The Anthology Shirt Review (Part I)

4:29 pm. Central.

New shops are hot. The Anthology is a new shop. The (journey to) Anthology is hot.

Obviously, in the above I meant to say something positive about them - after all, when you blog, you cannot do hate speech all the time¹. But it is also my literal complaint about The Anthology: the place is terribly difficult to find. And during intense summer heat of 30 degrees Celsius, this gets very, very annoying.

Where (the hell) is On Wo Lane?

Maybe it's due to the fact that I do not routinely navigate Sheung Wan: the Googled location (a spot situating roughly between the MTR station and Lan Fong Yuen) helped very little. My appointment was 4:00 pm but I managed to wander through the concrete jungle (passing by 168 Queen’s Road Central, where Albini HK's office is located, twice) for half an hour before I eventually gave up. I called Andy, the shopkeeper, and he gave an even more curious suggestion:

"Do you know the place Tai Pan House (大班樓)²?"

I know Tai Pan Row, a respected local tailor with shops in Central. I know Taipan Bread & Cakes, which offers bread and cakes at decent prices. But I have absolutely no idea where the purported Tai Pan House is. Desperately, I asked for further clues:

"I Googled and the map shows Kau Kee. Are you near Kau Kee the beef brisket place?"

"Ar... yes... we are near..."

Kau Kee. I was trying to show the bimbo model posing for two middle-aged "photographers" (right above the orange trash bin). My attempt was rather unsuccessful, I suppose.

To cut the long story short, I managed to reach the shop after 45 minutes of brisk walking. It reinforced my belief that constant bespoke shirt making boosts cardiovascular health.

Reminds me of AmericanGent's journey to Anna Matuozzo.

Their homey entrance area. I took this shot from within the shop.

The shop looks very much like a residential flat. The closet on the left, however, is an exemplary fitting area - see below.

ShirtingFantasy, ShirtingFantasy, ShirtingFantasy! 

Without much ado, we began the measurement process. Andy began with measuring my neck. upper chest, lower chest, estimated my shirt length (he didn't even have to ask, maybe he knows I will wear the shirt tucked in anyway), and measured by biceps, arm length etc. Andy also asked me to take deep breaths to make sure he gets the right measurements, instead of inaccurate ones that may be obtained when one tenses up unnecessarily³ - a very smart trick, I would say. The total number of measurements, counted from Andy's record sheet, was 18. There were further scribbles on the margin which I could not decipher, but I guess they are cryptic text generated from Andy's gentle palpation of my chest/ scapula and feeling for the "hollow" (due to lumbar lordosis).

The upper part of the order sheet shows the measurements. The nearly invisible text implies two things: (1) there were a lot of measurements and options in their system, and (2) I need a better camera.

Interrogating the client. @shirtingfantasy gets the change to fight back - see Q&A below.

The last part is the most exciting part of the ordering process, i.e. the Q&A session. (A: Andy of The Anthology HK; S: @shirtingfantasy)

S: How are you going to make my collar? I want your house style.

A: With your fabric choice (a medium-weight indigo-dyed linen from Testa), I would suggest something not so formal. Do you actually prefer point, semi-spread or spread?

S: Semi-spread please. I have always preferred to mix formal and casual elements in the look.

A: Semi-spread then. With or without front placket?

S: With front placket please.

A: Pocket?

S: Nope.

A: Cuffs?

S: I'll just have one-button mitered cuffs for this casual shirt then. But I am more concerned about the construction: do you plan to make the collar and cuffs fused or non-fused? And in what hardness?

A: With this fabric... (Andy pondered, as shown in above photo)... has it been pre-shrunk by the mill?

S: It has been pre-shrunk once.

A: In that case, I would, um... suggest... non-fused, or...

S: Or what?

A: Or no interlining at all.

S: So it will be a very casual style, and a very soft shirt?

A: Yes.

S: But I do want to wear a tie at times.

A: You have to decide. You either fuse it and wear a tie until the shrinkage is unbearable, or do it non-fused -

S: (laughed) And allow the interlining to shrink at a different rate?

A: Yes.

S: Do it your way, with no interlining then. Just one more question: when can I get the shirt?

A: The prototype will be ready in two weeks.

S: The prototype? It is not made with the actual fabric right?

A: No it isn't.

S: Any further issues you want to warn your client about?

A: This fabric is rather loosely woven. The 23 stitches-per-inch density may have to be reduced.

S: Thank you. You can leave the examination hall now.4


@shirtingfantasy is actually rather fond of shirt interlining discussions. Everyone knows Wendler makes good interlining and every reputable tailor claims to use it. But choosing the right interlining - and treating it with love and care, praying every minute when you take your client's order and hope it shrinks or grows with the chosen fabric - can turn out to be a matter of life and death. 

With certain lightweight twill, such as the (in)famous Bonfanti "Belfast" (Mr Giancarlo Bonfanti claims this item is his personal favourite) or Carlo Riva "Voile Twill" (very similar stuff; there have been rumours that certain tailors substitute this with the former despite selling what they call CR shirts), the eager client's request for ultimate non-fused softness would create an ironing hell - the fabric lengthens and becomes folds of excess which can never be ironed back into shape. A separate post is likely required to complete the discussion on shirt interlining...

Anyway, in two weeks I shall see the prototype. Maybe I can still change my mind about the construction?


Until then, goodbye!



Footnote:

[1] As the Cantonese saying goes, "one spoonful of sugar with one spoonful of stool" (一啖砂糖一啖屎), mixing positive and negative comments presumably makes people feel better and is considered a sort of courtesy.

[2] As it turns out, Tai Pan House i.e. The Chairman is a luxury dining place in Kau U Fong, Central. And I reached my Apple Watch move goal 200% by the time I finished dinner - unfortunately not at The Chairman. Bespoke is indeed a healthy activity!

[3] However, from experience, the greatest change in bodily measurements relevant to a shirt occurs after a big meal. I suggest serious bespoke makers treat clients a buffet, if just to make measurements even more accurate.

[4] @shirtingfantasy is kind and non-demanding in real life. The line was pure fantasy, obviously.


Shop information:

The Anthology

Minimum order: three shirts (first order), no restriction thereafter
Price range: HKD 750+/shirt for house fabric, HKD 1080+/shirt for Thomas Mason fabric
CMT service: Not available

Handmade option: Not available

Mr Andy Chong
7/F, 8 On Wo Lane, Central, Hong Kong tel/+852 2799 3078