Tuesday
Sep152009
Must have: Contrast Club Collar
Posted on 
September 15, 2009 by Ryan Willms
September 15, 2009 by Ryan Willms 
I have an illness and the only cure is more oxford cloth - or something like that. I honestly can't get enough oxford shirts, however until recently it's been almost exclusively button down collars. My desires are now fixated on the white contrast club collars at Tres Bien. I don't think anybody makes this shirt better than Gitman and yet we still have to go to Sweden to find them. The club collar works well buttoned all the way up on its own, but I'm particularly fond of pairing it with a bow tie right now, and those soft stripes are just making that option more appealing. The shirts themselves are classic 2 ply oxford cloth which is nice and solid for the winter, but really do work year round. Both of these are soon to be added to my closet where they will be met by plaid and grey ties and casual sport coats. The look is definitely done best by the Trad community or those residing in the far east - both recommended influences for getting dressed.
Reader Comments (20)
You could get that exact style of shirt at club monaco last season for a fraction of the inflated bs snob price of those gitman shirts.
Anyone else hate having to look at that molester mustache whenever you browse Tres Bien?
Brandon - yes. And that other blonde dude with the bowl cut freaks me out, too.
c'mon - Honestly, we aren't having this conversation again. Read some past threads if you want the general consensus on this topic and then go Kanye elsewhere
@ben - Huh? What if I never read this conversation before because I wasn't as cool as you and knew about this blog earlier? Should I have read every single post in the history of this site before I commented?
And do I really need the consensus on a certain topic before I decided to speak against it?
Back off and Kanye up and apology. Idiot.
@djtooshay - i think he was talking to the first poster
and yes I think we can all agree the tres bien models need to be fired. they make all the garments look bad just by wearing them.
No! I actually find the our legacy model refreshing... his swedish fishermen style makes me chuckle.
Yes, he's cool, he's a little different from all the boring models.
If by "Kanye up" you mean apologize by not apologizing...sure!
I am referring to the poster who flamed this topic by referring to the "inflated bs snob price". This has been a common response in the past few weeks. This website was never intended to be a thrifty shoppers guide, or a coupon clipper's bargain hunt.
Ryan has stated time and time again that the viewpoint of this site is products in which the h(y)r team believes, be it for the construction, fit, or overall aesthetic. I can personally attest to the quality of a GItman shirt, and while not bargain basement priced, is $130 really a tag to get up in arms about for a superior quality oxford shirt?
And oh yeah, for the record, you are most definitely not as cool as I.
I own several Gitmans and think the price for them is pretty fair although I'm been kinda bummed the retail prices have gone up quite a bit for the fall season. I do feel it's been a bit harsh criticizing h(y)r for posting some of the more higher priced goods. I understand that this is a pretty personal endeavor for the h(y)r crew and am grateful that they share that passion with the rest of us and that we really only benefit from the knowledge and access they provide. I do wanna say though that one of the reasons I've been a devoted reader was because of the way they made a pretty snobbish, exclusive minded industry more accessible for people who are stylish but aren't wrapped up in "fashion". It's reflected in the content and there willingness to consider our views, input, and suggestions in order to make what they are doing better. Don't know of many other style blogs that are doing the same. I hope they will continue in the same way and wish you guys much success.
lol at ben en tooshay
i think 130$ is very reasonable price for a quality item.
dont like the white collars though. its a bit too much for me, maybe is it becuase a lot semi posh yups wearing it without class or style over here
re: Ben and c'mon
my 2 cents:
I have more expensive shirts \ pants From CDG\ or Van Assche and less expensive brands Club Monaco\ Polo, perfectly honest, difference is not that much in terms of "quality" and "workmanship".
But now, with blazers and leather shoes, you can really tell the difference between Tricker's or Barker Black and Aldo leather.
So my conclusion...if you have limited budgets, go for shoes and blazers.
I'm glad h(y)r is giving us suggestions for quality brands. I'd rather have a few "investment" items and wear them to shreds than a closet full of poorly made, ill fitting clothing.
@ben: I didn't realize you were responding to the other poster. I take that comment back. And you're right, you are cooler than me. I should've picked up on that with the way you reacted to a "Club Monaco wearer".
Like you and most of the other people here, I don't get turned off by a $130 shirt. But that kind of attitude just reinforces the bad, unjustified stereotypes of the cocky personalities that often go along with these clothes. I may love my Grensons, but I won't look down on a person who opts for less, for whatever reasons.
Anyone should be able to express their views on these topics without getting put down by those kinds of responses. The ability to comment should encourage open discussion, not elitist snobbishness like the venom you spewed before.
Always been interested in acquiring a club collar, never been interest in acquiring any sort of contrast-collar shirtings.
are you guys 12 tears old?
Those club collar shirts look awesome. I think ill probably come around to them sooner then later but I really want one for Spring...
the contrast is cool but i also like some of the single colored club collared oxford shirts i've seen
@Roy
I overreacted based on the aggressiveness of first poster. Part of what makes h(y)r so special is that it feels like a great open community where we talk about the items we love, and it seemed to me that poster had just come in to rain on our parade.
I only made the "cool" comment based on being called an idiot for defending my (and what I feel to be the general h(y)r viewpoint), not to mention sarcastically being called "cool" to begin with.
I agree with your point about unjustified stereotypes, but I think you are missing where I'm coming from. I never was saying the poster wasn't cool because he wouldn't buy an expensive shirt, I was merely trying to get across that this isn't about getting a bargain or deal...
I think we were all a bit prickly yesterday. Glad that's sorted, then!
cosign on the shirts, but your model is creepy....child molester creepy