Brooks Brothers vs Indochino: which dress shirt is actually worth it?
Side by side on the specifications that decide how a shirt looks after a year: the collar interlining, how the size is arrived at, the cloth, and the price each brand actually advertises rather than the one on the ticket.
Indochino delivers more shirt per dollar than Brooks Brothers
Indochino scores 73/100 on specification per dollar against 0/100 for Brooks Brothers. The score weighs two things a shirt is actually judged on after a year: the collar interlining and how the size is arrived at. Brooks Brothers does not publish its collar interlining, so there is nothing there to check. Price is the lowest per-shirt figure each brand advertises itself, not a list price neither of them expects you to pay.
- Lower advertised price: Indochino — $97 against $99 a shirt
- Fit control: Indochino — Made to your measurements against alpha sizing (s/m/l/xl)
| Specification | Brooks Brothers | Indochino |
|---|---|---|
| List price, one shirtWhat a single shirt costs at full price. | $9921 | $13958 |
| Lowest advertised priceThe per-shirt price the brand itself promotes — its multi-buy ladder or standing sale. | $99 (no multi-buy)21 | $9758 |
| Collar interliningA glued collar is what bubbles and curls after a year of washing. Most brands decline to say which theirs is. | Not published by the brand1234 | Not published by the brand5 |
| How the size is decidedAlpha sizing asks you to fit the shirt; a drafted pattern fits the shirt to you. | Alpha sizing (S/M/L/XL)21 | Made to your measurements6 |
| Cloth | Both oxfords are 100% cotton oxford cloth. Neither page publishes fabric weight, ply or yarn count; the mainline copy says only that it is a substantial fabric that breaks in with washing. Neither is sold as non-iron — Brooks keeps non-iron on a separate stretch Supima pinpoint line.12 | Named cloths across the premium shirt line include an anti-wrinkle weave, oxford, basketweave, cotton stretch, flannel stretch, corduroy, cotton-linen, herringbone, dobby and brushed melange, with the marketing describing fine cotton and premium poplin. Ply and yarn count are not published, and the anti-wrinkle line carries no treatment chemistry or non-iron grading.5 |
| Published construction | The American-Made shirt publishes the signature six-pleat shirring, a chest pocket, a centre back pleat, single-needle tailored side seams, barrel cuffs and authentic mother-of-pearl buttons. The mainline Original Polo publishes none of that, describing only a distinctive collar roll.12 | Nothing is published. No interlining type, no single-needle claim, no stitch density, no split yoke, no button material, no gusset and no collar-stay statement — the page offers fabrics and linings in place of construction.5 |
| Where it is made | The American-Made shirt is made in the USA and says so. The mainline Original Polo says only "Imported" and names no country. Press coverage of the 2016 relaunch placed the American shirt factory in Garland, North Carolina.123 | No country of manufacture is disclosed anywhere on the shirt collection page.5 |
| Returns | No returns policy was reached on any Brooks Brothers page read for this record. | Indochino’s own alterations article states that refunds are not available under any circumstances and that it does not accept returns or offer refunds on made-to-measure items. Claims must be made within 14 days of receipt, and the alteration reimbursement for a shirt is $25 USD or CAD, or $30 AUD, available only in Canada, the United States and Australia. That article contains no remake or replacement clause at all; third parties describe a free remake after the alteration credit is used, but the brand does not document one.76 |
| Turnaround | The American-Made shirt is made on demand and ships within 15 business days, with a $20 shipping fee stated on the product page and an optional $12 monogram. The mainline shirt is stock and no dispatch time is given.1 | No lead time is published on any Indochino page read. A third-party customisation directory says an order takes about three weeks, but it is undated and is not a brand statement.59 |
| Spec per dollarCollar construction and sizing method against the price actually advertised (0–100). | 0/100 · Paying for the name | 73/100 · Strong |
Who each one is for
- Brooks Brothers
- A buyer who wants the American-made oxford specifically, and knows to check which of the two Brooks oxfords they are actually looking at.
- Indochino
- Someone who wants to be measured in person at a showroom and accepts that the shirt cannot be refunded afterwards.
Questions people ask about this pair
- Is Brooks Brothers or Indochino cheaper?
- Indochino. Its lowest advertised price is $97 a shirt against $99 for Brooks Brothers. At full list the two are $99 and $139.
- Which has the better collar?
- Neither can be separated on published evidence. Does not publish collar or cuff interlining on either oxford product page. The famous unlined collar comes from press coverage of the 2016 relaunch, which reported that the interlining was removed for a soft rolled collar, and is not printed as a spec on the current product pages. Does not publish whether the collar is fused. Nothing about interlining appears on the shirt collection page, which offers style customisation in place of any construction specification.
- How do I get the right size from Brooks Brothers or Indochino?
- Brooks Brothers: The two oxford lines use different size systems. The mainline Original Polo, the volume shirt, is sold in alpha sizes XS to XXL in a single Relaxed fit. The American-Made shirt is sold by neck and sleeve, 14.5 to 18.5 neck and 32 to 36 sleeve, in Slim, Regular and Traditional. A man with a 16 inch neck and a 36 inch sleeve cannot be fitted by the mainline shirt at all. Indochino: Two routes, both published: measure yourself at home with the brand’s instructional video, or book a showroom appointment and have a style guide measure you. There is no questionnaire or algorithm route and no way to copy a shirt you already own.
- What are the return policies?
- Brooks Brothers: No returns policy was reached on any Brooks Brothers page read for this record. Indochino: Indochino’s own alterations article states that refunds are not available under any circumstances and that it does not accept returns or offer refunds on made-to-measure items. Claims must be made within 14 days of receipt, and the alteration reimbursement for a shirt is $25 USD or CAD, or $30 AUD, available only in Canada, the United States and Australia. That article contains no remake or replacement clause at all; third parties describe a free remake after the alteration credit is used, but the brand does not document one.
What a made-to-measure shirt costs from the workshop
We are not on this page to sell you a third option you did not ask for, so here are the numbers to compare against the table above. A shirt cut to your own measurements in our Hoi An workshop is $39–$59 garment-only, depending on the cloth, with shipping quoted separately. There is no size to pick and no fit name to guess between: the pattern is drafted from your measurements.
Neither Brooks nor Indochino is a bad shirt at its price. The question this page exists to answer is what each one publishes about how it is built — and that is in the table, with the sources. See how the measurements are taken.
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Other shirt comparisons
Sources
- 1. Brooks Brothers — American-Made Oxford Cloth Button-Down Dress Shirt (ME04455)brand · read 2026-09-29
- 2. Brooks Brothers — Original Polo Button-Down Oxford Shirt (MG04173)brand · read 2026-09-29
- 3. Ivy-Style — Brooks reintroduces the unlined, rolled-collar oxford (2016 relaunch coverage)press · read 2026-09-29
- 4. This Fits — Brooks Brothers oxfordsthird-party · read 2026-09-29
- 5. Indochino — premium shirts collectionbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 6. Indochino — how Indochino worksbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 7. Indochino — alterations and returnsbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 8. FindPrices — Indochino pricing structurethird-party · read 2026-09-29
- 9. Mass Customization — Indochino custom shirts (states about three weeks)third-party · read 2026-09-29