T.M. Lewin vs Proper Cloth: 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.
Proper Cloth delivers more shirt per dollar than T.M. Lewin
Proper Cloth scores 100/100 on specification per dollar against 41/100 for T.M. Lewin. The score weighs two things a shirt is actually judged on after a year: the collar interlining and how the size is arrived at. T.M. Lewin 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: T.M. Lewin — $86 against $125 a shirt
- Collar construction: Proper Cloth — Proper Cloth publishes it (fused or unfused, your choice at order); T.M. Lewin does not
- Fit control: Proper Cloth — Questionnaire-derived size against neck + sleeve length
| Specification | T.M. Lewin | Proper Cloth |
|---|---|---|
| List price, one shirtWhat a single shirt costs at full price. | $1151 | $1254 |
| Lowest advertised priceThe per-shirt price the brand itself promotes — its multi-buy ladder or standing sale. | $861 | $125 (no multi-buy)4 |
| 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 brand12 | Fused or unfused, your choice at order5 |
| How the size is decidedAlpha sizing asks you to fit the shirt; a drafted pattern fits the shirt to you. | Neck + sleeve length21 | Questionnaire-derived size647 |
| Cloth | Twill, poplin, oxford, herringbone, dogstooth and dobby, mostly cotton with some wool blend, in both non-iron and easy-to-iron finishes. No ply or yarn count is published anywhere on the listing. Royal oxford is not offered.1 | Broadcloth, twill, pinpoint oxford, chambray, denim, dobby, end-on-end, flannel, melange, oxford, poplin, royal oxford, herringbone and seersucker, in Egyptian, Sea Island, American Pima and Giza 45 cottons. Both two-ply and single-ply are offered, with counts referenced from 50s up to 330s and the rule of thumb that anything above 100 implies two-ply. No non-iron or wrinkle-free treatment is mentioned anywhere in the fabric reference; wrinkling is discussed only as a property of the weave.8 |
| Published construction | Single and double cuffs are offered, with classic, button-down, semi-cutaway and wing collars. Single-needle side seams, split yoke, stitch density, gussets and button material are not published on any page read.1 | Collar construction is the one spec published in full, per collar model. Single-needle side seams, stitch density, split yoke and removable collar stays are not stated on the reference pages, and the button material could not be confirmed from the linked button article.54 |
| Where it is made | No country of manufacture was reached. T.M. Lewin has no country-of-origin page, and none of the pages read names a factory or a country. | Does not name a country of manufacture on any page read — not on the custom shirt page, the fabric reference or the guarantee.489 |
| Returns | Thirty days from order confirmation, unworn and with tags on. The customer pays: the prepaid label price and any taxes and duties are deducted from the refund. There is no exchange at all — the policy requires you to return the shirt and make a separate new purchase. Altered items cannot be returned.3 | Free 60-day returns and remakes, with free remakes if the first custom shirt is not right. No numeric cap on remakes is stated on the guarantee page; a third-party write-up claims two complimentary remakes per product category, which the brand page does not confirm. Altered clothing is not accepted back at all, and who pays return shipping is not stated.9 |
| Turnaround | No dispatch or delivery time was reached on any T.M. Lewin page read for this record. | Made to measure in under two weeks, stated on the custom shirt page.4 |
| Spec per dollarCollar construction and sizing method against the price actually advertised (0–100). | 41/100 · Fair | 100/100 · Exceptional |
Who each one is for
- T.M. Lewin
- Someone who wants to know in inches what a brand means by "slim" before ordering, and is buying four shirts to trigger the discount.
- Proper Cloth
- Someone who wants to choose a fused or unfused collar knowingly, without measuring themselves, and to have the shirt inside two weeks.
Questions people ask about this pair
- Is T.M. Lewin or Proper Cloth cheaper?
- T.M. Lewin. Its lowest advertised price is $86 a shirt against $125 for Proper Cloth. At full list the two are $115 and $125.
- Which has the better collar?
- Proper Cloth. Does not publish whether the collar and cuffs are fused. Nothing on the shirt listing or the size guide addresses interlining. Publishes interlining by collar model and defines the terms: a heat-bonded interlining is fused, a sewn-in one is unfused. Dress collars are stiff fused, casual collars are soft non-fused with the interlining sewn to the collar fabric, and hybrid collars are soft fused with a lighter, more pliable interlining. Because the choice is made by picking a collar, the buyer decides fused or unfused at order time.
- How do I get the right size from T.M. Lewin or Proper Cloth?
- T.M. Lewin: Formal shirts are sold by collar size and sleeve length across a 14.5 to 20 inch collar range, and T.M. Lewin is the rare brand that publishes the garment chest and waist behind each fit name. At a 15.5 inch collar the four formal fits run Regular 47 inch chest and 44 inch waist, Slim 45 and 40, Fitted 43.5 and 38.5, Super Fitted 41 and 37 — six inches of chest and seven inches of waist from end to end. The casual Relaxed fit switches to alpha sizing, so the brand runs two sizing systems across one shirt range. Proper Cloth: Three routes: a ten-question Smart Sizes questionnaire that adjusts sixteen independent fit points, nine body measurements entered directly, or measurements taken off a shirt you already own. Standard fits are Super Slim, Slim and Classic. Read the size charts carefully — chest, midsection, bottom and sleeve widths are half, flat garment measurements taken across the front of a shirt lying flat, and the brand says to double them to get the garment circumference, so a listed 21.5 inch chest width is a 43 inch chest.
- What are the return policies?
- T.M. Lewin: Thirty days from order confirmation, unworn and with tags on. The customer pays: the prepaid label price and any taxes and duties are deducted from the refund. There is no exchange at all — the policy requires you to return the shirt and make a separate new purchase. Altered items cannot be returned. Proper Cloth: Free 60-day returns and remakes, with free remakes if the first custom shirt is not right. No numeric cap on remakes is stated on the guarantee page; a third-party write-up claims two complimentary remakes per product category, which the brand page does not confirm. Altered clothing is not accepted back at all, and who pays return shipping is not stated.
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 T.M. Lewin nor Proper Cloth 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.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the Team at Nathan Taylor’s, I had the absolute best experience from the WhatsApp video call to the customer service… they are top notch. I can’t recommend them enough and will definitely be purchasing more suits from them. Cảm ơn!”
“Suit arrived! It’s incredible, amazing job thank you.”
“Ordered two suits and four shirts, remotely from the US. They fit great and are great quality! Was able to do everything over WhatsApp for measurements, etc. Will definitely visit if I ever make it to Hoi An. Highly recommend!”
“Being a short and stocky person, I could never truly get clothing that fitted properly. "Off the rack" was never an option... As I opened the small box, I got nervous and wondered if I made a big mistake and basically gambled away a fair amount of money. I ordered a 3 piece suit, 2 shirts and had a pair of leather dress shoes. Everything fitted nicely... the shirts were absolutely PERFECT.”
“Very satisfied; incredibly skillful to make clothes fit so perfectly. Beautiful fabric exactly as promised, very neat — would simply love to order from here again!”
“They did such an amazing job, my suit fits perfectly and the craftsmanship is superb! Linda was a great help and she knows exactly what she is doing. I can't recommend this place enough and I will be getting more suits from them in the future guaranteed!”
“Great place to get perfect suit, they send me to Poland with no problems.”
“WOW! Ordered a suit online with Linda. She contacted me by video call to go through the measuring process and once confirmed measurements again, around 4 weeks later a made to measure suit arrived in the UK. Fitted perfectly and I didn't even visit! Fantastic quality and customer service from Linda. Would definitely recommend!”
“Exceptional experience from start to finish. I ordered a fully custom two-piece double-breasted suit remotely from France, Linda and Jennifer guided me through every step with patience and professionalism. The suit arrived in under 3 weeks and the result is flawless: fabric, cut, lining, silhouette, everything is perfect. Nathan Tailors delivered exactly the vision I had in mind. I will absolutely be ordering again. Highly recommended.”
“This was my first time buying suits online so I was a bit apprehensive. However, the online order form was both easy to use and very thorough, and they did a video call with me to make sure of a couple of measurements that were out of the normal range. Two suits and a shirt arrived here in New Zealand in less than two weeks, are well-made, and fit perfectly. I'm thrilled with the service.”
Other shirt comparisons
Sources
- 1. T.M. Lewin — men’s shirts collectionbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 2. T.M. Lewin — size guidesbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 3. T.M. Lewin — returns policybrand · read 2026-09-29
- 4. Proper Cloth — custom dress shirtsbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 5. Proper Cloth — shirt collar constructionsbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 6. Proper Cloth — standard sizes, types of fit and size chartsbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 7. Proper Cloth — dress shirt body measurementsbrand · read 2026-09-29
- 8. Proper Cloth — dress shirt fabrics referencebrand · read 2026-09-29
- 9. Proper Cloth — Perfect Fit Guaranteebrand · read 2026-09-29