Dress Shirt Components
A fine
tailored dress shirt is an important look of formal wear. But what
are the special features of a man's formal dress shirt? What
differentiates a formal dress shirt from any other shirt say casual
shirts? According to the world's best
designers a men's formal dress shirt has 6 basic and very
important features, each of which will be discussed in this article.
Collars
A key feature
of the men's
dress shirt is the collar. Having a collar is a must for any
shirt and however collar styles do vary. Some of collar types are,
examples: a Straight
Collar- which has a very narrow spread between the edges of the
collar, the Windsor- which has a wide spread at the edges and is
named after the Duke of Windsor, or the Tony- a highly formal collar
which covers the knot of the tie as well as the entire neck. Some
collars are also buttoned with the shirt; these are called "Button-down" collars.
Buttons
Buttons are
perhaps the most visual and distinctive feature which makes a formal
dress shirt a real dress shirt. In order to be a practical designer
dress shirt, it must have buttons running from the collar down
to the waist and open in the middle. It is basic that every custom
tailored dress shirt has at least s7 buttons on the front, regardless
of size and design. Some high end shirts
will have 8 buttons, but 7 is the industry norm. Now a day's designer
formal shirts also have buttons on the collar and cuffs,
although this is not a requirement.
Cuffs
Next in line
of custom
tailored formal dress shirt features are the cuffs.
These are the sections of the dress shirt which cover the wrists.
There are two main styles of cuff: the French
cuff in which the edge of the cuff are pulled out to the side
and linked together there and the barrel cuff, in which the sides of
the cuff overlap and button one on top of the other.
Placket
The placket
is a feature related and usually associated to the buttons of the
tailored dress shirt. It is the strip which runs down the front of a women's
formal dress shirt where the button holes are sewn. The standard
industry width of a placket is 1.5 inches. It is generally sewn
fairly so finely as to be as unnoticeable as possible, although some
different variations of plackets also does exists.
Pleats
Pleats are not
considered a universal feature of a tailored formal dress shirt,
however most trendy dress shirts do have them. A pleat
is a component/part of the shirt where the fabric is folded back over
itself. Generally pleats are found on either side of the back of the
shirt. Pleats are also often found on the sleeves just above the
cuff. For less formal wear, there is a single box pleat in the middle
of the back.
Pockets
Pockets are
another major feature of the tailored
dress shirt which is not universal. In some styles and designs,
formal shirts do not include pockets at all; however a single pocket
on the left side of the shirt are regular. |
