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good quality work shirts for dh- help please

26 replies

sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 09:44

DH nees to wear suits and shirts for work now.I was watching Educating Yorkshire last night and it triggered a thought re shirts- ie the heads shirts looked v crisp and lovely.I also know a freinds husband whos shirts look similat and my dhs look sad and not v good .!!
Ive tried to wash well and startch etc but to no avail.They just look cheap even the M and s one - others are matalan.
Could it be the colour we choose - often blue and white stripe. The cotton content ?I note they are poly cotton.We are saving at the mo and have expensive teens -!! so we need to be wise with our limited money.Boden is out price wise.Are there any brands that i could look for in t k max.???? E bay etc.Shirts just look the same to me in the packet.!!..He does not have time to look - he is working far too long hours at the mo and i want to help !!Thankyou ,

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LonelyGoatherd · 27/09/2013 09:46

TM Lewin (sale is usually four for £100, or via ebay).

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RedPencils · 27/09/2013 09:47

The best ones my DH has are from TM Lewin, but they aren't that cheap and are a PITA to iron.
You might be able to find some on eBay.

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RedPencils · 27/09/2013 09:48

X post! They must be good.

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MN216 · 27/09/2013 09:50

My DH wears Charles Thyrwhitt (can't spell it but it's something like that) non-iron ones - he or I still iron them but then they stay crisp and fresh looking all day. 4 for £100 which I know is really pricy but you may get some on ebay or check out their website to see if there are any better offers. HTH

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AphraBehn · 27/09/2013 09:50

Def T M Lewin.

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 09:52

oh thankyou all - !!! is it that they are cotton- ??

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CMOTDibbler · 27/09/2013 09:55

DH (who needs to look v smart) wears TM Lewin or Charles Tyrwhitt. Both cost more to start with, but keep looking nice for a long time.
Wash with Napisan and dry on a hanger to keep them looking at their best

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 09:55

Have just looked on web site thanks so much !!! Any colour recomendations for grey and dark navy suit??avoid white ???

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 09:56

sorry ps - is the sizing standard and what are the slim fits ,different fits like.???

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Hubb · 27/09/2013 09:57

How the hell do you iron those to lewis ones I have to ask!?

My DH has a few that I cannot make look decent no matter long I spend ironing them!

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 10:03

Cmot- please could you advise re wash with nappisan - do you mean white ones only ,and how do you do it ?? Never used before ...

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LonelyGoatherd · 27/09/2013 10:08

hubb dunno, DH irons his own Grin
eva Yes, cotton looks better than polycotton. I'd avoid white as it will grey more quickly (unless the nappisan tip works), and may look a little school-uniformy with a suit. A patterned one (checked/striped etc) may work better. What's your DH's colouring?

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Nolda · 27/09/2013 10:13

T M Lewin here too, bought in their outlet shop at Gunwharf Quays. Re ironing, some Lewin shirts are easier than others, it depends on the fabric. The thicker ones are easier, I find.

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 10:20

lonely-thanks - he has blue eyes and dark brown curly hair - he is 50 and the hair has grey edges .Hes quite short mansize wise - 5 8 and toward a naturally stocky build so i need to check out fittings too.

Id go for lilac but i dont know if its too young - he needs to look really smart but does not work in buisness - its public sector but doing a lot of preentations and representing the county council.

he has two suits - one is navy whth a black and v dark purple v thin stripestripe and the other a pale grey no pattern both fine wool.

And as for ties, both of us really dont have a clue.!! The ones on the web site advised look lovely at 35 pounds but so do the silk ones in matalan to me !! aarrgg- now if it was dressess im in my comfort zone !! I just dont seem to have a n eye for what is cheap but good or cheap and bad in meanswear wherehas i n my own wardrobe im better at where to skimp and where to invest more ...feel bamboozled !!

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Alibabaandthe40nappies · 27/09/2013 10:30

TM Lewin luxury two-fold cotton are the ones that DH likes - he works in the city and has to look v.smart.

Grey suits are easy to match shirts with - DH wears a lot of blue, some white. His blue ones are a mixture of plain, some kind of stripe through them or a large check in a lighter or darker blue.

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CMOTDibbler · 27/09/2013 10:33

Napisan - just put a scoop in with your wash powder (I use Daz on whites/white based) and it stops manky underarms and keeps the shirts really bright white. Even if your dh goes into fire damaged buildings in his suit like mine does.

Shirt patterns - pink window pane check, herringbone patterns, or a purple check. Then a tie thats either a self colour pattern or just two colours are smartest imo

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ilovepowerhoop · 27/09/2013 10:36

I also buy TM Lewin shirts. I use spray starch and a steam generator iron and they iron up fine.

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dottygamekeeper · 27/09/2013 10:52

My DH works in the city, always wears Lewins shirts, bought when they are on the 4 for £100 offer They last really well and the cotton keeps its crispness (I find polycotton goes limp). He is stocky build (but tall) with greying hair and blue eyes, just about to be 50 so not dissimilar to your DH OP. Usually wears navy or grey suits, has a selection of shirt colours - blue and white Bengal stripe, plain sky blue, plain light blue, lilac window pane check, blue check (all different sizes of check), plain pink, pink and blue stripe etc. Don't worry about the lilac looking too young - its a lovely change from blue, and sounds as if it would go well with the navy suit for your DH. I prefer coloured shirts with grey suits as I think white looks either boring, cheap or too school uniformy.

My DH wears the regular fit shirts, and I think you can buy them in different sleeve lengths. The heavier weight cotton ones are easier to iron. The trick is to take them out of the washing machine as soon as the cycle finishes and hang them up, do not allow to dry fully so that you are ironing them a little bit damp, with a steam iron too.

I am hopeless with ties - I think my DH tends to wear fairly boring ones, but he does buy good quality ones (ie thick silk) as he says they tie better and make a better knot.

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DidIMissSomething · 27/09/2013 10:58

My Dh has some TM Lewin - the non-iron ones are good but to be honest the others don't stay looking smart all day and aren't especially long lasting. Fit wise the slim fitting ones aren't particularly slim - my DH is broad shouldered but still fits a slim - he doesn't in any other brand.
We usually buy Seidensticker which are more expensive at around £50 but wash and iron amazingly well and seem to last well too so if you're splashing out at some point they are a lovely option for best!

Colour wise I too would steer clear of plain white but also take care with checks as they can sometimes look a bit casual.

TK Maxx is great for ties.
Good luck - I often do the shirt shopping and know it's a PITA!

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 10:58

dotty - yes that s what i meant - the word was limp !!! no matter how i ironed just looked sad !!

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DidIMissSomething · 27/09/2013 11:22

Oh and I'd second dotty's suggestion of lilac - either plain or with a stripe. My dh likes a gold tie with lilac/purple - sounds dodgy but actually works well, or a dark striped tie - think old club/school style.

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sugar4eva · 27/09/2013 11:58

Thankyou all - lewin it is on pay day!!!!feel all yay !!!!

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snowlie · 27/09/2013 12:03

Dh normally wears Thomas Pink, the quality is fantastic, we've tried to go cheaper but the shirts look awful - how does Thomas pink compare to the Lewin, anyone know?

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MissScatterbrain · 27/09/2013 12:22

Another fan of TM Lewin shirts for men. My favourites are the checked ones. Herringbone also good if you want to go plain.

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Claxonia · 27/09/2013 12:28

My husband has a few Calvin Klein non-iron shirts which he gets from T Maxx for about £30. They genuinely don't need ironing if you hang them up from the washer straight away and look nice and crisp even at the end of the day.

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