Text: Marcos E.

*The Burgos shop in the early 20th century. (Photo from the Burgos website)*

*The Burgos shop as it stands today (Photo from our October 2022 visit)*

At number 2 of calle de Cedaceros in Madrid is the oldest shirt maker in Spain. The emblematic Camiseria Burgos was founded in 1906 by Julian P. Burgos. Now run by the Olave family, this extraordinary place has had legendary customers such as Hemingway, Orson Welles, Cary Grant and Pablo Picasso. All of them have enjoyed the elegance of this house.

During a weekend in Madrid, I was able to visit this historical temple of Spanish craftsmanship where everything is made on site or in Spain in incredible fabrics.

Let's open the doors of Burgos.

A store with an authentic flair

I am greeted by Carmen Alvarez, third generation and great-grandniece of the owner Santiago Olave. The store is bathed in a bright light in a late Art Nouveau style setting. The ceiling is high, allowing the numerous wall-mounted display cases to fit in and display exceptional pieces.

My wife, who accompanied me, sits in the walnut chair in the foreground of the photo above. "Cary Grant used to sit there and spend hours chatting with my great-grandmother, he loved our store”. The tone is set, we are in an exceptional place, as there are few.

*Like works of art, the company's know-how is masterfully displayed behind glass*

"This is the model of Guayabera Hemingway wore, he loved this shirt" says Carmen. This particular shirt takes its name from the four pockets - two on the chest and two on the waist.

Worn especially in Latin America and seen as an anti-colonial symbol par excellence, it was created by guaya farmers – a tropical fruit resembling a small lime – who had sewn several pockets on their shirts in order to maximize the harvest and be able to carry more fruit.

Ernest Hemingway wearing his Guayabera Burgos in 1957
(Colorized photo, taken by the legendary photographer Yousuf Karsh, all rights reserved)

The wearers of Guayaberas are countless, from Fidel Castro to Roger Moore or even Prince Harry, this shirt breathes summer and dolce vita. It is mostly cut in a white linen/cotton blend and can be long or short-sleeved.

A custom-made Guayabera in white linen and cotton has been ordered from Burgos but we will dedicate an entire article to this atypical piece when the heat returns.

An exceptional Spanish know-how

Burgos is the official shirt maker of the King of Spain. "We are the shirt maker of Felipe VI long before he ascended the throne, we are very proud of it!" says Carmen. There's a lot to be proud of. With references to prestigious fabrics such as Thomas Mason – offering poplin, twill, oxford or linen – the choices are countless and of quality.

*Autographed photo of King Felipe VI, at the time still Prince.*
*"Affectionate greetings to the Camiseria Burgos for this first centenary. Congratulations to all and my best wishes for your future” reads the card.*

Recently, the king on vacation wore a Guayabera shirt from the Spanish house. "He is our ambassador, in a way, of the exceptional Spanish know-how" says Carmen.

*The King Felipe VI wearing his Burgos Guayabera*

"Each of our shirts are cut in our workshop, in the basement of our store. Follow me”. Carmen leads me to a spiral staircase that leads to a room with a high ceiling and a peaceful atmosphere. What strikes me immediately is the meticulousness with which the craftsmen devote themselves to their cutting work. I inextricably thought of the tailors on Savile Row who carefully stack up customers' patterns, referencing them by name.

*Craftsmen cutting kraft paper patterns, as is customary on Savile Row.*

*This is what the floor looks like after a day of cutting – just a small overview !*

Carmen continues: "20% of our customers are foreigners, but the other 80% are Spanish and have expectations about the quality of our products. One customer complained that he was damaging his shirts while ironing them...We sometimes receive housekeepers of some of our customers to show them exactly how to iron our shirts! We also offer an ironing and dry-cleaning service, this is the Burgos service”.

Burgos makes bespoke shirts – by hand – or MTM – by machine – prices vary from 90 to 400 € depending on the choice of service and fabric. The good news is that Burgos offers remote MTM, making it possible to send your measurements by email to order a shirt. A second piece of good news awaits you at the end of this article!

The "Domecq", the Burgos Teba

The Teba is a long love story of mine. In my opinion, it’s the easiest garment to integrate into an outfit as it is a real chameleon piece. It can be worn with or without a tie. This jacket is truly the Swiss Army knife - or Leatherman - of a man's wardrobe. The Teba is rather a more casual than dressy piece, but therein lies its beauty.

When Carmen asked me to try the “Domecq” – a Burgos exclusive – I was very intrigued. The particularity is that it borrows some characteristics from the traditional blazer while keeping its "Tiradora" soul – the other name for the Teba jacket, initially a hunting jacket.

Like a classic Teba, the Domecq is completely unstructured – always extremely pleasant in my opinion – but with rounded fronts and two vents in the back. The "Domecq" still has the shirt-cuff sleeves, a characteristic Teba-collar and three patch pockets, one of which on the chest.

I chose a luxurious fabric, a thick jersey blue cashmere with an extremely nice and soft hand and gold buttons for a totally Brooks Brothers look. I think hybrid clothing doesn't always last over time, especially from a style standpoint. But here, something just works. I must confess that the rounded fronts bothered me initially, because for me, the Teba is straight and without vents in the back. But during my Madrilenian stay, I saw some gentlemen wearing the Domecq with elegance.

The Domecq is entirely made in Spain, in Zaragoza by Justo Gimeno. It is exclusive to Burgos.

How do you wear the Domecq?

The Domecq Teba is more formal than a classic Teba. I really like the Brooks Brothers American feel with the gold buttons. For this reason, I totally chose to integrate it in an Ivy outfit.

I’m wearing a regimental tie from Gabucci, Alden cordovan penny loafers, beige socks from Mes Chaussettes Rouges, a light green OCBD shirt from Kamakura and khaki trousers from Uniqlo U.

In short: Spanish excellence

As stated previously, the special features of the Domecq are the gold buttons and the curved fronts of the jacket making it more formal, like a classic blazer.

The Domecq is cut here in a luxurious fabric, a blue cashmere with a soft hand that does not wrinkle. Other fabrics and colors can be ordered, with or without gold buttons. You can make your own Domecq.

Good news, Burgos has an online eshop – for the moment only in Spanish, but a Google translation will suffice – and offers ready-to-wear garments. You’ll need 150 € for a Guayabera and 450 € for a Teba.