Lean Garments: Pre-Order Popovers

It seems that popovers all are the rage again this summer. I previously published my top popover picks (Top of the Pops), but last week this popover from Lean Garments popped up on my radar. Blue OCBD PopoverIf you aren’t familiar with Lean Garments they are a new company out of Finland headed up by two 20-year old engineering students. They started with the goal of making an “affordable OCBD with proper unlined collar roll and other details for our friends here at university campus”. Their OCBD features an unlined 3.5” Collar and sells for $32. The drawback is alpha sizing, but if the sizing works for you that is quite a deal.

After tackling a Chambray shirt they are now rolling out a Popover OCBD (Available in blue and white) for $35. The popover appears to have the same collar length of the OCBD. They are long sleeved with a flap pocket, rear box pleat and a rounded short hem that was made to be worn untucked. I dig the white popover. There will be quibbles about the dimensions I am sure. I have my own, but at least they provide a detailed measurement chart (Popover sizing) to save us from complete disappointment and frustration.

It looks like I waited too long to post this and they now only have a handful more pre-orders. Their limited supply is a common complaint. In fact, it is the only complaint that I have heard apart from the alpha sized OCBDs.

In their defense, Lean Garments started as a student project (not sure where it stands now) and even at their young age they have learned what many other brands still have not which is that it is always better to leave the people wanting more. This is a brand to keep your eye on as they continue to roll out classic casual pieces at a great detail-to-dollar ratio.

oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

6 Comments on "Lean Garments: Pre-Order Popovers"

  1. Erik says:

    I was curious about their brand until I realized that the “lean” in their title was referring to their inventory. Every product release is a race to place orders before all shirts are taken, giving you what seems like a few hours from receiving their email to order what is a S, M, L oxford. I haven’t had the opportunity to buy one of their shirts or review it (surprising, I know) but I doubt it’s worth the effort. It’s an Ocbd, not Rolling Stones tickets. I know I sound snarky, but it’s hard enough finding a good button-down, I don’t want it to be any harder like its a radio call-in contest.

    The brand I’m curious about trying is Michael Spencer, who makes customizable OCBDs with or without lined collars. They aren’t cheap, but seem like a better value than Mercer, whose only size is “enormous American.”
    http://www.michaelspencer.us

  2. oxford cloth button down says:

    Erik – I agree that it can be frustrating. I wanted to order the white popover. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt for now. They are students and financing this project out of their own pocket is probably difficult. I saw the pre-order as a step in the right direction. Like I said, time will tell.

    The Michael Spencer shirts do look nice. The $100 & up OCBD market is getting more and more competitive!I look forward to your review when you do pull the trigger.

      $100 & Up OCBD Market

    Mercer – $125

    O’Connell’s – $145

    Brooks Brothers – $95

    Michael Spencer – $135

  3. Erik says:

    I appreciate that they’re students and I shouldn’t be so hard on them. However, as a former marketer, I struggle to believe their lack of inventory is more than a strategic effort to inflate the perceived value of their shirts. “These must be the best $35 OCBDs around, because they’re never available” says some guy rushing to order them every time.

    I’m conflicted about the $100 and up OCBD market, because I just don’t want to pay that much for a buttondown. I realize that, adjusted for inflation, today’s shirts are stupid cheap and that $135 for a customizable OCBD would have been a steal in the days of Don Draper. However, wages and salaries are also comparatively lower, so…they still seem expensive. Plus, it seems like a risk to order any buttondown for 100+ online. Even returning them is a pain and if you’re married, you kinda gotta ask first before you get two oxfords for 300 bucks delivered to the house. I’ll probably pull the trigger on a Michael Spencer at some point, but I just had to buy a new fridge…

    This is why the decline of the Land’s End & LL Bean oxford line is so disheartening.

  4. Hi Jerrod,

    We saw the comments that you made about us. We enjoy your blog and would love to open a discussion with you.

    It might be worth mentioning that our stripes are very popular and that our stripes are priced the same as our solids.

  5. Markus says:

    I had opportunity to get this popover in both colors and I have to say that this is very good deal. I hope that they will increase their patch quantities because all of their shirts will be sold out in just few minutes after start of the sale. There may be only few of hundreds shirts per patch? It is always good thing that there is fresh players in the game 🙂 Ivy style lives wealthy!

    There are some pics of my popovers, have to say that I decided to make them bit slimmer because my overall “slim” style, but it is only about 1 cm per side.

    Blue: http://casuallysmart.com/2015/06/04/popover-shirt-for-summer/
    White: http://casuallysmart.com/2015/06/13/first-day-wearing-shorts/

  6. Scotch says:

    Thanks for the tip. I received my popover yesterday. GREAT product–particularly at that price. My only gripe is that the upper sleeves are awfully slim for guys who lift. Very happy with my shirt–now I wish I’d ordered more.

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