A History of the shirt

Surprisingly, the first documented shirt in the history of man was found in Egypt – a tailor made linen shirt with pleats for a perfect fit. From then on, till the twentieth century, oddly the shirt was always to be hidden – to be worn as a form of undergarment (quite different from the formal shirts & business shirts of today). Some believed that a man who did not wear one to bed was indecent!

Shirts and our mindset towards them have both come a long way. Earlier shirts were always made by custom shirt makers. With the advent of mass manufacturing, cheaper ready made clothes became the norm. Custom tailored shirts became the exclusive preserve of the snooty few who could afford to spend on luxury apparel. But with this trend, men had to settle with poor fitting shirts. Large size shirts, King size shirts, skinny shirts became difficult to find.

But then came the Internet, e-commerce across borders and the ability to buy personalized shirts online. Technology dissolved barriers and made tailored shirts affordable to the masses. Mark our words, it did not diminish quality, it simply made quality clothing more approachable.

That’s the style trend that Vitruvien is a part of. Quality bespoke shirts, crafted with care and made affordable by technology – a perfect addition to one’s corporate shirt collection.

Today, you can pick your choice of fabric – Egyptian cotton shirts to linen shirts - and create a shirt with any collar – chinese collar, cutaway collar, club collar. You can customize your shirt to have any cuff – French Cuffs / Double cuffs, convertible cuffs. Or perhaps design your own tuxedo shirt. Why keep it white? Why not pastel blue or baby pink? You can tailor make a banker’s shirt in any fabric and also add a personalized monogram. The world is the pallete when it comes to fashionable tailored shirts.

Size is no barrier now. Since it is custom, you are never out of stock for any size. No more do customers need to hunt for big and tall shirt sizes, short men shirt sizes or plus sizes. Skinny men shirt sizes or king size shirts are now a few keystrokes away.

So it seems like history is repeating itself. A change is in the offing – a change from the readymade shops of today to the custom clothing stores of tomorrow. Custom shirts are back with a bang.

Let’s say - history has taken a giant leap forward.

Why buy custom shirts?

Off the rack is for the rest of the pack! And surely not for the customers of Vitruvien.

So whats the deal with custom shirts? For starters, the fit. Why settle for a little too short a sleeve or a little to baggy a shirt when this age of internet enables otherwise – when you can buy personalized shirts online? And then, the myriad customization options - from French cuffs, to Chinese collars to personalized shirt monograms. The world is your pallete, when it comes to tailor made shirts. And lastly, the finish. When your custom tailored shirt is hand cut with elegance, crafted with German & Japanese interlinings and produced under strict quality control, the result is likely to be close to Da Vinci’s Vitruvian perfection.

About Vitruvien’s made-to-measure shirts

Inspired by Da Vinci’s rendition of the perfect man, Vitruvien’s ambition is to blend art and science, fit and fashion to craft the perfect bespoke shirt for its customers. Hand cut from the finest Egyptian cotton fabrics, Vitruvien’s custom shirts are tailored to perfection using state of the art technology. Design your own tailor made shirt with innumerable styles to choose from. Personalize your shirt with a monogram and make it truly one in a million. And since it is custom – you can be rest assured that no matter what your size, we will always have your fit.