I recently purchased a few button-down shirts, Egyptian cotton shirts, and suits from Charles Tyrwhitt's online store, hoping for the quality I once experienced. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed.
The button-down shirts, specifically the Button-Down Collar Non-Iron Grid Check Oxford Shirts, were a major letdown. The fabric feels like plastic, not cotton, and has a disturbing, shiny appearance that fades after the first wash, leaving the fabric looking terrible. Despite the "Non-Iron" claim, these shirts require significant ironing, and even then, they still look awful. This was a stark contrast to the same button-down shirts I bought from them three years ago, which were made of soft, high-quality cotton that aged well with each wash.
Additionally, I purchased two suits and four Egyptian cotton white shirts. The suits' fabric was good, but the stitching was subpar, and the sizes did not fit as expected. I ordered the same size that fit me well in the past, but these new suits were off. When I tried to reorder in a smaller size, I encountered poor product availability. You cannot find a complete suit available for purchase on their website, particularly the NAVY & BLUE SUITS, my favorite. Very disappointing! In most cases, the suit jackets were available, but the pants were sold out, or vice versa. I tried to purchase even their most expensive Italian suits (navy/dark navy) but experienced the same issue—jacket available but pants sold out. This reflects poor product management. I have a couple of important events coming up and I needed these suits badly, but now I have to look for other options as it is already a bit late for me.
I had no choice but to return everything. Returning the items was a hassle. Unlike Amazon's efficient return process, I had to spend considerable time packing everything and visiting the USPS office to return the shirts and suits. You can't imagine how slow the USPS folks are and they don't care how long you stay in the queue. In today's busy lifestyle, people don't have much free time to stand in long queues with large boxes to return failed purchases.
Overall, my recent experience with Charles Tyrwhitt has been disappointing. The quality of their products has declined significantly, and the inconvenience of their return process adds to the frustration. I hope they take these issues seriously and work on improving their product quality and availability.