Clothes Horse Part II – The Follow Up

In Person: Clothes Horse sized Bonobos Impresario Dress Shirt – $98.00

For the previous post about Clothes Horse, head over this way.

It’s a little big.  Not as big as I thought it would be when Clothes Horse suggested I size up to a 16 neck and 34 sleeve (I usually wear a 15.5/33) but big enough that if I was in the market for a $98 dress shirt, I’d still send it back.

As far as the shirt goes, the Italian cotton fabric seems pretty nice.  Certainly thicker than a standard poplin you’d pick up from say, Banana republic.  The shirt appears to be constructed awfully well, with double rows of stitching where you’d expect single.  The buttons could be thicker, and it’s made in Malaysia.
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Sleeves are a little long, and the body doesn’t fit as close as say, a Medium all-rounder from Bonobos.

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Two fingers easily slip in.  Three isn’t the easiest fit, but they’re in.  It’s just not close enough for me in the collar.
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The Bottom Line

Clothes Horse has something.  Here at the start, they might be a resource better used by newbies to a brand who don’t have much if any experience buying clothes online.  The shirt is big on me, but not as big as I was expecting when a 16/34 was suggested.  So the Clothes Horse opinion that Bonobos shirts “fit small” isn’t unfounded.

As far as the shirt from Bonobos goes… it’s a nice shirt.  $98 nice?  Nope.  Not when the oft-mentioned ratio/clothing makes a similar shirt, sized in much more precise measurements, and that shirt comes with your choice of collar, cuffs, placket, pleats, and pocket.  For nine bucks less.  And they’re made in the USA.  Ratio’s shirts do take 3-4 weeks as opposed to the super fast Bonobos shipping, but unless you’ve got a now rare code or deal for Bonobos, then the wait for a Ratio shirt, Clothes Horse sizing help or not, is going to be worth it.