If you weren't on vacation under a beautiful summer sun until the start of the school year, you probably saw the comparison of shirts under 90 euros for the month of August.
But after reading it, maybe you thought: "If a 90 euro shirt can have all that, what's the difference with a 150 euro shirt? Or even a 250, or 400 euro shirt? What more do they bring, especially at that price?
This is an excellent question, especially since knowing the most high-end products allows you to have an idea of "what exists", what is possible to do, and therefore what you can expect from a particular range.
Through this test of a model from Kalgati, I will make you discover what a "luxury" quality shirt is, and all the work that goes into it...
Let me introduce you to this tiny brand that takes its product vision very, very far in half-measures.
Brand presentation
Kalgati, the "beautiful" and the "good"
At the beginning of Thomas' project, founder of the brand, there was a fairly simple concept: through a "Direct To Consumer" model , he wanted to offer the "ideal" white shirt with the best of French tailoring. In short, he wanted to recreate what is best, and wanted to do it well.
It is from this approach that the name "Kalgati" was born, coming from the contraction of the Greek expression "Kalos Kai Agathos" , which means "beautiful and good".
Like more exclusive and discreet luxury houses, the world of Kalgati is based on values of sobriety and apparent simplicity, to concentrate on quality above all.
Through this choice of name, the founder decided to create products that were not only aesthetic, but also defended certain values of excellence.
A unique positioning
Most brands that make "accessible high-end" choose very beautiful materials, without taking the most expensive ones. The manufacturing is done in good workshops, but in countries where production costs remain reasonable. Thus, they offer shirts that cost a certain price, but within a "realistic" budget for lovers of beautiful clothes.
And that's already excellent.
But at Kalgati, we move to another level. Despite its business model, there is no compromise in terms of quality or manufacturing location. It is the search for an absolute, whatever the cost: Thomas has chosen the most precious cotton fabrics in the world and the most prestigious workshop in France.
A shirt that aims to promote true “French” luxury.
This approach to excellence comes at a price. Despite the brand's very modest margins, it is necessary to take into account:
- €320 for the Sea Island cotton model from David & John Anderson ,
- 265€ for the one in Giza 87 - Thomas Mason Gold Line .
At these prices, we are mainly addressing two targets: those who can spend this amount on a shirt, but above all enthusiasts, who are very sensitive to the approach and the quality.
A confection halfway between industrial and craft
A workshop among the best in France
Although I can't necessarily reveal its name to you, the workshop in which Kalgati produces its shirts is considered a benchmark in French manufacturing by professionals in the sector.
Specializing in shirts - more specifically in tailoring - it offers three "ranges" of clothing:
- the most affordable is outsourced to Tunisia but its supervision guarantees the quality control of an experienced partner,
- the second offers beautiful finishes and French manufacturing, for a production cost that is already significantly more expensive. It is intended for high-end brands that wish to highlight a reliable Made in France ,
- the last one, that of Kalgati, offers finishes that are only found in certain large houses. It costs almost twice as much as the previous range, which is far from cheap.
The Kalgati are entirely made in one of the most prestigious workshops in France, entirely specialized in shirts.
What makes it so expensive is that it bridges the gap between the world of custom-made (also called " bespoke ") and that of industrial...
The synthesis of two opposites
At houses like Charvet , Camps De Luca or Berluti , the least expensive bespoke shirts easily tickle the €1000 mark. They are entirely handmade by a master craftsman. . Each piece requires the creation of a custom design and pattern from scratch, also hand-drawn. It is an ultra-luxury product, which aims as much to preserve the tradition of know-how, as to simply "make clothes". In short, we are in space there.
While for the industrialist, the garment is produced in stages, with a sewing machine, on an assembly line, where each worker is specialized in a limited number of operations. This is what you find almost everywhere, from entry to very high-end. When we talk about "handmade" here, it is only on details like buttonholes, a reinforcement stitch...
Kalgati is halfway. Each shirt is entirely made by sewing machine, but by a single seamstress, mastering each stage of its production . Quality control is more rigorous. All the finishes are impeccable, you even have the possibility of obtaining some normally reserved for bespoke . The same goes for alterations, which are carried out by the same craftsman.
Experienced seamstresses make each shirt in its entirety, without any assembly line work. Enough to give soul to the piece...
The journey of the Kalgati shirt
A first product still deemed unsatisfactory
Before arriving at his current half-measure shirt, the first product developed by Thomas was a ready-to-wear version, produced in small quantities with the level of tailoring explained above. In terms of material, he was on the " Saqqara" Giza 87 twill from Thomas Mason: the best Egyptian cotton fiber by one of the most high-end spinning mills there is.
At a price of €240, he could have considered himself satisfied to offer this quality, at a much more reasonable price than most of his competitors. But as I told you earlier, Thomas had embarked on a real "quest", an obsession. He was still not satisfied: he had to push the product even further.
The Kalgati shirt was reworked before it could become what it is today.
And what is missing from a shirt when it already has a high level of tailoring and material...? The pattern-making work that goes with it, to play on the cut!
This is probably the most mysterious aspect of a shirt . It is quite easy to recognize a beautiful confection or successful finishes. With a little experience, it is the same for the material... but a beautiful cut? Everyone talks about "good" and "bad cuts", while each wearer's body is different.
This is where Pierre Duboin, a master shirtmaker for 40 years, comes in...
Meeting with Pierre Duboin, a master shirtmaker in his field
I have never met Mr. Duboin, but he is someone I have heard a lot about.
"A real character", he was especially described to me as one of the best blouse makers of our era.
He comes from a family in which three generations have worked in the shirtmaking industry . He has more than 40 years of experience in total, including 25 years as "premier couper" - the person responsible for made-to-measure shirts - at Lanvin.
Pierre Duboin drawing the shoulder of the Kalgati shirt pattern.
He is an enthusiast who has dedicated his life to this know-how, and to its constant improvement. When he meets Thomas, the two gradually become friends. Quite exceptionally, Pierre decides to help him free of charge on his project, in particular because he notices his obsession with making the most accomplished shirt possible.
An unprecedented pattern-making project in ready-to-wear
How to design the cut of a garment?
To understand the added value of Pierre Duboin's work, I must first explain to you how the cut of a ready-to-wear shirt is normally designed.
Let's talk briefly about the famous "Lectra" machine. To put it simply, it is a company offering cutting-edge technological solutions for the textile industry, including machines, software and algorithms that help in the making/patterning of garments. Here, it is the one responsible for the "grading of each size" that interests us.
The pattern maker creates the pattern for size 38 (or M) of a shirt, then digitizes the measurements. The data from this "test" pattern is then processed by the Lectra algorithm creating the gradation.
In ready-to-wear, the “test” pattern is normally digitized, before the software declines it into several sizes via automated grading.
When man replaces machine
After designing the first pattern for the new Kalgati shirt, Pierre enters the results into Lectra... but is not satisfied with the result. For his eyes accustomed to custom-made shirts, it is a total failure. The algorithm, although used by hundreds of workshops and brands, fails to transcribe the essence of his work.
Caught up in this dissatisfaction, he made a slightly crazy decision: since the machine couldn't do it properly, he was going to draw each pattern by hand, for each size, each available in two cuts . In total, 22 patterns, from 36 to 46, in "classic" and silhouetted cuts...
Pierre designed 22 patterns by hand, which is absolutely unprecedented in ready-to-wear. It is a work that involves mathematics and geometry as much as drawing, craftsmanship and creation.
It is important to understand that for a model maker, drawing a single pattern is already laborious. The task was therefore quite colossal, it is the kind of thing that would have been perceived as "absurd" at any other brand...
The weight of experience
In the case of Kalgati shirts, the differences in cut are not only in the volumes: Pierre designed his patterns for a range of body shapes , based on the hundreds of customers from his long career.
This gives rise to a whole set of characteristics that would seem counterintuitive from a purely theoretical point of view, but which "work wonderfully in real life, because they are based on experience with the variety of existing morphologies."
For example, on a size 40 in a "classic" cut, the shoulder is longer than on the 41, but it is compensated by a shorter sleeve. Or, on a silhouetted 38 cut, the shirt is a little longer than the 39. These details are so subtle that the Lectra machine could not understand them, seeing them as "errors" of proportions since they are opposed to the "standard" of ready-to-wear.
Much more than a simple variation of sizes, each of the 22 patterns designed for Kalgati takes into account subtle variations, in order to dress "bodies" rather than theoretical dimensions.
It is from this very exclusive form of ready-to-wear that Kalgati demi-mesure was able to develop: these 22 patterns serve as a base, before being adapted to your measurements.
The "signatures" of Pierre Duboin's bosses
A large part of the pattern work is not visible to the amateur eye. Logical, since the goal is above all to have a perfectly coherent rendering, rather than biases catching the eye . However, there are some "signatures" that we find on Pierre Duboin's patterns...
The bottom of the sleeves
On the pattern, the bottom of the sleeves are curved and asymmetrical: the part that will constitute the back is longer than the front.
This shape creates the "sloping" outward cuffs that you notice when you put a Kalgati on a hanger. These elements allow for a "natural" and wrinkle-free appearance when you have your arms at your sides.
You also gain in comfort: the feeling of pulling in the elbow when bending the arm is thus reduced.
The shape of the bottom of the sleeve on the pattern. Imagine the fabric of a sleeve laid flat: on a Kalgati, it looks like this.
Sleeve heads
Sleeve heads are also asymmetrical: we create ease in the back , while maintaining a high armhole.
The pattern work on the sleeves provides a harmonious fall when the arms rest naturally alongside the body.
The sleeve head: to the right of the fold is the fabric that will be at the back of the arm. To the left is the fabric that will wrap around the front. It is this "slope that goes up" shape that creates the ease at the shoulder on a Kalgati.
The notches
The notches are also different. This compensates for the slight position shift that naturally occurs when the shirt is buttoned .
To push vice this far is truly a practice specific to the measure.
The plumb lines
The plumb lines are very precise. It is extremely technical. but the adjustment of the lines formed by the joining of the shoulder pieces, and those formed by the notches, influences the way the shirt falls on the shoulders and throat.
Perfect plumb lines can help, for the majority of wearers, avoid creases at the shoulders and under the collar.
It is on this area of the shirt, where the cutouts and the shoulder lines and pieces meet, that the vertical lines are adjusted, which are a bit like the "keystone" of the cut.
This is a typical example of the "invisible" work of patronage , which nevertheless represents a significant part of it. Perhaps even more than the other signatures mentioned above.
David & John Anderson's "Sea Island" : The World's Most Valuable Cotton Twill
The last ingredient of a luxury shirt is obviously its material.
While Pierre worked to create patterns to his exacting standards, Thomas managed to gain access to the most exclusive shirting fabrics: the Sea Island range from David & John Anderson .
This British brand, now owned by the Albini group, is normally reserved for tailors of great quality as its fabrics are so expensive . It has been perfecting its spinning, weaving and finishing processes since the 19th century, and all its products have in common that they are based only on exceptional raw materials... including this Sea Island cotton from Barbados.
It has no equal when it comes to length, fineness and softness of the fiber , not even the best of Egyptian cottons.
It has such a reputation that some brands are trying to play on it, by twisting the term a little... Turnbull & Asser , a big name in English luxury, was caught offering shirts called Sea Island Quality ... That is to say Egyptian cotton whose quality they consider "comparable to Sea Island ". The fact is that the price is clearly not the same...
Sea Island "Quality" and not "Sea Island Cotton"... Some people do not hesitate to play on words to be able to refer to this famous cotton, without using it...
For your information, the most competitive brands on the market are unable to offer Sea Island for under €180 in ready-to-wear, and €240 in custom-made clothing - in Chinese production for the former, and Indian production for the latter.
Which puts the €320 paid at Kalgati into context for a shirt in such a material, especially given the very high cost of its French manufacture...
On the details and finishes side
I told you above: the level of confection offers rarer finishes and a certain customization. Without dwelling on the classics that you already find on high-end shirts in general , let us highlight those which are less common...
Finely gathered cuffs
The Kalgati shirt is distinguished by its four pleats at the cuffs: three on the lower part of the sleeve, and one on the opposite side. They are made so as to be invisible when the arms are alongside the body .
Their location is studied so that we maintain the comfort and luxurious aspect of classic shirt pleats , without thickening the silhouette of the arm.
Beautiful pleats with harmonious proportions give real character to a shirt, especially a formal one.
A signature more than a logo
Rather than an ostentatious logo, a K is cleverly sewn on the elbow, at the level of the button tabs of the sleeves.
The "K" of Kalgati placed on the capuchin tab of the shirt. A discreet and clever way to affix your logo.
A matter of parallelism
The collar buttonhole is parallel to the collar stand.
It's not so much the detail that impresses me, but the fact that even this tiny element was thought through during the design.
The shape of the collar stand is also designed so that the bottom seam is parallel to the buttonhole. A tiny perfectionist detail.
Invisible seams
The first button is sewn on before the collar stand is folded down, so it is only visible from one side!
On a normal shirt, you should find a small "ball of fabric" at this precise spot, because the collar button is sewn there. On a Kalgati, the button is sewn before the collar is completely made, so that it does not "cross" the collar stand.
My Kalgati experience
I was lucky enough to receive a Kalgati tailored to my measurements a few months ago. I have already explained everything to you on the technical side, but since it is a shirt that I have worn a good twenty times in the meantime, I would like to share with you my feelings on the experience.
My best formal shirt, probably for a very long time to come. (Worn here with a Faubourg Saint-Sulpice seersucker suit, a BonneGueule X Howard's tie, and custom-made "museum calf" double buckles from Carmina .)
Placing the order
Take your measurements
First of all, note that the measurements are taken online : whether from your body measurements, or from a shirt that already fits you very well.
One might regret the absence of a physical space for making an appointment. However, it is also the model of half-measure entirely online which allows Thomas to offer this luxury shirt at a reasonable price, which is already expensive.
That said, the brand takes care of all alterations on the first shirt , in order to ensure that the pattern is adapted to your body shape.
Choosing your options
Then comes the time for customization: you can choose between three collar shapes , four wrist shapes and, finally, between a “classic” and a “silhouetted” cut.
I obviously chose a silhouetted cut, and rounded cuffs to keep it simple. As for the collar, I stuck with Kalgati's intermediate: I wanted a shirt almost entirely dedicated to wearing a suit, so I needed a collar large enough for its points to fit well under the lapels of the jacket.
A beautiful collar, balanced between flexibility and rigidity, and whose points fit harmoniously under the lapels of a suit.
You then have to choose between the two possible fabrics: the "Saqqara" Giza 87 or the "mini-twill" Sea Island. Fascinated by its history and prestige, I opted for the second.
Having seen and touched both, the Thomas Mason fabric is far from being left behind. If you want a very lightly textured finish, and a material with more body , it is also a choice of excellence, in addition to being less expensive.
Two excellent fabric ranges, in blue and white: the "Saqqara" Giza 87 from Thomas Mason Gold Line, and the "mini-twill" Sea Island from David & John Anderson.
Fit and comfort
I am really satisfied. The element that I appreciate the most? Probably the work done on the sleeve head to give freedom of movement : it is a shirt in which I am adjusted at the back, shoulders and chest, but in which I can still move my arms without feeling tension.
I only have two regrets, in the end.
First, my slightly hunched shoulders could not be dressed the first time, even with Pierre Duboin's great pattern-making work. It took a touch-up at that level.
This area being a bit of a keystone of the shirt, it is very complicated to rework it while keeping it as impeccable as when it left the workshop. The alteration was significant enough to leave "micro-creases" along the shoulder lines... that no ironing can remove. Okay, I admit I'm nitpicking.
After the alteration, the fall is really perfect. There are just these tiny creases on the shoulder line, visible only up close, which annoy my manic mind a little.
Second... Well, I lost weight.
This time, it's my fault, not the shirt's. I wore it for quite a while and I realized - before the shooting date - that I was starting to have quite a bit of room in it... So it's impossible to show you a perfectly adjusted result with the right alterations, much to my regret.
My biggest regret: I've lost quite a bit of weight since the shirt was made, which leaves me with a slightly more "classic" cut than I would have liked. Despite this, you only have to look at the sleeves and shoulders to see that the piece was really designed for my body shape and build, regardless of my weight.
I'm going to order a pizza to make up for this mistake...
The life of matter
The last point I would like to talk about is this famous Sea Island cotton. With all this quality, what does it actually bring?
It's soft, very soft. At times, when you touch the shirt with certain areas of your hand, you can almost believe that it's made of a smooth silk twill. And as you can see from the photos, the light capture and drape are harmonious.
But what we sometimes forget is to see how a fabric evolves over time, especially with maintenance. However, after about twenty washes - including some at 40° - the shirt is completely stable!
It is normally not recommended to go beyond 30°, but the Sea Island has such a homogeneity of thread that it supports it without problem.
I predict a very long life for it...
The final word...
Obviously, the price of a Kalgati does not make it accessible to all budgets.
But for those of you who can, and want to taste excellence in a classic shirt, go for it... Especially if you are already customers of luxury houses whose shirts cost double or even triple.
For my part, I do not yet know of a brand that offers the equal of these shirts without going through artisanal work, which is even more expensive.
