Ledbury has been perfecting the dress shirt environment for a little over ten years. I got a few way back in the day, and they are still a part of my rotation. The pandemic was a tough time for all of us, but especially those that produced and sold dressier clothes and shoes. Ledbury persevered, shifting to some colorful, casual patterns and fabrics, which played well.
As we shift back to normalcy, so too does the shift back to a more conscious effort to ‘dress up’ a bit. I relish opportunities to feel like a man again, rather than a gym teacher. Wearing pressed pants, a dry-cleaned shirt, shined loafers, and a sport coat…it’s a really good feeling.
Our friends at Ledbury have been leaning back into the dress shirt arena again as well. It’s paying off. They’ve recently released a hybrid made-to-order system that is actually fantastic and well-priced. They offer a 25% discount when you order three shirts. I’ll get into that in a moment.
I’m a HUGE OCBD guy, and extremely picky in the shirts that I wear. I like good, heavy stitching, thick Oxford cloth, and the right fit in both the body and the arms. I’ve done the made-to-order system with Ledbury in the past, so they have my measurements on file, but for this new way of ordering, I don’t need them.
Essentially, you enter in your neck size, arm length, and collar preference, then fit: classic, tailored, or extra slim. There are guides and pictures for each, which is extremely helpful. I went through the process and ordered three of their Mayfield Oxford Shirts. The total was $258.75, which equated to $86 per shirt. They arrived about two weeks later, and I couldn’t be happier. They are PERFECT – just what you’d expect from Ledbury.
The good news: not only do they offer this service for OCBDs, but for dress shirts as well. The high-end stuff. And ALL of them feature a 25% discount when you order three. I highly recommend it.
Here are some images:
Which fit did you go with?
How would you compare the quality to Sid Mashburn MTM?
I’ll give you my experience with both. I was an early adapter of Ledbury back in 2012. In my opinion, the quality of fabrics offered by Ledbury has declined since then, as I believe their manufacturing has gone off-shore. Still better than say Brooks Brothers, but I think the quality and variety of fabric that SM offers is better. Ledbury is a great value prop if one of their fits (slim, classic) fit you well and you just need a minor tweak (i.e.- 34.5″ sleeve). Personally, I prefer MTM from my local men’s shop, but given the choice between Ledbury and Sid Mashburn, I’m going with Sid. By the way, both Ledbury and SM have shirt measurements on their websites, so that’s a good starting point if you think off-the-rack might be an option.