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| Photo by Muffy Aldrich |
- Mercer 3MM Nile Blue Bengal Stripe <https://mercerandsons.com/collections/stripes/products/3mm-nile-blue-bengal-stripe>
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Muffy Aldrich
Muffy Aldrich, Editor of Salt Water New England: The Thing Before Preppy, since 2010. And a 12th Generation New Englander.
- Original Photographs.
- Timeless Clothing.
Most Items Sent By Vendors
Email Muffy at editor@saltwaternewengland.com
Beautiful and reasonably priced
ReplyDelete"reasonably priced"
ReplyDelete$250 for a shirt is reasonable?
Yes, compared to Kiton 600$ shirts, although I have some of them and they are wonderfully comfortable and iconic, 250 is quite reasonable!
DeleteI was being sarcastic. I shop at Uniqlo, where one can find 100% cotton shirts for $40
ReplyDeleteSome like to shop at IKEA and some like to buy antiques. Some like to drive a Prius and some like to drive a Range Rover. Then again, some like to find the balance between the two.
DeleteI apologize
DeleteRange Rover is prone to electrical issues and one of the least reliable cars made. Funny - the most expensive cars are some of the least reliable. I saw a Youtube video featuring a guy who sells exotics. The host asked him what the failure rate (ie visit to the mechanic) was - he said 100% within the first year.
DeleteWhat’s your point? How does this relate to shirts and the comment above?
DeleteSince you can't see the point - 8:53 was comparing antiques and Ikea and cars to shirts - making the point that more expensive ones will last longer. I put a hole in that theory by pointing out that the most expensive cars are the least reliable.
DeleteMaybe it’s about high value and not low cost. There is a big difference.
ReplyDeleteMercer shirts, if taken care of last forever. Last batch of shirts I bought was 4 years ago and they still look as new.
DeleteI like to calculate various things on the basis of cost per use. For example, a pair of Alden shell loafers worn 7000 times is pretty reasonably priced, as is a tub of Martin de Candre shaving soap that gives me 400 shaves. I have yet to ascertain the maximum use of a Mercer shirt. I iron them myself, with no starch, and the handful I bought around 2018 still look new.
DeleteBest shirts, I have that Bengal stripe
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of the wisdom that you can always find someone who will make it cheaper, but if you only consider the initial cost you become that person's legal prey.
ReplyDeleteIt’s one of those “you get what you pay for” situations. I don’t quite see the point of pride in paying less and getting less in return. It’s also a “put your money where your mouth is” situation. You buy a few shirts from Mercer. They are made by Mercer. As many have pointed out in this thread, and in many SWNE threads over the years, the shirts are well made and will last you for as long as you are able to care properly for them. One of the core values of our community here is taking care of our goods to last for years. It is inevitable that those goods will invariably cost more.
ReplyDeleteSorry to burst bubbles, but the collars and cuffs on ALL men’s shirts fray from abrasion. The materials in Mercer shirts are no less prone to fraying than those in equal quality shirts from other brands. And they certainly don’t “last forever”. They are high quality shirts, but they’re made in small batches, at high US labor rates, and the prices reflect that. Which is good and right. But there are other shirts of like quality that are just as ‘durable’ at lower prices.
ReplyDeleteMind you these comments come from someone who prefers to measure clothing longevity in decades, not years.
Do not have the shirts starched! That causes fraying, I have my shirts laundered at a good cleaners and I tell them no starch! My shirts last for a decade. At 75 I’m not buying any more Mercer shirts
DeleteWhich other shirts are of “like quality”?
DeleteYou are correct about starch. I got my first Mercer shirt about 8 years ago and was overjoyed when it arrived. A gift from my wife for Christmas. But after maybe four trips to the laundry it came back with fraying on the cuffs. Imagine my dismay. I own over 40 oxford cloth dress shirts and have not starched one since. As for like quality, I have three: 1) Brooks Brothers made in North Carolina, now even hard to find on Ebay (that’s their true ‘traditional fit’ era, not the current Madison that they disingenuously call ‘traditional’; 2) J Press, and 3) old label Ralph Lauren Polo, if you can stand the logo. I actually find Polo to be the most roomy and durable, however. JDV
DeleteAs my great-great-great-great grandfather told me last Thanksgiving at the suppa table, "Don't buy crap, buy quality and it will return the favor." I have Mercer shirts that I wear with my J Press blue blazer I got on my way to college - I'm in my sixties. That's why Mercer is doomed - they've already sold to the next two generations - the telephones have gone silent.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:59 am again. Let me be clear that I wouldn’t ever discourage anyone from buying Mercer shirts if they’re so inclined. But please buy them because you like the fabrics, the fit, the collar style, and the quality, and because you like supporting a small family-owned company that makes high quality products here in the US. Please do not buy them because you think that by buying Mercer you are buying a magic shirt that lasts forever.
ReplyDeleteThere you go Anon 11:59, 8:17…. You hit the bullseye.
DeleteI can’t count how many people I know who worry about the cost of something like a shirt but think nothing of spending $250 on a bottle of wine for dinner
ReplyDeleteIsn’t that the truth. I was recently hemming and hawing about the cost of reupholstering a favorite reading chair. Then I thought about how many hundreds (thousands?) of hours I sit and read (and yes, occasionally fall asleep) in that chair. The decision should have been a no-brainer from the get go. I’m hoping the chair will be ready by the time the frost is on the pumpkin.
DeleteI think of the joy I get from our 2007 Range Rover every time I drive it. It does take maintenance but the joy to cost comparison is worth every penny. When I ride in friends “dependable” ( bland) cars ( Lexus/Toyota etc)it makes the Rover feel that much more special. No I can’t say that I get the same joy wearing a Mercer shirt, but there’s something to it.
DeleteAmen on the chair. Plus, it is admirably more conservative, and dare I say more American, to fix things rather than to replace them. JDV.
DeleteI used to wear shirts purchased from a tailor. High quality cloth. I've switched to Mercers for multiple reasons, but also because the Mercers really do last longer than my tailored shirts. I also believe many people think it is cool to spend minimal amounts of money on their clothing--"the price of everything and the value of nothing." Buy a couple of OCBD shirts from Mercer, maybe white and blue, and that's all many people will need.
ReplyDeleteIn the vein that value is more important than price, yet price is also a consideration, can anyone suggest a source for must-iron 100 percent cotton dress shirts with exact collar and exact sleeve sizing that are lower priced than Mercer's offerings?
ReplyDeleteSuperb as ever!
ReplyDeleteI think if you like a product and can afford it and it gives you pleasure, you should go ahead and buy it.
ReplyDeleteMercer makes superior shirts, but I think it’s silly to expect a shirt (or anything else) to “last forever” in this world. (The Zen Saying – imagine the pot already broken – comes to mind. Just enjoy the temporary nature of things – gather ye rosebuds while … )
ReplyDeleteAnd you know, not to be too maudlin here, but someday we will all wear our FINAL shirt, and with that in mind, I’d like to instruct the Funeral Director to be sure to place me a fine 100% cotton broadcloth (Mercer would be nice). I wouldn’t want to meet God in some low-quality, non-iron shirt with a frayed collar. Not a good start for eternity.