Spier and Mackay

Looking for a Spier and Mackay shirt fit guide? This page contains Spier and Mackay shirt size data which will help you find a shirt that fits. You can purchase direct from Spier and Mackay by clicking on the image below.  I spoke to Rikky Khanna about his business and the interview is at the bottom of the page.

This image shows the Spier and Mackay shirts and takes the user to the Spier and Mackay site

Spier and Mackay offer three different cuts.

  • Contemporary Fit – the widest of the Spier and Mackay range.
  • Slim Fit– the middle range from Spier and Mackay
  • Extra Slim Fit – the slimmest Spier and Mackay shirt.

When comparing the shirt measurements and your body measurements remember:

  • For the chest the shirt circumference should be six inches larger than the body measurement for a comfortable fit. Four inches for a tighter fit.
  • For the waist the shirt circumference should be four inches larger than the body measurement for a comfortable fit. Three inches for a tighter fit.

The Spier and Mackay website doesn’t give a comprehensive list of which sleeve lengths are available in which collar sizes. The information below is my best guess, based on reviewing the different options available to buy when I reviewed the site in September 2019.

Table 1 – Spier & Mackay shirt fit guide – Contemporary Fit

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
15.533, 34, 35, 3644.040.0
16.033, 34, 35, 3646.042.0
16.534, 35, 3646.542.5
17.034, 35, 3648.544.5
17.53750.046.0

The Spier and Mackay size guide says the contemporary fit is available with a 15 inch collar, but I could not find this size available on their site when I looked in July 2019.

Table 2 – Spier & Mackay shirt fit guide – Slim Fit

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
14.533, 3439.535.5
15.033, 3441.537.5
15.533, 34, 35, 3642.538.5
16.033, 34, 35, 3644.540.5
16.534, 35, 3645.541.5

Table 3 – Spier & Mackay shirt fit guide – Extra Slim  Fit

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
14.532, 33, 3438.533.5
15.033, 3440.535.5
15.533, 34, 35, 3641.536.5
16.033, 34, 35, 3643.538.5
16.534, 35, 3644.540.0

Shirts that fit like Spier and Mackay shirts?

If you are looking for alternative shirts that fit like the Spier and Mackay shirts use the shirt search engine, select your collar and arm length and then find the shirts that have similar chest and waist sizes.

Interview with Ricky Khanna

I spoke with RIkky Khana earlier this year about this business and shirt making. A summary of the conversation is below.

Shirtdetective [SD]: Thanks for doing the interview. To start, can you explain why there was a gap between your trip in to south Asia in 2004 and the business opportunity in 2009?

Rikky Khanna: I was actually involved in the family business at the time. I was helping my father run his apparel business, while at the same time trying to get a wholesale t-shirt business off the ground. In 2008 the business took a turn when the recession hit and we started looking around for other opportunities. I figured this was the perfect opportunity and timing to pursue the idea and so I started the company.

SD: And you do both bespoke and ready to wear shirts?

RK: Yes. We have both programs. For the custom program, you might call it advanced made to measure rather than bespoke, as all the patterns are drafted from scratch. This allows for greater flexibility in the fit and design details than typical made-to-measure. All the shirts, including our ready-to-wear are hand made in India. Each shirt is sewn from beginning to end by a single tailor. Our shirts are not assembled on an assembly line. If you look inside the shirt, there is a small tag near the care label with a number on it. That indicates which tailor made that particular shirt. We are able to do this as we have joint venture with a small local factory. I spent a lot of time looking for the right production partner and found a factory that was willing to work closely with us. It took eight months working with this supplier to ensure the quality and flexibility was up to our standards.

SD: Does that company also buy the cotton?

RK: No. We go out and buy the finished cloth and then the factory makes shirts. That allows smaller production runs, so that gives us more flexibility when purchasing cloth and therefore we can offer more exclusive smaller ranges. We might do a run of 50 shirts in a particular fabric. With a larger company the runs would probably be about 5,000 shirts. We buy cloth from several world renowned mills such as Albini, Thomas Mason, Monti and Soktas.

SD: I looked for non-iron on your website but you don’t seem to have any.

RK: This is something we’re working on. Non-iron is on the way. I wasn’t a big fan of the formaldehyde chemical treatment found in most non-iron shirts. There is a new approach which uses low levels of liquid ammonia. This is the process companies such as Thomas Mason just released in their Journey cloth. There is a scale called the DP rating, which goes between zero and four. A shirt with a DP rating of zero will require heavy ironing. A DP rating of four means you can scrunch up the cotton and it still won’t need to be ironed. With liquid ammonia you typically get a rating around 3.5 and that will last for around 25+ washes. We buy the cloth pre-treated then our tailors make the shirts.

SD: Another trend in the industry is towards mixing the cotton with other fibres like lycra or elastane. Is that something you have considered?

RK: That’s not something we have considered. We think we can make a well fitting shirt with our approach, so there is no need to use these additional fibres.

SD: Looking at the sizing data, even your widest shirt is still pretty slim by US standards. Your Contemporary Fit has a similar chest measurement to the Brooks Brothers Milano fit, which is the narrowest of the Brooks Brothers fits.

RK: Yes. That’s the fit our customers are looking for. Originally we had a Classic Fit but, for us, it was selling slowly. We followed customer demand and introduced the Slim Fit. Customers told us they wanted an even slimmer style so we introduced the Extra Slim fit. Seems to be working really well for us.

SD: On your website you recommend a three inch gap between the chest measurement and the garment chest measurement. And a four inch gap for the waist. That’s different to what I have heard elsewhere, which is typically four to six at the chest and three to four at the waist.

RK: I don’t think you need four to six inches if the shirt fits you well. The chest doesn’t expand. You need more space in the stomach area, especially when you sit down. We have done a lot of work on the custom side of the business measuring customers and producing shirts that fit them and those are the numbers that work for our customers. We’ve used our custom experience and data to help further dial in our Ready to Wear fits.

SD: You also have a different approach to sizing as the collar size increases. For most shirt manufacturers, when the collar size goes up by 0.5 inches, then the chest and waist go up by two inches. You don’t do that. In the Contemporary Fit the jump from the 16 to 16.5 inch collar size is only half an inch. What’s the reasoning for that approach?

RK: That is based on the data we have from the custom business. We have a lot of data on customers’ sizes and the shirts that fit them well. Based on that data we developed the Contemporary, Slim and Extra Slim fits, with a new block for each of those fits.

SD: So you originally started in shirts and then have expanded into other areas?

RK: Yes. We sold shirts for the first four years and then we began to offer suits in 2014. Suits are now the largest component of the company. That surprised us. Men only have to buy a few suits and there are fewer and fewer jobs where men wear suits for work. But now customers often come to us first for a suit and then by shirts and other clothes from us.

SD: How have you advertised the company?

RK: It’s all been word of mouth. We do very little advertising. We do have an affiliate thread of Styleforum and that keeps us close the customer.

SD: Ah. I assume that is someone who works in the shop who responds.

RK: No. That’s usually me. Whenever I have some time I check the forum and answer questions. It’s difficult sometimes, but it’s a good way to keep in touch with customers and understand what they like and don’t like.

SD: And you are now offering international shipping?

RK: Yes. As of 1st November we now ship outside the US and Canada. We already shipped to customers in Australia and UK and now are hoping to expand that business.

SD: Excellent. Thanks for your time.

RK: Thank you.

This image shows the Spier and Mackay shirts and takes the user to the Spier and Mackay site