How it all started... with the Dress Shirt
Posted by Peter Manning on
One of the things that got me into the business of dressing “not so tall” guys was my last trip to the tailor some years ago now.
I brought a shirt to be altered and the tailor said, “This is crazy, by the time I fix up this shirt correctly it will cost you more than the shirt!”
He was right. But I needed him to fix it at any cost. It was crazy to me. So right then I decided to start what was to become Peter Manning NYC.
Finding the perfect dress shirt had become an exercise in futility and a bit of an obsession. I wanted a properly balanced, not-too-long shirt with a slim arm, a well-proportioned body, placket and pocket and most importantly, a perfectly scaled point collar, not too spread and not too pointy. Generally, collars on dress shirts are just too big for shorter men. The collar frames the face and your tie and getting it right meant everything.
For our first Dress Shirt, we worked on many iterations in order to find the perfectly balanced point collar. We nailed it. Oh, and I wanted all of the above in a truly top-notch classic pinpoint. No compromises.
Was that all too much to ask?
Fortunately, now, for the first time, I can wear a dress shirt and not feel self-conscious about the too-big collar or be uncomfortable because of too much fabric hiding below the waist. Like any good dress shirt it can do double or triple duty: with a suit, under a sweater or with jeans and blazer. Our Dress Shirt works perfectly with our 54″ ties (more on the way!).
On an accessories note, I have taken to wearing an old slim gold tie clip of my grandfather’s. I wear it between the second and third buttonholes on our shirt for a more modern look.
Our perfect dress shirt, a slim (not skinny) tie and simple tie clip worn with a suit, a cardigan or just with jeans and a rolled up sleeve will make you look classic and sharp.
Finally, I have a dress shirt that doesn’t cost me double to get it right!