Western/Plaid Shirts

[englandmj7]

the flathead houndstooth that i had for a few days was about 5x as thick as any flannel I've ever felt. I used to think the same, but i've owned a lot of real "Western" brands and non of the flannel stuff has even come remotely close to quality or construction of japanese stuff.

as far as the price goes, a lot of rockmount and other western brands cost between $60-85, whereas sugarcane shirts are $80-110, it's usually not that bad. I own my fair share of plain old eddie bauer flannels and old navy as well, don't get me wrong...just nice to have 2 or 3 really nice ones to wear when i want something dfferent.

I've seen the Flathead shirts in person multiple times, and can safely say that several of my Filson, Ralph Lauren and Wrangler shirts are noticeably thicker than Flathead's. Not that this indicates anything.

I really hate when people consistently and loosely use the terms 'quality' and 'construction' as the defense for absorbitantly priced faux-western/american Japanese products. No one wears their Flathead shirt for bull riding. The most dangerous thing people do in their shirts on this site is probably skating, and the dangers involved in that can damage any shirt, regardless of how tight the stitching is, or if they use thicker wool (snags, tears, blood). If you simply wanted something tough as nails, you would all be buying Carhartt jackets and Wrangler jeans (infinitely better price to quality ratios as well - though the styling is another issue). As someone who has worked on an actual ranch for 4 months a year, every year of my life, I can safely say that I have put garments through hell (building barb wire fences, being in a saddle for 8 hours at a time, logging, digging mass irrigation, etc) and been around ranchers that literally thrash their clothes 365 days a year. I have never had a single instance of clothing by any mainstream western brand coming apart at the seams or 'falling apart,' so the term 'quality' is relative. After prolonged periods, ALL clothes get tears and holes, doesn't matter how 'tough' they are.

Of course, it is often an indulgence to buy Japanese things, which is completely understandable, but in this instance, there are most certainly cheaper, more durable, and often better looking alternatives. Hell, if you can afford it, buy an entire closet full of Flathead shirts, but it really pisses me off when the only recommendation for western shirts that people on this site can come up with is Sugarcane, Flathead, and Iron Heart. It's a bit of an oxymoron.

[dino might]

^oh shitttttttt!

[superBobo]

england

good response. First stop for westerns should be the local western store or ebay.

[Dead_Wizard]

Agreed. You didn't see Llewellyn Moss ordering shirts off rakuten in No Country For Old Men.

No disrespect towards the Japanese brands, I just find it somewhat bizzare when people turn their noses up at the very culture they're trying to emulate style wise.

[chronoaug]

I think a lot of people are afraid of tailors so just buy the brands with the fit already built in. Then again, there are a few people brandwhoring and a couple people who just want something unique and exclusive. Whenever i find a good tailor in gainesville, i'll have some more options.

Ebay is great for shit like this though. There are a lot of vintage sellers and they have measurements. Small sizes like 18-19.5" pit to pit is hard to find. If you'e a true medium or large, you have shit made though.

[RobZ]

I definitely agree. I've been swimming in most western shirts I've ever tried on. Flat Head (and presumably Sugar Cane) are definitely more fitted which is what I was looking for. If anyone can direct me to a slim fitting, out of the box western, that doesn't break the bank, let me know.

[Leonard Leroy]

holy shit ebay landed me a great fitting chambray shirt. I have a short sleeve that's even slimmer coming in as well.

20 and 12 bucks respectively, US, Union made and both never worn. Fuck. Yes.

[thorough]

I definitely agree. I've been swimming in most western shirts I've ever tried on. Flat Head (and presumably Sugar Cane) are definitely more fitted which is what I was looking for. If anyone can direct me to a slim fitting, out of the box western, that doesn't break the bank, let me know.

rockmount slim fit is the slimmest ive heard of. measurements are here

http://www.hangmhighwesternwear.com/rockmountMeasurements.html

ive had to tailor all the vintage ones ive got. target actually makes a few that need very little tailoring for cheep.

http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Western-Shirt-French-Roast/dp/B000VPTISO/qid=1205982156/ref=br_1_9/601-6377481-8321721?ie=UTF8&node=14258181&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=14258181&rank=-product%5Fsite%5Flaunch%5Fdate&rh=&page=3

[Fuuma]

I wear my engineered garment flannel a lot when bumming around the house; very comfortable. Some of those sheppler look pretty good but I'm not a cowboy and the most wear and tear one of my shirts would get is from walking around so I buy the fashion stuff for the styling.

[__CB__]

i picked up a rrl check flannel cheap on ebay last year that i love - warm in winter and the construction is top notch.