Blank Label is a Boston-based startup that allows its customers to create their own custom dress shirts online.

I went ahead and used their online custom shirt creator and waited for my shirt in the mail. Now that I’ve worn the shirt a couple times now, here are my thoughts.

Overall, I’d say Blank-Label is really on to something here. They’ve created a nicely designed site which allows any Joe Shmo like me to easily create a custom dress shirt online. And I’ve got to hand it to them, the shirt fits almost perfect. It fits exactly the same if not better than the shirt I bought at Cafe Coton off the rack and had taken in at the local tailor. The difference though was that with Blank Label, I never left my apartment.

The Good

• I was able to customize the shirt just the way I wanted in terms of type of color, fit, number of pockets, button color, etc. Because of this, the shirt definitely feels custom and not something I could get off the rack at a department store.
• The fit is spot-on and overall quality is high in terms of materials used (Both times I wore the shirt I got compliments about the fit).
• Price wise, Blank Label isn’t a steal, but it’s definitely a great price for a service that usually cost a hell of a lot more. Shirts start out at just $45, and mine with all the unique customizations topped out at around $70.
• With Blank Label, they’ll never run out of your size since it is basically on-demand shirt making.
• The shirt came with a hand written note. It was a nice touch, but I wasn’t sure if that was special for us or if  they do that for every customer. Still the best packaging experience I’ve had so far were for a pair of pants from Bonobos.com.

The Bad

• Workmanship was fair, but I did notice a bit of excess threads and things that weren’t clipped off. This was more apparent around the buttons and in the areas where I customized the shirt a bit more. It felt like it just left the seamstress’ table…which is fine, but it did feel a little less polished than something I’ve seen come from other vendors.
• The wrapping the shirt came in felt a little budget and I would have liked to see better presentation here.

About Blank Label

Individually Designed By You, Individually Made By Us

We’re changing how young guys buy and wear dress shirts. Add a subtle personalized touch to that blue or white work shirt or go crazy by really designing a one-of-a-kind creation, hit that sweet spot in between with that shirt you leave work and go for dinner and drinks with. We have one of the hottest design-it-yourself dress shirt applications going around, have fun with it, create something individual. After all blank label is your label.

What is the Boxee Box?

Boxee is the best way to enjoy entertainment from the Internet and computer on your TV. Boxee is launching their IPTV set-top box powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2. This is the big brother to the Tegra that powers the Microsoft Zune, and several other upcoming Windows Mobile 7 phones.

Rather than using the traditional content provider model, Boxee is a rather unique IPTV solution in that they are a portal to content providers.  This is great because it allows for almost any video content on the Internets to be accessed.

And instead of using a Home Theater PC (which you can do with the Boxee software) the Boxee Box makes the Boxee experience accessible to the average consumer who doesn’t want a full-fledged PC, or the support headaches that come with it, next to their TV.

The Boxee Box is as revolutionary as the DVR was, and so not everyone will “get it” the first time they here it. Here’s a video explaining how to get started with Boxee.

Check out the he Boxee Remote. It is an innovative double sided RF device with a Qwerty Keyboard on one side and a multi-directional pointing device on the other.

The Boxee Box by DLink will be available sometime in 2010.

The problem I find is that I go through these shirts too quickly. When I first buy them, I think I’ve found my new favorite shirt, but after a few washes they just ain’t the same. So you cut their playing time and eventually relegate them to the end of your proverbial bench.

Enter Dunning Sportswear.  The Dunning Performance Sportshirt ($125) may look like a traditional shirt with a classic fit, but after deeper inspection, the threads reveal a non-traditional Coolmax poly-cotton blend which wicks away moisture .

Dunning Performance Sportshirt

The Dunning clothing line was founded by Toronto native Ralph Dunning, a lifelong athlete turned golf enthusiast. Dunning has also done work for some of the world’s largest and most authentic sports brands including Saucony, GT Cycles and Cervelo. This is important because you know the man knows how to fuse quality and performance.

I’ve had my Dunning shirt going on 4-weeks now and it’s been great. The first thing you will notice is that it is stylish in an understated way. It doesn’t scream, it sings quality.  The fabric is crisp but not overly stuffy or tight. It’s lightweight, well put together and can be worn for a variety of occasions. I’ve had the opportunity to wear it to work and to a dinner with friends. Some even noticed the subtle logo near the left hand cuff which I thought was a nice touch on the design. It’s just a well made shirt, flat out.

Sure you’ve probably never heard of  the Dunning brand, but don’t be surprised to see their threads start to pop up on your local golf course.  2007 Masters Champion, Zach Johnson, has been seen sporting the line.

You can purchase Dunning SportsWear at fine clothiers and through their website. Run, don’t walk to DunningSportsWear.com.