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If you’re looking to seriously upgrade your wardrobe, made-to-measure clothing is the next step you’ll need to take.
With more customized fits — and often higher-quality materials — brands like Proper Cloth turn ordinary wardrobe staples into long-lasting heritage pieces with exceptionally flattering cuts.
The trouble is, made-to-order clothing is always going to be more expensive than off-the-rack options. But is it worth the extra investment? I decided to test that out by ordering five different items from Proper Cloth.
Now let’s find out if this brand is ripe for your next wardrobe upgrade:
ABOUT PROPER CLOTH
Proper Cloth is one of many made-to-measure custom menswear brands out there today, but they’re also one of the earliest and best-established brands in the field. They started with just shirts, and have moved into having a selection of just about every clothing item a guy could want.
Today, Proper Cloth offers a good blend of ready-to-wear and custom clothing. And their website, photography, and styling are all top-notch — which is reflective of the overall quality of their products and experience.
In short, you could order your whole wardrobe from here — provided you have the budget for it — and end up looking really, really good.
MY BUILD
For reference, I’m 5’6” in shoes and about 125 lbs after dinner. I have a 35” chest and almost always order XS tops.
My off-the-rack suit jacket size would be 34S, and my ideal pant size is usually 28×28.
WHAT I TRIED
Here’s the rundown on the five items I ordered from Proper Cloth, from their classic button-down shirt to a corduroy shirt jacket, a pair of custom-made jeans, and more.
CUSTOM BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT
The custom button-down shirt was the first item I tried from Proper Cloth and the first one for which I sent in measurements.
Overall, the fit here is really good — especially for a first attempt. I ordered it at an untucked length for casual wear, and it really fits just about right length-wise. I sized it based on a casual denim button-down that I wear a lot, and I feel like Proper Cloth did a good job matching that fit.
The quality of fabric here is really nice, soft yet sturdy. My only complaint is with the buttons, though that might be my fault for choosing the wrong style.
As it is, they’re way too heavy and tend to pull the placket of the shirt down when the top couple of buttons are unbuttoned.
CORDUROY SHIRT JACKET
Proper Cloth’s corduroy shirt jacket is one that they offer as a ready-to-wear style, in a wide range of sizes. It’s a very cool jacket, with a stiff standup collar that almost makes it feel like an old-school safari jacket.
I ordered the XXS here, and it fits perfectly for me in everything but the sleeves. I’ll be getting it tailored to dial in the fit, but yeah, overall the quality and style here are really good.
MERINO AND SILK HALF-ZIP SWEATER
This is another item that Proper Cloth sells as a ready-to-wear piece rather than custom-fitted. And in size XXS, it fits me super well — from the shoulders through the length and the sleeve length, in particular. I could probably have even sized up to an XS here and still felt really stylish and comfortable.
This half-zip sweater is very lightweight and soft, definitely meant more as a transitional piece for spring and fall. Though it would probably look really nice as a layering piece through the winter, too.
COTTON T-SHIRT
When you spend 50 dollars on a t-shirt, you really expect it to be more than just nice — it has to be pretty great to warrant that price. And overall, I think that Proper Cloth’s t-shirt is worth it.
Overall, the fit here is really on point. The shoulders might be a tiny bit too wide for me, but literally every other measurement is exactly right. And after washing it, it’s just the right length too, which is hard for a shorter guy like me to find.
CUSTOM PAIR OF JEANS
Lastly, I went for a pair of Proper Cloth’s made-to-measure jeans in a slub twill from Akita, a well-respected Japanese denim mill.
I based the measurements off of a pair of Everlane’s slim chinos I have that fit me just right, and Proper Cloth’s take on it was almost perfect. The waist is a tiny bit loose, so I definitely want to be wearing these with a belt.
However, the shape of the leg is so spot-on — it really reminds me of Levi’s 512 slim tapers, one of my all-time favorite jeans.
The color is great here too, making them overall just a really amazing pair of jeans.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Lastly, we’d like to answer some of the questions that guys have been asking us about Proper Cloth.
WHO OWNS PROPER CLOTH?
Seph Skerritt is the founder and CEO of Proper Cloth.
WHERE IS PROPER CLOTH BASED?
Proper Cloth is based in New York. They do all of their design and customer service work from their offices in SOHO.
WHERE ARE PROPER CLOTH SUITS MADE?
Proper Cloth’s custom-made suits, shirts, and pants are cut and sewn by a production team in Vietnam, with fabrics sourced from around the world.
FINAL VERDICT
So overall, Proper Cloth is definitely a TMM-approved brand — as long as you have the budget for it, that is. All of their offerings are more expensive than anything you’ll get off the rack, but with just a little bit of trial and error, you can get clothes that make you look like a million bucks.
