ModernTailor is one of the oldest and original online MTM shirtmakers. As far as pricing, etc., they seem to sit right in the middle — not super cheap, not high end by any means either. They’re not a particularly modern brand, nor do they have anything unique or special specifically to offer, as you’ll see. They just seem to be one of the first companies doing this, and so they more than deserve a full review. Here is what we think of ModernTailor’s custom shirt offerings ($54.95+).
Style & Design
I went with a classic blue candy stripe OCBD for this review. The fabric is exactly that. It’s a navy candy stripe, looks quite nice, and serves the exact purpose I got it for as far as its style and design. I think the collar could use a bit of work as there is not much life or shape to it, but I have also seen a lot worse.
Overall, ModernTailor offers lots of fabrics, and has quite an extensive and seasonal collection of options. They range in quality, but most are acceptable but nothing great, as we’ll see as well shortly. Overall, their styling and design is fine, but if you’re looking for real details or higher end finishings like collar roll and things of that nature, this is not your shirt maker. B+
Ordering Process
Their site sucks, no two ways about it. It’s super old, has never been updated, and is super difficult to navigate and look at. It’s hard to get a great sense of the design options, or how your shirt will actually look in real life. Also, while they do offer many customization options, they don’t offer that many compared to some other MTM makers online. It’s also a terrible checkout process that is very difficult to understand and navigate through. It is, hands down, the worst we have ever seen for online MTM. It gets the job done, but just barely.
Shipping is a bit slow — it took about 3-4 weeks for us. Packaging is fine, and standard at this price level, just a standard envelope-type. They also charge for shipping per shirt depending on how exactly you order. Overall, not a great experience. This is made even worse by the fact that their customer service is not very good at all. There is a serious language barrier, and they do not stand behind their products in the way that somewhere like Proper Cloth does. If the shirt doesn’t come out well, you’ll have to work hard to convince them to do a remake as they do not have a super clear policy listed online as to remakes. What you want to see on online MTM is something like “if you’re not 100% happy, we will remake it, no questions asked.” Proper Cloth is absolutely fantastic about this. ModernTailor? Not so much. C
The Fit
ModernTailor, quite nicely, offers a separate measurement for armhole and bicep, something I always look for, and something that somewhere like Proper Cloth does not actually offer. However, it didn’t come out quite exactly per the measurement I specified. I think as a first fitting, this is actually, honestly, quite good and one of the better ones that we have seen. Nevertheless, there is certainly obvious room for improvements. Now, this is to be expected with a first fitting from a new shirtmaker as, even though I have done this a million times by now, every company cuts their patterns a little bit differently. However, with a difficult customer service system and an unclear policy like ModernTailor, I honestly am not even bothering. The reality is that I will likely not wear this shirt much. It’s a bit too tight and uncomfortable in some places, a bit short as well, and overall I am just not at all confident that ModernTailor would be able to refine and perfect the tiny details I would like to iterate on and improve on with each subsequent order.
Yes, you can get your first shirt from them for just $20 — but it’s a crappy fabric. And the reality is that it’d be much more preferable to just pay full price, and know you are backed by an excellent remake or return policy. When ModernTailor offers a super cheap first shirt, what that means is that they are saying they don’t want to deal with you, they don’t want a relationship, and they don’t want to hear from you. Essentially, order at your own risk. I just don’t like that sentiment from a company for MTM. After all, the developing relationship with MTM companies is what separates a bad one from a good one, and a good one from a great one. If you are confident that you can evolve and develop and refine your fit over time, that is a company to go with. And saying that of ModernTailor is laughable. Sorry if this is too harsh, but it is true. B-
Quality & Construction
The fabric is decent, with a feel somewhere between soft and scratchy. It will likely break in and get a bit softer over time, but this is also far from a luxurious cloth — which is more than fine at the price point. Construction is much the same. No great attention to detail, no collar roll, but also nothing bad or wrong either. Everything is well finished, and feels solid overall. They do know how to make a decent shirt after all this time. Still, at this price (and even a bit below, or a tiny bit above) you can get a much better ordering experience, customer service and remake policies, all in a shirt that is just as well-made. So, sure, this shirt is solid quality, but it’s hard to say that it is a great value considering how much more you can get by way of experience for the same price elsewhere. B
Value & Conclusion
ModernTailor’s custom shirts ($54.95+): With a terrible website ordering experience, lackluster remake policies, and a quality that is on par with many other similarly priced online MTM shirt companies, it’s difficult to recommend ModernTailor despite an overall decent product. Final Grade: B-