I’ve been on the Ledbury train for YEARS. I was married in a Ledbury shirt almost 10 years ago. Years before that, I met the Pauls at an event in Atlanta, and summarily connected with their products and with the two of them. They are great, innovative dudes that take shirting seriously.
Fast forward to 2024. A lot of things have changed. Men became more conscious of how they dressed, then the pandemic threw a wrench into (almost) everything. The lockdowns did wonders for the athleisure market, but thank the Lord we are past that. There are quite a few of us who are fighting back against that tech-heavy empire, but there is a place for the sweat-friendly, hot weather fabric.
A Paul texted me a few months ago and tipped me off to the Tulu…a fishing shirt that they were developing. Given my history with Ledbury, and my love of being on the water, I was immediately intrigued.
I recently got my hands on a couple, and am confident in saying that they are the nicest fishing shirts I own. The Tulus are part of the custom program, where you can customize the shirt, choosing the fit that you prefer. I took advantage of the multi-buy, and got three, which knocked the per-shirt price down to what you’d normally pay retail for other shirts in that category band.
Ledbury knocked it out of the park.
Out of the box, the first thing I notice is the collar. It is so nice – almost like a dress shirt. The vibe is a lot like Holderness & Bourne, who offer the best golf collar on the market. For the Ledbury shirt, the collar dresses it up, which is good for non-hunting/fishing opportunities to sport these shirts (think summer concerts, Braves games…really anything in July, August, or September).
The fabric is really something: it is 100% recycled polyester that is extremely lightweight and has a bit of texture. It is NOT shiny. For care, I wash them on cold, then dry for five minutes and hang. Ready to rock.
Beyond that, the shirts are everything you’d expect in a fishing shirt from Ledbury, specifically the front pockets, which have multiple compartments and velcro closures, and the back, which features side shoulder vents to allow for air flow and easy casting. Some pics:
I like the blue and white for summer activities, and plan on putting the green to good use this Fall on the streams.
Well done, enjoyed this review. I’ve been buying from these guys for years and have shirts from almost all of their “experiments”. Thankful they remained in the picture and look forward to trying the tulu. Fun fact, I was also married in a ledbury.
Go Vols,
Brian
Is it just me or are the pockets spaced awkwardly close together? It seems like there’s typically maybe 2″ of space between the placket and the edge of the pocket, but these are basically right next to the placket. Maybe it doesn’t look weird when it’s being worn.
The spread collar can look good on dress shirts but I personally don’t love it on non dress shirts. I guess I’m more in the camp of a fishing shirt should/can look like a fishing shirt.