Anonymous asked: You've done a few posts on getting custom made shirts (from places like Ratio and Blank Label). I'm thinking about getting my first custom shirt made, but there are so many places that do it these days! What has been your best custom shirt ordering experience? Is there one company that you'd recommend over all the others?

If you are around New York City or plan on visiting any time soon, my highest recommendation is our tailoring consultant, Rae (aka The Handsome Butch) with Bindle & Keep! You can e-mail her at Rachel@BindleandKeep.com. I haven’t made anything with her yet myself, but she’s queer and amazing (not to mention, uh, gorgeous) so I’m sure she’d fit you for a fabulous shirt.

This could be you! (from thehandsomebutch.tumblr.com)

If you are not around NYC, and you fit within the S - XL range, I also highly recommend Androgyny. Even though they aren’t custom made, their shirts actually fit me better than any custom made shirt I’ve ever gotten. 

I also had a really positive experience with both Ratio Clothing and Blank Label. The email exchange with Eric Powell of Ratio was incredibly in-depth and he took extraordinary care to make sure I got what I needed (and was very up-to-date on queer needs.) It also depends which fabrics and styles you are interested in. Ratio has some amazing new gingham and plaid options that I’m feeling a tad drooly over. However, Blank Label offers more options for collar, placket, cuffs, pockets, and buttons. Ratio also will allow you to send back a shirt for additional alterations as many times as you need; whereas Blank Label offers just one remake.

I don’t have any experience with bespoke women’s shirts, so I don’t have much advice on finding more feminine cuts. But I should add that Androgyny is really cut to look androgynous. Menswear companies like Ratio and Blank Label will have more masculine cuts that emphasize broad shoulders. 

Click on the brands to see my reviews about each: Androgyny | Ratio Clothing | Blank Label

Anyone else have reviews to add of these or other custom shirt labels? Add them to the comments!

- Sonia

Anonymous asked: How does the fit of men’s shirts differ from that of women’s? I ask because I hate shopping and have shoulders that are about 1-2 sizes larger than my torso in women’s sizing, so I’m trying to decide whether to try men’s sizes or just give up and make my own shirts.

I asked Eric Powell from Ratio Clothing about this. He says: There are a few common functional differences, and obviously quite a bit more style differences. I’ll just focus on the functional differences. 

Rear darts, demonstrated by Abercrombie & Fitch

I’ve gotten many questions from larger breasted folks wanting to know how to deal with their breasts in button-up situations, particularily around wearing men’s shirts. For example: ”I love button down shirts and polos, but I have a big chest and find it hard to pull off the outfits I put together because the buttons in the chest area are stressed or I look big around the middle from my chest creating a drape look with the shirt. I’d buy a binder, but they are a bit out of my price range. Any suggestions?” 

I decided to consult with Eric Powell from Ratio Clothing about this issue. Ratio Clothing is a handcrafted men’s shirt company located in Denver, Colorado who made me a shirt a few months ago. Eric said that everyone needs a good tailor because “Few of us are blessed with perfect sample size proportions.” He recommended Yelp reviews or menswear forums for some good reviews for tailors in your city. 

He says, “It sounds like the problem the reader is having is the same one that some athletic men have — getting a shirt to fit in the upper body (muscular pecs for men, breasts for women) can cause the lower portion of the shirt to be baggy. Made-to-measure solves that, of course, but bringing in the lower sides a bit on the shirt will allow it to fit while still maintaining the ‘look’ of the shirt.’” For larger breasted folks he suggests “sizing up a bit so that you get a good fit through the chest, and then have the tailor bring in sides of the shirt so that you end up with a better sideseam shape. In most cases, you’ll probably be looking at between $10-$20 per shirt.”

I think this brings hope to all of us looking to wear men’s button-ups and keep our breasts at bay.

Check out the tailoring tag for more info.

Related posts: Ratio Clothing: Gay or Just Awesome?

hellurrrr asked: Okay I have a question about what to wear to a wedding. I want to wear a nice dress shirt but, I'm not sure about what colors to wear, and what to wear really. I was thinking maybe a vest. I don't think i want to wear a suit jacket. Also for the pants, I wanted something skinny. Do you have any shops that you would suggest going to? & also just advice on what to wear?

Formal Skinny Pants: Try Ann Taylor’s Signature Polished Cotton Cropped Pants, Gap’s Really skinny pants, and J. Crew’s Cafe Capri.

If you are going to wear a vest, you will most likely want a button-up dress shirt. For women’s try Banana Republic Tailored non-iron sateen shirt, Devon & Jones Long Sleeve Stretch Sateen Blouse, or men’s try any of Topman’s dress shirts or Ratio Clothing. Department store boys sections will have dress shirts but the sleeves will probably be too short. Or you could hit the thrift stores and then get things tailored.

Vests: Try Banana Republic, H&M, Topshop/Topman, J. Crew, Express, or thrift stores. Keep in mind that women’s vest are made a lot differently and will try to enhance your curves. If you don’t want that I’d go with men’s.

Check out the formal wear tag for more ideas!

Anonymous asked: This is a question for Sonia. I wondered why you buy mens shirts yet then spend time and money to have them fitted like a womans shirt. I normally buy mens shirts because the cut is straight up, straight down and therefore boyish looking. I don't understand why you would buy a mans shirt to have it fitted like a womans, why not just buy a womans shirt/blouse in the first place and save all the time and money?

I do not get them fitted like a women’s shirt; I get them fitted like a men’s shirt. The confusion might come from the fact that I had Ratio Clothing take the waist in a little bit and the hips out a little bit. The alteration was only in the side seam. Women’s shirts have darts or pleats under the boobs and in the back to enhance curves, and this is what we are trying to avoid. If I hadn’t gotten the side seem adjusted, it would have been baggier around the waist or not fit over my hips, and having it fit well gives the illusion that it’s a straight line up and down. Ratio Clothing will do this alteration for no extra cost. 

When I got the Ralph Lauren shirt tailored, I just had them do the side seam straight up and down, leaving it a little baggier in the waist. I also bought the sleeves in and the length up. Those alternations are exactly the same as what any male bodied person would do.

We all need a least one good quality dress shirt, and most menswear you’ll have to get tailored anyway, so why not just get one MADE FOR YOU for an unbeatable price?

I talked to Eric Powell, ratio clothing’s founder, about how female-bodied people can get a nice fit. In addition to entering your basic measurements (sleeve length, chest etc.) you’ll probably want to add special instructions at the end of your purchase, most likely taking the waist in a few inches, the hips out a few inches, and bringing up the length as well depending on your height. Since female bodied people have more variables to work with, I’d recommend taking both your own measurements and those of  another shirt that fits well, and then emailing Ratio the numbers and they’ll tell you what to enter on the site. They get back to you ridiculously fast, in great detail, and using all the right queer terminology to make you feel warm and bubbly inside.

The beauty I picked out is light blue gingham fabric with an english spread collar, 2 button miltered cuffs, side pleats (Why not? it’s less common), a pocket, and standard placket. It’s sooo soft, carefully made, and with beautiful attention to detail, which might have something to do with the high quality buttons, premium imported fabrics, and more fanciness you can read about here. 

The only disappointment was that it took a full month to come, but it was so worth it for quality and fit this nice. Just make sure you order in advance if you have a fancy event to attend, and keep in mind that you may need to send it back for adjustments!