I’ve always thought that buying Valentine’s Day gifts for your significant other was quite difficult because you usually want it to be the following:
1) Original
2) Not crazy expensive
3) Presumably an item that he’ll use over and over again. (Not something he’ll pretend to like and then stash in his closet)
Well, how about a customized men’s dress shirt for the man in your life? Granted, my recent boyfriend was more of a t-shirt, jeans, and cool sneakers type of fellow, but whenever he dressed up in a fresh, crisp dress shirt, I absolutely loved it. He wore dress shirts on special occasions and always complained about their boring nature and how he wasn’t a “Finance” guy which is why he should never have to wear them. Enter Blank Label, a new Boston-based company, who is looking to change the way people shop by offering customized dress shirts online, whether you’re looking for a simple design or want to go all out with pink cuffs, blue buttons, and even labeled collars.
I was contacted by Danny Wong, Blank Label’s co-founder, to review a shirt, but hesitated at first. I mean, I knew my guy would NOT be down for another dress shirt, but thought I’d try it out because this site promised something a little different. And… I was pleasantly surprised, as their brand new customization application allows you to get really specific with the type of shirt that any guy would like.
Fabric- They have everything from Masculine Poplin Gray to Partier’s Dark Purple (interesting name)
Style- You can choose between various types of Collars, Cuffs, Plackets, Shoulders, and Pockets. You can even have your guy’s name written inside his collar which is weird, but can be cute.
Individualize- Whether you want snaps, colored buttons, or the standard… you have the option of making it completely your own.
Sizing- They promise that they’ll NEVER run out of your size.
I ended up choosing the Masculine Poplin Gray, Narrow collar type, French cuffs, French plackets, Black buttons, and though I thought the labeling was cute, I knew my guy wouldn’t appreciate it. Well, it took less than 3 weeks for me to receive the dress shirt (they promise this on their site), and I was really impressed with the quality of the product considering that Blank-label is still in beta.
Shirts start at $45; most dress shirts with a few design add-ons cost $60-85. For more information about ordering these shirts, check out their site.
Why didn’t I realize this? I never see my boyfriend use anything I give him so perhaps he doesn’t like them or they are plain useless. This is a good idea .. personalize something that he will eventually use all the time. I’ll definitely give Blank Label a try and hope he likes it and not just pretend to like it ._.