Hey gents, today I’m excited to talk about the new Essentials line from Ledbury, one of my favorite dress shirt brands of all time. They just launched this collection last month and its main difference from their main collection is a lower price point of $98 for most shirts.

I recommend this brand to a lot of guys, as you may remember from the Best Dress Shirts video I did awhile back, but a lot of the shirts in their main collection cost upwards of $150, which is simply too expensive for some people. I discovered them back when I was in college and broke as a joke, and at the time I couldn’t justify spending that much on a shirt. I wanted to buy them so badly, but it was really tough to justify spending $150 for shirts when I could buy very cheap shirts at Macy’s.

As I’ve gone through the process of learning more about great shirting and great quality products, not only am I out of college and making money now but I can also justify it as I want fewer things but with nicer quality. You might consider investing in a few pieces from the Ledbury Essentials collection, if you’re on your way. This collection keeps the best features of their main line, which I was happy to see. While markedly less expensive than their main line (these shirts start at $98), the Essentials Collection maintains all of their main line’s sturdy construction and top-quality design. They also keep one of the Ledbury main line’s signatures: mother-of-pearl buttons. The main difference that allows for the lower price is that the Essentials collection uses lower quality, Super 100s fabric, not the expensive, Italian-milled luxe fabrics their main collection are known for. Just the same, it’s very high-quality material and the Essential’s collection maintains the brand’s sharp visual aesthetic.

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An unexpected but quite welcome result of this new line is that they’ve created a shirt that’s a bit more accessible to a younger, wider market. If you’re already a Ledbury fan, then by all means keep buying their European fabric shirts. But if you’re new to this brand or still can’t pay for their premium fabrics, I recommend that you give the Essentials collection a chance.

About the fabric
The Ledbury Essentials Collection uses Tessitura Monti fabrics, a fine Italian-milled cotton. I have several Tessitura Monti fabrics in my shirting collection and I love them even though there’s no wrinkle resistance. This is because Tessitura Monti is notorious for not treating their fabrics with any chemicals, including wrinkle resistors.

A few notes on the fit
I was happy to see that the Essentials Collection also offers a wide range of customization options: they offer two cuts (classic and tailored), myriad colors and patterns, and you can also choose your neck size and shorten the sleeve length by half-inch intervals. As many of you know, I’m rather tall (6’4”) and I weigh 190 pounds. Their tailored cut fits me very well and, as luck would have it, the sleeves were also long enough for me. I keep waiting for them to offer sleeve lengthening, but until they do, their sleeves will be too short for you if you’re taller than I am.

In conclusion…
I highly recommend Ledbury’s new Essentials Collection if it’s not obvious. In the other Ledbury dress shirt video I did about a year ago, you’ll recall that my calling this shirt brand my favorite came with a caveat to the tune of $150 or more. I understood then, as I do now, that for many men that’s simply too much to pay for a single dress shirt. But at this level of quality, $98 isn’t. Think of one of these shirts as your first foray into high-end shirting. For this price, which is below the industry average at this level of quality, you get to experience the fabrics, the cuts, and the overall feel for which Ledbury is known and loved: all the prime hallmarks of a great shirt at a much more affordable price.

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As always, I’ll be down in the comments, ready to answer any of your style questions. What’s your experience with Ledbury’s new Essentials collection? Like the fit? Like the fabric? Talk to me! You can also reach me on Instagram and Twitter. It’s always great to hear from you.

Until next time gents, this is the Kavalier.

P.S. Prefer shirts made of performance fabric? Check out my latest Mizzen & Main Unboxing!

Ledbury Essentials Collection | High Quality, Affordable Price