Men’s Dress Shirt – Components and Fabrics

Men’s Dress Shirt is an American English word for shirts. It a a garment worn by men with a collar,a full length opening to the collar, and sleeves with cuffs. Shirts are normally made from cloth and are worn usually under a jacket and with a tie.

Components

1) Collars-

The primary indicator of a shirt is the collar. Collars are of different varieties:

Spread collars: bigger gap between the tips. A spread collar has many different tips to flatter but the roundest faces.

Straight- Point: the V- shaped points of a straight point collar are the most common style, and are flattering for most faces.

Button- Down: less formal than other dress shirt collars. These are generally made of softer fabric and pressed with less starch.

Club: also known as rounded collar, the club collar is short, has rounded tips and is very stylish.

Tab: a higher collar with a small spread. Most flattering for man with longer necks.

2) Cuffs-

The main distinction between cuffs are weather they require buttons or cufflinks to fasten.

Barrel: these are also known as button cuffs because they close with at least one button.

French or double: a French cuff or double cuff has fabric that is long and folds back. These are closed with a cufflink or silk knot.

Convertible: a convertible cuffs can be closed with buttons or cufflinks.

3) Pockets-

Men’s shirts with two chest pocketsare considered to be less formal. Dress shirts with button- down collars are more likely to have a pocket.

Shirts worn with vests or suspenders should not have pockets as they make the chest appear bulky.

Fabrics

1) Cotton-

Cotton breaths well and can be very soft for a comfortable wear. Bright colours look great for a long time.

2) Linen-

Linen dress shirts also breath very well making them best for summer wear. Wrinkles easily.

3) Broadcloth-

A tightly- woven fabric with a silk texture. Broadcloth cloth has a lustrous finish.

4) Poplin-

Made of 100% cotton, poplin is woven with a horizontal rib effect and can be a bit more expensive.

5) Oxford-

A few types of oxford weaves are available, but in general an oxford is woven from a heavier yarn, giving it a more rugged texture.

6) Twill-

The diagonal waves of twills makes it perfect for a solid- colour dress shirt.

7) Cotton blends-

When another fibre is woven in with the cotton, you get the benefits of both the fibres. For example a cotton- lycra blend will add stretch and a cotton- polyester wont wrinkle as much.

A dress shirt should therefore be selected according to the material. Be it cotton, poplin, twill, oxford, linen or broadcloth. Also according to the collar type (club, tab, ), cuffs, weather cufflinks or buttons and pockets for a formal or less formal look.