I’ve never been particularly fashionable and rarely get attached to a certain brand of clothing (well, except for maybe Converse shoes). But over the past year or so, I’ve finally found a shirt brand worth getting obsessed over.
Since 2019, I’ve worked at marketing agencies where the dress code was pretty casual. But as a senior leader with a growing team now, my boss has encouraged me to start dressing better, especially as I’m meeting a lot of important clients and other business partners.
This basically meant upgrading my wardrobe of cartoon character t-shirts to collared business shirts. I used to wear a business shirt to work all the time when I was younger (and thinner), but none of those fit me anymore and have since all been given to local Op Shops. So, I’ve had to start over.
Finding Business Shirts for Big & Tall Men in Australia
My first go-to for shirts was from Johnny Bigg, which is an Australian Big & Tall menswear store. I bought several business shirts from there a few times, especially when on sale, but ultimately was not impressed by the quality or the fit of the shirts.
The Problem with Johnny Bigg
Whilst I do like the jeans and socks at Johnny Bigg, the business shirts seem cheaply made and too tight-fitting despite an RRP of $99.99 each. I find my 3XL shirts from Johnny Bigg become untucked constantly, and the buttons always come undone. That, and they need to be ironed. I hate ironing and don’t even own an ironing board.
My First Dixxon Flannels Order
I started seeing Dixxon Facebook ads in late 2023, and, after a while, I jumped on one of their sales on December 31st, where I bought The Quack Flannel (not pictured). This flannel was definitely inspired by the colours of The Mighty Ducks and the now unfortunately unavailable Shreddy design (always loved the neon pink and blue plaid pattern and its retro charm). These cost me $63.99 AUD each.
These two Dixxon shirts became fast favourites. The shirts were longer and baggier than the equivalent size from Johnny Bigg, didn’t require ironing and were made of a thicker Poly Blend material, which was warmer than the paper-thin linen shirts I was buying from there.
My Second Dixxon Flannels Order
During winter in Melbourne, I didn’t mind wearing my Johnny Bigg shirts under a jumper, but by August 2024, I’d received a few compliments on my new threads. My partner’s dad is also a fan and at least one alcohol shop employee asked me if Dixxon Flannels are any good (to which I said yes). Apparently, they’re targeting known alcoholics in their marketing.
For this order, I decided to try a few other types of shirts. I’m pretty sure I just paid RRP for everything this time. I ordered the Workforce Long Sleeve (Charcoal) which I’m wearing now as I write this for $59.99, the KIILN FR Flannel for $114.99 and the Backroard Flannel which was $79.99.
The Dixxon Workforce Long Sleeve
Whilst I’m an office worker, this shirt is designed for “those who put in a hard day’s work with their hands. Durability to withstand the rigours of your workday with the attention to detail to keep you looking presentable and professional.” My partner says I look like a mechanic when I wear it, but I like it.
Unlike the plaid flannel designs, the fabric of this shirt is 65/35 Poly/Cotton Blend which gives it a stiffer feel and requires ironing to look good. I find this to be a good plain alternative to the Johnny Bigg shirts I was wearing, with a cheaper RRP as well.
The Dixxon KILN FR Flannel
I chose this shirt for purely aesthetic reasons. I really like the colours here and the fact that it is flame resistant is just a bonus. But I liked the shirt enough to pay full price for it and it’s a good thing I did, as 3XL is currently the only size that’s sold out at the time of writing this.
Like the Workforce range, this fabric feels stiffer and even a little scratchy compared to the regular flannels and needs to be ironed to look presentable or else it gets very wrinkled. I really like this shirt, but don’t wear it as often as ironing is inconvenient.
I would still recommend the Dixxon FR range to anyone who works in a factory or is around naked flames regularly which is definitely not me, but I do love the design.
The Dixxon Backroad Flannel
This shirt makes for a great office shirt, especially for the winter. Whilst some of the other designs I’ve ordered (and go on to order later) are a little “out there”. It is quite conservative in its black and grey plaid pattern. This is a good one for attending meetings.
Third Order
After seeing the Frankie Flannel below promoted on Facebook, I couldn’t help but to order again. This was in October in the lead-up to Halloween.
Dixxon Frankie Flannel
https://web.archive.org/web/20241013222456/https://www.dixxonquality.com.au/products/frankie-flannel
I’m glad I ordered this when I did. This one seemed to sell out really fast. It has a plaid pattern with green and purple highlights with inner patterns of zebra print. This is definitely one of my favourite designs so far. Just in time for Halloween though I didn’t actually wear it that day!
Black Bamboo Dress Shirt – Long Sleeve
I don’t know how long Dixxon has been doing Bamboo shirts for, but heading into Summer I certainly noticed them and started to stock up. You can’t go wrong with a black bamboo dress shirt. It’s the kind of thing I know I’ll need for an event one day and can occasionally wear it to work as well. Great for the summer.
Outlaw Bamboo Lasso Long Sleeve
This is another popular one that’s since sold out. My boss actually complimented me on this as he likes the sort of “cowboy” look on the shoulders. I quite like this as it is a bit more casual than the other black dress shirt I bought in the same order. This certainly got me hooked on Bamboo men’s shirts by Dixxon.
Fourth Order
I made another order soon after in November 2024. Including this order, I’ve now spent $842.18 AUD on these shirts and have enough to keep me going for a while and I can save my Johnny Bigg shirts for emergency use only.
Ross Alley Bamboo Long Sleeve
Leading into the Australian summer, I’m now hooked on Dixxon’s bamboo long-sleeve shirts. I like this one because it has hidden buttons that help keep your collar down. In fact, as I write this I am wearing my original The Quack flannel and realise it also has this function. The black and white pattern of this makes it feel like a good shirt to wear to work.
Denver Bamboo Lasso Long Sleeve
Another lightweight bamboo long-sleeve shirt for the summer, the Denver is a really nice shirt. I think this shirt has been aptly named as it does give me a Colorado countryside vibe. It is quickly becoming one of my favourites.
White Bamboo Dress Shirt- Short Sleeve
This was bought purely to go under a grey sports jacket (from Johnny Bigg) at the Newcastle Herald’s Hunter Race Day which I was a VIP. To suit the jacket and pants (also from Johnny Bigg) I needed a white shirt. Due to the warm weather, it seemed like the best thing for me to wear under a jacket without overheating and it did a good job!
Conclusion – My Dixxon Flannel Review
I think Dixxon has found a fan for life and I could not recommend them more highly. They are great because most do not need ironing, which is just really helpful. They are longer cuts, so they don’t come untucked and the ever-changing range of designs certainly makes shopping on their website fun and gives you a reason to come back. I got so hooked that I stopped waiting for sales and paid full price for many of them, and for someone as cheap as me when it comes to clothing, that’s saying a lot.
I also wish I’d found out that their labels are stickers much earlier, I’d been throwing them out when they’re actually pretty cool.
