What Fabrics Should I Choose for My Custom Shirts?

Section: Essential Men's Business Shirts - Blog

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Have you ever heard the old saying about "losing your shirt?" This saying refers to someone who lost their money through bad investments, extravagant spending, or other foolish means.

When you purchase your formal and custom shirts from experts like Montagio, you won't worry about making a bad investment. You'll make one of the best investments of your life, and you'll enjoy wearing your tailor made shirts for almost any occasion.

About Shirting Fabrics

Tailors often refer to shirt fabrics as “shirtings.” Those numbers occasionally listed alongside the fabric name denote the thickness of the yarn from which the fabric was made. The higher the number, the thinner the yarn. Hence, the thinner the yarn, the finer the cloth and the higher its price.

Most fabric names refer to a particular method of weaving used in making the shirt. The most common fabric used for business shirts is cotton.

Oxford Cloth

Oxford cloth is the coarsest shirting although it is quite soft and comfortable. Primarily used to make shirts with button-down collars, it is a more casual fabric. In Oxford shirts having different patterns and colours, only the threads running in one direction are dyed while the others are left white. This creates the fabric's textured appearance.

Woven similarly, pinpoint oxford is made from finer yarn, which gives it a more formal, smoother look. Royal oxford is finer still and will complement a fine wool men's suit and an expensive tie.

Poplin

Featuring a smoother texture but with the same weight, poplin is created from an amalgamation of a fine yarn that runs one way, interwoven with another thicker one. Because of its softness and comfort, it is used for casual shirts, especially those with sporty patterns.

Cotton Twill

Cotton twill, which is a shimmery diagonal weave textile, is used for richly textured shirts without compromising on their degree of formalness. The direction of the diagonals keeps switching back and forth every quarter of an inch or so in herringbone twill fabrics. This characteristic provides greater depth to this particular fabric. When the occasion demands you wear a solid shirt, twill plays its role with ease.

Broadcloth

Broadcloth is finer still, made of fine yarn woven so tightly that it gleams. End-on-end broadcloth is made by interweaving threads of alternating colours for a visual texture so subtle, it appears solid when viewed from afar. Because of its tight weave, this cloth displays patterns with exquisite precision.

Formal Shirtings

Formal shirtsworn with tailor made men's suits are usually made of white pique cotton that has a rich, woven texture. This is the only shirt that can be worn with black or white ties and appears inappropriate when worn with a different coloured tie.

Fabric Blends

Besides pure cotton, all the fabrics mentioned here are available in cotton/polyester blends. These are comparatively less expensive and can be worn without ironing. However, they do not look as rich or feel as smooth as shirts made of pure cotton.

No-iron, 100% cotton shirts offer the rich look of natural fibres with the ease of synthetics. However, select good quality ones that will not irritate your skin like some low quality shirts might, even if their prices are slightly higher. It is worthwhile to note synthetic fibres tend to get itchy and uncomfortable in extreme heat i.e. over 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

When you're in the market for a new custom business shirt or formal shirt, be sure to take a look at the styling options and shirtings we offer atMontagio Custom Tailoring. Our expert tailors will lead you through the process from measuring to fitting to choosing your final accessories for your brand new shirt.

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