Collar, cuff, sleeves and cuff- this is what the men’s dress shirt has always consisted of. Not a lot has changed to the piece of timeless clothing, other than becoming a more cut fit over time. In the UK it’s called a shirt, and in the United States it’s referred to as the Button-down or the dress shirt. Here we discuss all the details of the men’s dress shirt, from top to bottom.
A collar band, sometimes referred to as a collar stand, is a strip of fabric that forms the inner part of the collar and attaches the collar to the shirt. The top button is part of the collar band. The band’s width determines the rise, or height, of the collar. A collared shirt can be made without a collar band. This creates a collar that must always be open, — typically, a shirt with a large collar such as the style that was popular in the “Disco” era.. Men’s dress shirts may have a different fabric on the inside of the collar band for a contrasting effect.
A shirt collar is the piece of a dress shirt that is attached to the collar band and fits around the frame of the neck. Fine dress shirt collars are stitched around the edges to stiffen and hold the folded material in place; this stitching can be up to 1 centimeter in from the edge. Traditional high quality men’s dress shirts will have the top stitching a couple centimeters in from the edge, while low quality collars will often have the stitching directly on the edge. Interfacing material is used to attach the two pieces of fabric and make them stiffer. On low quality dress shirts, the interfacing will often show “bubble” marks after a few washings. The various types of collars you will find on a dress shirt are: Traditional point, curved point, round point, Buttondown and hidden Buttondown. These collars can have different point lengths or spreads to significantly alter the style.
The tip of the collar is referred to as the collar point. Often a tailor will refer to the collar point length to define the characteristic of it. On some collar points you will find collar stays on the reverse side, that maintain it’s rigidness. With interfacing it is not necessarily required to have the stays, though different shirt makers prefer different ways.
You will notice that different men’s dress shirts have different distances between the collar points, and this is referred to as the collar spread. The different collar spread will significantly alter the style of the manner of the shirt. If you have a fat neck than it would makes sense to minimize the spread between the collar points, where if you have a slim neck than you may want to increase the spread. By doing this you are balancing the weight between the neck and the collar, enhancing the visual appearance of your neck in a positive light. Remember, you’re men’s dress shirt should compliment you.
The front center placket is the piece of material on the front of the dress shirt where the buttonholes are placed. In the past, it was a separate piece of cloth sewn to the front, but today men’s dress shirt makers often fold the edge of the material to form the placket. It gives the shirt a defined center and makes a clean finish where the shirt sides join to be buttoned. Most shirts have six buttons, or for taller fits, 7 buttons. Other variants of plackets are the Bluff front, Fly front and the Twin Stitching front.
It is optional to include include a pocket on a dress shirt. Originally, men’s dress shirts did not include one, but nowadays it’s just a matter of convenience are personal taste. If you are in a very formal event, you may consider a pocket-less shirt, though in any other setting it’s fine to have one. The most popular pocket is regular, though you will often find on industry dress shirts, such as a security or pilot shirt, a pleated flapped pocket. The point of the pleat is to allow the pocket to expand. A pocket adds a touch of character to a dress shirt.
Most dress shirts are long sleeve, though in tropical climates it is acceptable to wear a short sleeve dress shirt even at the office. In a casual setting you may even consider rolling up your sleeves if you find it is too warm, keeping in mind they will be wrinkled if you unroll them after. In a more formal even you should play it safe and wear a long sleeve shirt.
The sleeve of a dress shirt will have an opening from the cuff up to about halfway to the elbow called the sleeve placket. This opening allows the sleeve to be put on easily and fit better. It may or may not have a button. By having this feature it allows the sleeve to be rolled up.
Armscye is the armhole of a shirt. In sewing, reference to the armscye length is the total length of the hole from top to bottom. This is the part of a shirt that many find “off the shelf” dress shirts to be difficult to fit.
The One Button Round Cuff is the most common, and is considered the traditional dress shirt cuff. Its simple, low profile design makes it the most popular cuff in use, and is the cuff of choice even in a modern style dress shirt. Also, you may find a two button Round cuff. More than functionality, the two button is more of a fashion statement.
French cuffs are perfect for formal settings, though lately they have been making a revival in the workplace, especially in Europe. In a very formal environment it’s recommended to consider using french cuffs as they are a sign of prestige. Keep in mind you will need cuff links if you choose to use this type of cuff with your men’s dress shirt, as they do not have buttons.
Probably the most convenient choice is the convertible cuff. It can be sported as either a regular barrel cuff or as a french cuff. It has buttons to allow it to be worn as a barrel cuff, and it can be folded over onto itself to be worn like french cuffs- there is an extra button whole for the cuff links. This is a great choice as you can wear it in situation.
Rather than having one piece along the entire back a typical dress shirt is make of two- a lower piece along the back and the upper piece that extends to the shoulders referred to as the Yoke. The traditional yoke is made of one piece and the fabric pattern aligns at a ninety degree angle to the rest of fabric on the back, or a British yoke that is aligned at a lesser angle to the pattern on the back.
Apart from looking good a dress shirt needs to be comfortable, and this is where pleats come in. There are 3 main types- box pleats, knife pleats, and gatherings. Box pleats are two folds on the center back of the shirt, whereas knife pleats are individual folds on the right and left sides of the backs, near the armscye. Gatherings are when the fabric has many little folds, that are barely noticeable. The purpose of these features is the add extra fabric to the back of the shirts, so when the arms are lifted then the additional fabric allows for movement. Some people may choose to have a shirt lacking pleats, often when they have a very inwardly rounded lower back. This is because they want to reduce the amount of extra fabric on the shirt, even at the cost of flexibility.
Traditionally dress shirts are tucked in, though it’s becoming a common trend to wear them untucked. The traditional men’s dress shirts had a tail cut. This type of cut was very rounded, though there is a more modern version that is less rounded. Another modern adaption is the square cut- and this is popular for business wear, where the wearer is almost always using the shirt tucked it- so it’s a mater of functionality.
Darts are a feature of a dress shirt where two vertical strips of the fabric on the back are sown in. Many tailors believe darts do not belong on dress shirts. It’s true that most body shapes do not require, or even fit well, with darts — but men who happen to have the particular body shape that does fit well with darts often swear by them. Darts are ideal for people with very inward-arched lower backs, that tend to gather a lot of fabric in the lower back area. Darts remove this fabric and make the back of the dress shirt conform closer to the arched lower back.
Monograms add a personal touch to a men’s dress shirt. The traditional dress shirt had a monogram to allow it to be identified in a commercial laundry. If worn in a business or formal setting, it is recommended that a dress shirt bear a monogram that is located in a discreet location, such as the placket bottom or the cuff. A more obvious placement for a monogram, ideal for a casual dress shirt, is on the pocket. Monogram font size should be fairly small, to discreetly point out, in effect, that “this dress shirt was carefully made for the wearer.”
There is probably more details to the average dress shirt than you though at first. This guide to the men’s dress shirt should make you appreciate all the features and complexity of the dress shirt, even though it may appear so simple. The dress shirt is a piece of timeless fashion that does not seem to lose it’s appeal. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding that will allow you to choose a dress shirt based on your knowledge, to find a shirt that fits the perfect situation, and that properly fits the style you are looking for.
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