half inch on the sleeve.

For many of us that means no more 32/33 sleeves being too short while  33/34 are too long.  And more importantly, no more 15.5 collars cutting off blood flow while 16 collars hang too loose.

Before a lot of you understandably gag at the price, know that we live in a world where an Express 1MX costs $60.  Also know that ratio is doing their best to make it worth your while.  Along with the unusually exact measurements, they give you the ability to pick every option short of the name of the person who’ll make the shirt from scratch.  That shirt making also happens right here in the United States.  Here’s how they try to earn your money:

J. Crew can’t do that.  Alfani RED or Nordstrom can’t even come close.  But again, the normal price of $85 – $110 is asking a lot, so ratio doesn’t stop there.

Say you hate chest pockets.  Or, you prefer two button cuffs.  Maybe you prefer your back pleats centered.  Perhaps you like them at the sides.  All of that is adjustable by clicking through the (somewhat easy to miss) tabs above the sizing area (see right).

Not only has ratio whittled down the sizing to pretty close to exact, they let you pick all the options as well.  All without it being too heavy or invasive of a process.  I didn’t break out the tape measure even once.  Took me 5 minutes to order.  And the end results were pretty on point:
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Nice.  Could come in a little at the sides, but it can get away without tailoring.  The neck is perfect.

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My ratio slim fit was around 20 1/2″ across at it’s widest point.  Not bad.  That’s somewhere between a Calibrate and a Nordstrom Trim fit.  The sleeves were noticeably less bulky than most trim fit dress shirts.  The collar and cuffs are noticeably higher quality, and the same goes for the buttons.  The feel of the material is something.  Comparing it to a tissue thin, scratchy, cotton/poly blend Alfani Red is like comparing a nice bottle of red to a box of Franzia white zin.  Sure they’re both shirts, but that’s where the similarities end.

Ratio’s shirts normally start at $84.50 and top out at $109.  That’s a huge investment, but this is next level shirting that allows you to get a custom fit, choose all the details, and spend less than 5 minutes online doing so.  Shipping is free, and while it took about four weeks to arrive, the shirt was well worth the wait.

Maybe none of us will have a closet full of ratio/clothing shirts, but with that 25% off code and their made in the USA status, they’re certainly going to be a worthwhile splurge for some.

Your turn:  How much is too much for a shirt?  And is ratio’s process worth the extra cost to you?  Leave it all below.  Also, enter to win by sending an email to contests@dappered.com with the subject: ratiogiveaway  Deadline is Thursday 8/4/11 at 11:59 pm ET.  One entry per person please.  Winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck!

UPDATE:  Congrats to Ivan Y. who won the custom shirt from ratio/clothing.  Thanks to all who entered.