The Anthology has an interesting shirt offering that I only really discovered recently. Perhaps because it’s not that clearly flagged up on the website.
You can get most of their shirts to order, selecting a size that determines the chest and the collar but then specifying the waist, sleeve length and body length. For someone like me, who is a fairly regular size but often wants a slimmer waist and a longer body than standard, it could be very useful.
Delivery takes three weeks, which is fast enough for most people and certainly quicker than anyone doing made-to-measure. Although this is the other way – the negative way – to see their system: very little is held as stock, almost everything has to be made to order. So there’s a trade-off there between speed and customisation.
There are some other aspects to this – upsides and downsides – but let’s first cover what I ordered and how it turned out.
The Anthology do trunk shows in London and New York, and at those they will happily measure you for a shirt (MTO or bespoke). But I wanted to try just the online service, without any help.
I decided to try the ‘deep olive one-piece collar’ shirt, as I really like that deep murky shade of green. I did this back in the summer by the way, so linen wasn’t a crazy choice.
I took the bespoke shirt of mine that I liked the fit of best, and compared the measurements to those on the Anthology website. This is what I found:
Collar/chest:
- My bespoke shirt had a measurement of 39.5cm on the collar and 112cm in the chest
- This doesn’t perfectly align with The Anthology’s block, as they have 39cm and 40cm collar options, not one in between
- I decided to go with the 40cm collar, in order to keep the 112cm chest of my bespoke. I wouldn’t wear this style with a tie anyway, so the collar is less important
- There is no ability to alter the collar or chest in relation to each other though, so others may have to compromise more
Waist:
- For the 40cm collar I picked, the default waist size was 110cm, which is exactly what my bespoke one measured
- This was interesting, because as we’ve covered on PS before, a few years ago I would have gone for more like 104cm
- So there was no need to alter the waist, but I could have increased or decreased it by 4cm if I wanted
- It is possible to change the proportions more than this, The Anthology explained to me afterwards, but they limit it to 4cm as few people need more than that, and in that case they would prefer the customer to get in touch with them to confirm they’re measuring correctly
- The size chart on every page shows where the measurements should be taken, and there is a video walking through the process. Although it could be clearer exactly where the waist should be measured
Sleeve:
- This is where things got a bit odd. My bespoke shirt measured 66cm and the Anthology’s default was 62cm, so I was at the absolute maximum of what could be added
- I know I’m not that different to average, so I was worried I’d measured something wrong (despite going off the size chart). So at this point I got in touch with them to check I was doing it right
- They confirmed I was, and it was just that the limits were partly based on Asian sizing, where the arms are rather shorter
- I guess this could be communicated better, and it means some people in the West will be beyond the maximum sleeve length. But the team were helpful and as mentioned before, could add any amount required
Shoulder:
- This was 49cm on my bespoke, and 46.7cm on the Anthology default
- Like the chest, this can’t be altered, so I did consider sizing up, but in the end decided against it as the seam position makes less of a difference than the chest size
Length:
- My bespoke was 81cm in the back length, and the Anthology default 78cm
- So this is one area where I clearly benefit from the system, even with western sizing – my height (184cm) means a lot of ready-made shirts are short on me. I added the 3cm I wanted
The resulting shirt, three weeks later, was exactly what I ordered. I also liked the colour and other aspects of the style. The only thing I didn’t like so much was the one-piece collar – not that there was anything wrong with The Anthology’s version, but I’ve slightly gone off the collar in general.
One-piece collars were interesting when they first became popular, and the appeal of something subtly unusual, rolling open in a smooth unbroken curve, remains. Look at my old one from Marol, and I think you can see how well this works.
But there are a some disadvantages. The back of the placket has a habit of flipping out (see image below) and when worn on their own, without a jacket, one-piece collars are a little less subtle.
The Anthology’s version is better than most, but my view today is that they’re a nice alternative to have in the wardrobe – a second white-linen shirt when you already have one white-linen shirt – rather than a default. Given I’m only going to have one olive linen shirt, I’d prefer it to have a regular collar.
This brings us onto the other disadvantage of this service, which is that The Anthology don’t offer a big range of classic, everyday shirts. Yes, there is a white and blue oxford, and a few blue-stripe poplins, but I couldn’t get my olive linen in a regular collar, the white spread collar is a cotton-linen rather than a pure cotton, the pure cotton a point collar.
Compared to someone like Anglo-Italian or Natalino, The Anthology’s range is more varied and more unusual. There are some classics in there, but the brand’s strength is (for me) the interesting stripes and unusual fabrics – this deep olive, the beige/white linen, the red ‘Workman’ shirt.
In fact, there is a particular appeal in workwear-like shirts such as the Workman. Because if you go to a classic shirtmaker they will usually only have fine shirtings from the likes of Thomas Mason, Alumo or Canclini, and will be used to making business styles. Ask them to source a rugged chambray, or make with double stitching and teardrop pockets, and they will struggle.
I like work shirts but ready-made ones don’t always fit me so well. The Anthology’s offering could be useful there, and I might try one of their Workman shirts next. (Bryceland’s also offer this, as does someone like Gitman Bros at their trunk shows.)
The only other thing I found hard with the Anthology service was shrinkage. Some fabrics shrink more than others, and there isn’t any guidance on particular shirts about this. My linen has been fine, but I know others will shrink more.
If in doubt, I’d say contact the team and ask their advice. They also made it clear to me that the MTO service is designed mostly for repeat customers – that’s where it works best, when someone knows the Anthology shirts and wants to be able to order something remotely, with a particular fit.
I think that’s fair – it’s never going to compare to the fit or range of fabrics you can get with bespoke or MTM. It’s more an enhancement, both in terms of fit and convenience, on the style and product of a brand you already like.
My shirt cost $230 (the quoted price is for MTO, as these can shirts can only be made to order, as mentioned). The only shirt that is not made-to-order currently is the ‘Big Man’ style.
Note: This also means shirts cannot be returned or exchanged. So a risk there, although I know from friends The Anthology readily make a new shirt if there is any kind of mistake. Again, it’s a reason why it works best for repeat customers
Clothes shown: Ciardi bespoke jacket in Anglo-Italian cloth, Whitcomb & Shaftesbury trousers in Fox Flannel cloth, Ludens crocodile belt, Gaziano & Girling bespoke alligator shoes
