Update: Austerity Britain: Turnbull & Asser's online custom shirt

Oh frabjous day! The 'custom' (made-to-measure) shirt I ordered from Turnbull & Asser's online shop has arrived. My Happy Shopper shirt is a fairly heavy pale blue Oxford cloth with cocktail cuffs and the semi-cutaway Regent collar, and none of the optional extras like monogramming, shirt pockets, white cuffs etc.

I wasn't expecting much, to be frank: although I said in the earlier post that there's not much difference between made-to-measure and bespoke if you're a relatively normal shape, I did experience a bit of a rush of buyer's remorse. What if I mis-measured myself and gave in centimetres what I meant to state in inches? I'd be £175 down the Swanee and I'd be left with an item resembling a shirt dress for a capering dwarf (or possibly Suzanne Tully, the small arms expert formerly of Grange Hill and EastEnders).

However, to put the 'Bottom line up front,' as our American cousins say, I'm pretty impressed.

My order was not a particularly demanding brief, but the finished article was exactly as requested, and arrived less than a fortnight after the order was placed - couriered to the door overnight by UPS, even though there was no charge for P&P. So gratification was not deferred for too long.

The order form required a multiplicity of measurements, but there's an idiot's guide which explains how to make them. To avoid attracting comment in the office, I measured myself and, for the trickier question of full sleeve length, I took an old and trusted bespoke shirt. That was a trifle risky, but it appears to have paid off. Although not a perfect fit, the result is certainly much better than could have been achieved from a 'stock special' order, and gives a much better shape than other 'semi-bespoke' options I've tried in the past, even ones involving being measured by a supposedly trained floor-walker.

The shirt is well-finished. There are no imperfections in the cloth - Oxfords can throw up odd little slubs when being man-handled, if for example they catch on a needle or other such point. There are no rogue threads on the seams or meanly-stitched buttons. I've laundered it once and given it a good vigorous ironing, and all is still intact.  The cocktail cuffs are good and deep, and a better shape than those offered by the competition. The collar sits well, although I think I will stick to the standard Turnbull collar on future orders, as the Regent is a bit too severe for my liking, particularly as I don't favour the First Division Footballer knot.

I'll keep you posted on how it survives repeated laundering and encounters with my desktop, and other hazards, but this appears to be an excellent effort by the folks at the Gloucester factory.

Now, the only way you'll find the perfect shirt is by investing a lot of time and money, and accepting a degree of trial and error: there's just no way to replicate online the complex interactions between a customer and a cutter. The online custom shirt route has plenty of risks, not least of which is the question of self-measurement. Certainly it will help if you know your shirting cloths and what you'll be doing in the finished item and where - you can't handle the online swatches, of course, so you need to know your poplins from your voiles from your twills  - and you really need to understand the structure of a well-fitting shirt - how much room you need around chest, arm-holes and waist for comfortable movement, what kind of length is practical etc.

But if you are fairly confident, have no outrageous demands and want to cut corners while retaining the imprimatur of an established shirt-maker, this is pretty good value for money.