Saint Sens, a French brand of tailor-made shirts, bought by the same group as the e-commerce site Menlook. This name perhaps rings a bell: Saint Sens had already been the subject of a previous test. Rest assured, we are not going to repeat it to you, but will present you in more depth the brand, its know-how, the quality of the fabrics and the manufacturing to recognize a quality shirt. Especially since production was repatriated to France, without a significant increase in prices.
The shirt that makes sense
Since 2005, Saint Sens has been making tailor-made shirts online. From year to year, they have improved to offer a high-end, well-made shirt.
I know many of you are afraid to take the plunge. Or because we feel a little lost when choosing fabrics, collar, cuffs and more when it comes to taking measurements. In short, it can quickly become annoying and discouraging.
What's the point then?
Well, it's quite simple, having a well-fitted shirt that hangs nicely. Yes, we mainly talk about the drape of suits, but we must not neglect the drape of the shirt. The interest is twofold when you have a body shape that does not fit into the standardized ready-to-wear profiles: like the strong rugby player (who has the impression of being sponsored by Eden Park).
Make remote control as easy as possible
Saint Sens tries to respond to this ambient degree of uncertainty which makes you not dare to take the plunge. If you are not satisfied with your measurements (or you made a slight mistake when taking measurements), Saint Sens offers to readjust them free of charge in return for paying the shipping costs.
And Saint Sens will soon offer a new service: making your personalized shirt from your favorite shirt (launch within 3 months) . We thus avoid any unwanted hair pulling, annoyances and so on, which cause us to become discouraged. To do this, all you have to do is send them your favorite shirt and they will take care of everything. You can even tell them to remove a few centimeters from certain areas of the shirt. I find that this is clearly THE best way to proceed in terms of measuring and cutting precision.
Of course, you first have the personalization elements of your future shirt to choose:
- Fabrics and patterns : a wide choice of around 290 different references
- The collar : a range of around twenty different collars
- Cuffs : 1 button, 2 buttons, French cuffs
- And even the possibility of embroidering your initials and/or choosing a lining inside the collar and cuffs (but be careful of poor taste: you can quickly slip up, especially with liberty fabrics)
Example of a liberty fabric offered by Saint Sens.
With a shirt in a fabric like this we will dress soberly
moreover because it is visually already very busy .
You can also choose the type of grooves, the buttons (prefer mother-of-pearl buttons of course even if you can opt for colored resin buttons for more casual shirts) and the type of back bending clip.
The throat is the part of the shirt that forms the buttonhole
(the simple throat is without risk)
You will have understood that the customization is quite rich. But be careful: too much personalization kills personalization. Because we can quickly fall into too much or bad taste. Never forget that a shirt is first and foremost a garment synonymous with elegance. All you have to do is let yourself be guided and you will receive your shirt within 2 weeks. Saint Sens is by ( you can test on the Saint-Sens website ).
Saint Sens: is it good stuff?
We’re getting there 🙂
Material: cotton
Saint Sens shirts are 100% cotton, in this price range it is the basis. We have two types of cotton:
Sea Island cotton features the longest cotton fiber in the world (up to 52mm), has a silky feel and is extremely fine. This unique cotton is harvested by hand and then processed with extreme care. Today it only represents more than 5% of world production.
Egyptian cotton is renowned for making very silky, refined and durable fabrics. The term “Egyptian cotton” designates both a particular species of cotton plants of Egyptian origin and a method of agriculture which preserves the quality of the cotton fiber. Egyptian cotton is not necessarily produced in Egypt but it must be grown in a particular environment: in regions with warm days and cool nights. It is also distinguished by the length of its fibers and represents only 1% of world production.
Beyond their rarity, these types of cotton are a guarantee of quality because their main characteristic is that the cotton fiber is long . And the longer the fibers, the finer they are and the more the yarn obtained (and consequently the fabric) will have good characteristics against abrasion, twisting and washing. This will allow the fabric of the shirt to age better and last over time.
A beautiful cotton allowing for very long fibers.
Saint Sens' Italian suppliers use cotton harvested in Egypt for the Saint Sens "Elite" and "Luxe" ranges (at shirt prices of 139, 169 and 229 euros). The fabric comes from major houses like Albini and Thomas Mason. For what ? Thomas Mason, for example, carries out several washes during the manufacturing stages, which considerably reduces the fading and shrinkage of the future shirt. Suffice it to say that you will not find entry-level Egyptian cotton. And even less Sea Island cotton which is still very expensive (in fact, Saint Sens does not offer any in its collection).
The different fabrics/weaves for a shirt
Poplin is the result of weaving a warp thread that is finer than the weft thread. The fabric is therefore silkier and generally used for dress shirts. Saint Sens mainly uses fabrics (whether plain or patterned) from this technique.
Oxford is a weaving technique that uses a colored weft thread and a white warp thread, which gives this effect of small patterns. It is slightly thicker than poplin and has the characteristic of being a soft and resistant fabric. You will find this type of fabric on more casual shirts and American collars (collars with buttonable collar tips).
Thread to thread is a weave alternating 2 colors of thread. This gives a mini grid. We find this weaving technique on plain shirts, which gives them a more modern style.
Wire to wire.
Twill has a particular diagonal structure (or weave), like jeans . Have you ever noticed that your jeans are easier to iron? Well it’s partly thanks to this weaving. It is also a soft and silky fabric.
Twill.
Herringbone is a weave quite close to twill, recognizable by its diagonal weave. It is also supple and very silky. This type of weave is ideal for giving depth to the color of the shirt.
Chevron.
Mixed is a weave combining the technique of twill and poplin, or Oxford and honeycomb (little used in shirts but it exists), etc...
Although Saint Sens mainly uses poplin, you can choose these other types of weaving. Please note that the more regular the weave, the more quality the fabric. The length of cotton fibers influences the regularity of a fabric, hence the importance of selecting quality cotton, as Saint Sens can do. On the other hand, as with knitwear, the softness of the fabric means absolutely nothing about its quality.
The quality criteria of a fabric
A quality shirt is made from a fabric with double twisted yarns. To distinguish it from simple twist, you will notice that the fabric of the shirt will be silkier and more pleasant to the touch.
Double twisted = crisscrossing of threads 3 and 2 in an S shape to form a single thread (1)
This way you will also keep your shirt longer: 2 threads are better than 1. Let's be honest, don't expect to see a double twisted yarn at the entry level at Saint Sens at 59 euros or from another brand (like Zara for example even if the quality/price ratio is correct): there are incompressible costs , and offering this type of yarn is one of them.
Titration also influences quality . The count is the unit of measurement for determining the fineness of a yarn. For short fibers like cotton, the unit used is the English number. Concretely, the higher the number, the finer and tighter the thread. Between 80 and 90, we can estimate that the fabric is of good quality and between 160 and 200, the fabric is very, very good quality. Be careful in this case, the price of the shirt risks soaring!
Even though the fabric may be of quality, certain details may be overlooked for various reasons, often for the sake of the brand's profitability. On high-end shirts, have a high standard and focus on the details that are indicative of a real quality shirt. In other words, check if the shirt is worth the price!
The collar of the shirt
The collar is typically THE detail that should not be overlooked. On a high-end shirt with a formal style, insist that the collar be rigid and that it has stays (removable or not) so that the points of the collar do not bend. No compromise on that, okay?
What is a quality collar? A stand-up collar with 100% cotton interlining. The interlining is a triple layer as its name suggests. Concretely, we have the underside of the collar, the top and the interlining (an iron-on fabric which sticks between the two under the action of heat). A quality interlining must be woven. And when it is put on you should not see any "bubbles" on the collar, even after washing (even if they always end up appearing at some point).
Saint Sens uses 100% cotton interlining with woven interlinings for its collars.
like the shirt I tested (I'll come back to it later)
Note that there are unglued interlinings but they are much more difficult to maintain and require a particular ironing technique. As a result, they are used much less today even if they are of superior quality.
It's a bit technical you might say, but the fact that the first 2 layers of fabric are woven together will have a real impact on the quality of the collar. If the interlining is of quality, your collar will be very smooth and will not have small bubbles on the surface of the collar (both on the right side and on the reverse). And it is often on the reverse side that we see this type of defect appear (always turn a collar inside out from now on).
Furthermore, a quality collar will age better over time, after a few washes on shirts of average quality or frankly cheap , the defects (bubbles and the curled effect) will multiply after a few washes. On this type of collar, the interlining is not woven and therefore the use of heat-sealed fabric is more widespread. And glue doesn't like heat too much (from washing for example).
The seams
They must be as close together and regular as possible. The number of stitches per cm should be as high as possible (5 or 6 stitches per cm is starting to look good). We don't always pay attention to this detail but compare a low or medium quality shirt and a high end shirt, you will see the difference. And this also applies to buttonholes.
A buttonhole machine
The fineness of the assembly of a shirt attests to its solidity. When you wear a shirt, like any other item of clothing, mechanical stresses are created and these are concentrated in particular at the joints between the different parts of the fabric. Hence the importance of quality assembly (tight and regular stitches) between the different parts of a shirt (front, back, shoulders, arms, collar and cuffs).
Saint Sens does not neglect this stage of assembly
A stitcher to make very regular stitches
The shirt test
Now let's test the shirt. The site gives you fairly practical instructions if you choose to take your measurements from one of your shirts.
My shirt is equivalent to mid-range at Saint Sens. It is quite well priced, 79 euros for the choice of fabric + 2 paid options (thick mother-of-pearl buttons: 7.90 euros + white collar and cuffs: 19.80 euros). Which gives a shirt to just over 105 euros.
There are good and bad things about this shirt
The size
Let's start with the worst. I find that the shirt is a bit big at the shoulders and could fit better at the back. However, I took the measurements from a shirt that fits well, in short a fitted shirt that suits me well. I think my slight disappointment comes from the fact that the Saint Sens shirt has a more traditional cut, halfway between the straight cut and the slim cut.
Even if Saint Sens can correct this type of small adjustment, I advise you to take your measurements on shirts of the same type as the one you are ordering.
I also think the armhole could be a little more fitted. Certainly, I don't have big arms but it deserves a more suitable cut, especially to refine the silhouette.
You see, the seam does not perfectly mark the shoulder
and the shirt could be more fitted at the pectoral level.
For the rest, nothing to report, the collar is perfectly fitted, the length of the sleeves is good and the armhole is well fitted. Neither too high nor too low in relation to the armpits to ensure comfort during movement
The fabric
I chose a light blue poplin shirt with white cuffs and collar (narrow collar by the way). I had a very good impression. The poplin is soft and silky, we immediately see the benefit of the double twisted weave. It's a really nice shirt to wear. In short, it is a quality fabric that takes light well. As I told you previously in the article, Saint Sens uses beautiful fabrics.
Finishes
In terms of finishes, I find them very correct. The stitches are very even on all parts of the shirt (7 stitches per cm). I also find that the sleeves, collar and cuffs are well fitted. Moreover, the interlining of the collar and cuffs are also well executed.
I deliberately chose a rigid collar (thick interlining) for a better fit.
when you put on a blazer and which is more appropriate when you put on a tie.
As you can see I chose an American throat which is also very clean. And the buttons are made of good quality mother-of-pearl. For the record, Benoit, who had already tested a Saint Sens shirt, spontaneously told me that they had improved on the quality of the buttonhole. A very good point therefore!
A beautiful buttonhole! You can observe the regularity of the fabric as it passes.
Beautiful mother-of-pearl buttons sewn on very well made feet
(and not directly on the fabric).
Stays on the back of the collar, synonymous with a quality shirt.
Note the care taken in assembling the collar (interlining): there are no bubbles, it is very smooth.
All the high-end details are present on this shirt, except the reinforcement swallow. But it exists on high-end Saint Sens shirts.
How to make a formal shirt more casual?
I wanted to tell you a little more about this point that was close to my heart. Very often, we refrain from wearing shirts that appear too dressy. I'll go even further: many men don't dare wear ties for fear of quickly looking like a banker. In summary, a style that is too strict in which we do not feel comfortable.
When you wear a dress shirt, and you want to make it less strict, you have to know how to put it together with the right pieces.
Here the tie & dye tie (this kind of color gradient) makes the shirt
less strict to obtain an outfit that is both elegant and relaxed.
You can also wear an open blazer when it's hot.
Obviously, this tie is a personal choice. This is perhaps a somewhat extreme example to show you that we can also have fun. You can also wear knitted ones, with patterns, the choice is quite wide. (Re)read Rémi's very good article on men's ties if you want to know more.
And if you're not a fan of ties, opt for the summer scarf, the neckerchief, the scarf or even the snood (a scarf assembled in the shape of a tube). L’Exception offers a nice selection and I guarantee that with a blazer and a shirt, it looks great 🙂
Verdict on my Saint Sens shirt
Inherently, this is a good quality shirt. The brand has repatriated all of its production to France to continue to progress in its know-how and manufacturing quality. Benoit's spontaneous comments on the shirt point in this direction. I think that in the future they will progress by offering more fitted shirts, especially at the armhole. They are really in this logic of improving their products.
When we met them they were really waiting for sincere feedback. Something that I have never seen anywhere but would be very important to me would be to be able to choose 3 armhole widths... and possibly the height of the armpits. In my opinion, a brand that did this would really differentiate itself in terms of personalization: it is undoubtedly less " sexy " for the average customer and more subtle than offering 30 colors of buttons and 15 types of collar (which we see a lot on the internet), but it would be a real plus for customers who are demanding on the cut. In short, the real interest of customizations, more than their quantity.
Aside from my problem with the size, I was generally won over by this shirt. Do not hesitate to give us your feedback if you order a Saint Sens shirt.
