Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirts from Lands End

Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirts from Lands End

I had been looking for reasonably priced Oxford Cloth Button Down shirts (hereafter being referenced as OCBD) for a while and while I had been happy with the Oxford stripe OCBD that I purchased from Arket (which I had reviewed last March), as wanted to try traditional American brands such as Lands End or LL Bean.  I am not opposed to buying more expensive shirts, but the pricing from companies such as Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Mercier & Sons including shipping and import duties put those a bit beyond my budget.  Lands End has a distributor and website right here in Germany, which means no expensive shipping and customs duties and they often have substantial sales.  Many of my readers will know that I love a good sale (having learned from my mother many years ago, to never pay full price for clothes, as the markup on retail is eyewatering).  Having found my deal, I ordered these preppy/Ivy classics: White, Light Blue and Oxford Stripe (which they call BAYSHORE BLUE STRIPE).

I got their Tailored Fit OCBD (size 16" x 35"), which is a bit more fitted than their Traditional Fit.  These shirts had all the classic detailing that I love on a good OCBD, including a trim, but not a tight fit, a 7 button front placket, center pleats in the back, a locker loop, 2 button adjustable cuffs, gauntlet buttons, and left breast pocket.  About the only details that I would have like to have added is a back collar button and a slightly longer collar point of 3 inches, instead of their 2 3/4 inches, but these details for me at least does not justify spending another $100 to have a custom shirt made.  I would say that overall the fit is perfect.

Packaging:
As one would expect for this price range, these shirts didn't arrive in fancy packaging, however, I find this to be totally acceptable because since it's just so much less waste heading to the landfill.

The cloth is a nice medium/heavyweight Oxford Cloth that feels substantial enough that I expect these shirts to last for many years of regular wear.  The cloth is 100 % Supima cotton with a non-iron finish, which is nice in that I can keep them crispt with a quick iron (I prefer my shirts with a crisp, but not starched finish).  I tend to wear the Oxford stripe version of this shirt the most because I just find it a bit more sporty/casual that the white and light blue, but even with the additional wearings, I find this shirt to shows absolutely no evidence of the extra wear.  I look forward to wearing these shirts for many years to come.

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Oxford strip OCBD shirt, Chinos and Grey Crew Neck Sweater from Arket

Some items in a traditional man's wardrobe are simply essential, must have staples.  The Oxford strap Oxford Cloth Button Down (OCBD) shirt, a quality pair of chinos and an Oxford Grey crew-neck wool sweater are unquestionable such items.  I'm convinced that given these wardrobe staples are in heavy rotation, they needn't be super expensive items with diligent shopping, one can find great quality clothing generally for prices that won't break the bank.  Having been referred to Arket via a post I saw on Instagram, touting their chino work trousers sent me to their website where I found these 3 pieces which appeared to be extremely well thought out and executed and at prices that even my rather frugal budget can afford. Arket is a Swedish company which specialized in high-quality clothes for man, women, and children as well as housewares at reasonable prices.

Oxford Stripe OCBD:

I had been shopping for a good quality OCBD shirt for a while to add to my rotation and the shirt from Arket seemed to fit the bill nicely.  I know there are a hand full of old-line companies which are famous for these shirts such as Brooks Brothers, Mercer & Sons, J. Press, and Japan's Kamakura, all of which, I'm sure making excellent quality shirts, but their pricing with import duties into Germany make these options price prohibitive for me.  Arket's Shirt 3 Oxford has most of the details I was looking for including 100% organic cotton content and genuine Trocas shell buttons for a fraction of the price.  Made from a nice heavy weight Oxford cloth, this really feels like a quality item that will last years and break-in nicely and become softer with wear.

Kahki Organic Cotton Chinos:

Arket Cotton Chinos are made from high quality 100% Organic cotton (these in dark beige) medium-weight twill are pretty Ideal in terms of fit and finish made with a slim, but not too slim, these chinos while not high waisted, these just about have the ideal fit

Merino Crewneck Sweater in Grey Melange:

This Merino sweater again in nicely made with large ribbing at cuffs, neck, and waist, and knitted using a wonderful multi-hued melange grey yarn. I purchased their size large, which fits well my 44-inch chest and 6-foot,2-inch frame.

Knitted in a plain jersey knit, this jumper is made of RWS certified merino wool. RWS stands for Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) which makes it possible to trace the material all the way back to the farm.  For full details, I recommend a visit to the Arket website.