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| PYE Shirts, Admiralty branch (Hong Kong SAR, China) |
[Correction: it turns out that Esquel, PYE's parent group, has really made a yarn with diameter Ne 700. @shirtingfantasy is not sure whether actual shirt fabric has been produced with this kind of yarn.]
There has been a lack of shirt-related content for a while. It is time to go back to the blog's original roots: shirts and shirtings.
@shirtingfantasy first knew of the brand in around 2014, when researching about "the best shirt in town". As with many local enthusiasts, @shirtingfantasy had discredited the ready-to-wear origin of the brand and her relatively steep pricing (compared to local bespoke). Given @shirtingfantasy's budding income, and the brand's budding status back then, there was no serious attempt to explore PYE shirts.
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| Welcome to the world of Esquel! |
Before we go into further detail, it is important to note some basic facts:
1. PYE is owned by Esquel, "one of the largest manufacturers of premium cotton shirts in the world". If you do not endorse industrial manufacture and would rather support small-workshop production, please have a look at Sannino (review here), Camiceria Piccolo (review here) or even the locally renowned Mr MH Wong.
2. PYE is also related to Determinant (see review here), an entry-level ready-to-wear shirt brand. More precisely, Determinant is the entry-level sister-brand of PYE. @shirtingfantasy is overall fine with their product - except for the less-than-generous collar spread and the plastic buttons.
3. PYE is vertically integrated "from seed to shirt", in my indisputably great country. The source of cotton is referred to as "sea island cotton" by PYE sales associates, "extra long staple cotton" by Determinant promoters, and using the geographical location of the cotton plantation by the Mainland representation of Determinant (i.e. 十如仕) on Taobao. The versatile description of the cotton's origin may seem rather inconsistent to some (e.g. overly-broad definition of sea island cotton - it is like calling all extant human being an African, per evolutionary origin). But business is business, right?
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| It's grown in the autonomous region in north-western China, on the border with Mongolia and Kazakhstan, my dear. |
Anyway, if the reader is uncomfortable with any of these facts, he/she may enjoy the simple pleasure of reading this - and choose an alternative brand / maker. This post is not sponsored, and PYE did not know @shirtingfantasy is doing a review ;P
Q&As
1. What ranges are available?
PYE sales associates explained that they have four lines for dress shirts:
(1) Classic - something around yarn count Ne 100/2, easy care treatment
(2) Universal - something around yarn count Ne 80/2, non-iron treatment (N.B. stronger anti-wrinkle effect compared to easy care)
(3) Definitive - something around yarn count Ne 140/2, natural finishing, start to have interesting compositions (e.g. cotton / linen, cotton / silk, cotton / hemp)
(4) Infinity - up to 300/3 - sales associates said they have up to "700 thread count fabric successfully made" (reference)
, although @shirtingfantasy is quite sure they are again trying to use different units for dramatic effect, inappropriately using sheets' convention for shirtingBy the way, the buttons used on (1) & (2) are from the cheaper trocas shell, whereas the buttons used for the more expensive lines (3) & (4) are from the more precious "white lip" MOP
2. The price, as you said, is not cheap - what should I expect?
@shirtingfantasy was told that their shirts start from around HKD 980 (a bargain, considering it was similar to what they mentioned back in 2014), with Infinity line going up to above HKD 3,000 each
The making is typically "factory-made" finishing. One cannot expect Ascot Chang level of stitching fineness, but the density and neatness are superior to, for example, Uniqlo. Since PYE and Determinant shirts are basically like DJA vs Albiate (luxury line vs entry-level line made in same production facility), and the Universal line is surprisingly similar to Determinant shirts in specs, it would make one wonder whether the more dressy collar options and trocas buttons are worth 3 times the price.
One other reason why @shirtingfantasy refrained from trying PYE back in 2014 was the observation that they had poor pattern matching across visible areas such as across the shoulders. Inspection of a few ready-to-wear shirts at PYE during this visit gave the impression that this has been improved (systematically or by chance). One of the fabric selected for this MTO order was specifically selected to address this.
With the price of around HKD 2,000-2,500 for a shirt in their Definitive line, one would be looking at (i) a decent number of options from Ascot Chang's house bunches and lower end of the branded collections - but true bespoke, (ii) half a dozen of bespoke shirts from SE Asian tailors operating in the Tsimshatsui region in the city (unbranded cotton, Regent Silk Company / Saviero Textiles bunches etc.), (iii) and many other possibilities in-between
The ordering process was quite simple. @shirtingfantasy inquired the price of the Definitive range MTO (~ HKD 2,500), and was given some sample swatches / feelers to choose from. The sample cards include simple information such as the weave (e.g. Dobby) and composition (e.g. 90% cotton 10% hemp).
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| Shirt one: a cotton-silk mix. The hand of the fabric was comparable to at least 170/2 pure cotton. The shirt in the background was use to pick the preferred collar style. |
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| Shirt two: a cotton-cashmere mix. Initially @shirtingfantasy opt for a Mandarin collar. On second thought, it was changed to a button-down when the order was being confirmed. After choosing the fabric (not quite the "details" yet), one would be given fitting shirts to determine the best collar size, fit (traditional / regular / tailored / slim), and sleeve length. The final fit is basically an assembly of the three, and no modifications are made for sloping shoulders or uneven muscle bulk etc. The collar style is then picked from their range of mathematician-surnamed collars. Unfortunately, some of the options do not have collar / shirt samples in-store - such as the button-down collar eventually picked for the cotton-cashmere. The cuff and edge style is a very classy thing at PYE: each range comes with a pre-defined cuff style (e.g. a Basic / Universal comes with one-button mitred cuffs, a Definitive comes with an interesting curved cuff with straight edge along the direction of the sleeve - to eliminate this distinction one must choose the French cuff or short sleeves), and also edge stitching (e.g. a Definitive has 1-mm edge stitching, but an Infinity has what looks like a 5-mm edge). So classy, that from a look at your shirt the price tag is known - saving even a casual caress of the fabric. |
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| Monogramming font and thread colour. @shirtingfantasy is not keen on monogramming own shirts, partly because "monogramming is for gentlemen who are prone to forget their own names". An exception was made for this order, mostly to evaluate the quality of the machine monogramming at PYE. |
While the somewhat restrictive MTO programme looks like one crafted mainly with sensibility, pragmatically @shirtingfantasy thinks it also makes some sense. In a way, an angled, mitred cuff for lower count fabric is more durable - a high count fabric would mean rapidly-fraying collar and cuff edges. On the other hand, 1-mm edge stitching on the collar and cuffs could present technical stitching difficulties problems when making shirts with very high count (e.g. 300/2) cotton.
According to the sales team, the shirts would take 2-3 weeks to deliver. The button-down collar could require extra computer patterning work at the factory, and they would let me know in case it cannot be done.
Until then, goodbye!
Shop information:
PYE Shirts
Minimum order: 1 shirt
CMT service: No
Handmade option: Don't even think about it
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| A box of handkerchiefs - presumably from PYE's unused cotton shirting - was given to the new customer as a welcome gift. Perfectly suiting to @shirtingfantasy, in a way. |
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