The Perfect Shirt
FABRICS
Dress shirts are mostly made from cotton. There are three varieties of cotton fibers make up for the best fabrics - the pima cotton from the south western United States, the Egyptian cotton and the Sea Island cotton. These fibers are much longer than the less distinguished cottons, and thus it is easy to spin them into smoother yarns. After the spinning process, it is then piled into 2 ply threads and numbered according to size from 20-30 up to 180-200. The higher numbers are the finer threads.
Quality fabric makes a fine bespoke shirt truly extraordinary. CottonWork offers only the best in class fabric for each of our three collections:
CRAFTMANSHIP
Fine details differentiate a professional. In a well-tailored shirt, you will find all patterns and stripes are matched at the seams and joints. From the choice of needle to stitch counts per inch to collar linings, construction of a perfect shirt requires the decades of craftsmanship.
All shirts at CottonWork are hand stitched by our master tailor.
CUT AND FIT
Properly fitted shirt should flatter your figure. While looseness of shirt body is a matter of taste, signs of poorly fitted construction such as wrinkles at seams or inadequate shirt length are neither comfortable nor fashionable.
CottonWork offers three fitting styles that suit your personal preference.
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SLIM FIT
Ideal cut for most people. It is carefully cut to follow your body, but with enough ease for you to move comfortably.
FACE SHAPE, COLLAR AND TIE
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NORMAL FIT
A fine cut that follow closely to your body. It fits specifically for people with border shoulders and/or slimmer waists. The sleeves are slightly narrower as well.
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LOOSE FIT
Featuring generous body movement spaces and slightly wider sleeves. It is a very comfortable and practical fitting.
You can change the character of the most basic shirt merely by a different collar. The best collar should complement your physical proportions.
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A thin and long collar will make a thin face look long.
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A medium width collar will make a face look fuller.
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A longer and thin collar will make a round face look slim.
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A round collar will make a face look round.
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Knowing your face shape is also important if you wear a tie. For an angular face with wide shoulders, deep solid colors, big width stripes, pin dots, geometric designs are the best.
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In case of a rectangular face and square shoulders, solid colors with medium tones, stripes of medium width and polka dots are the ideal designs.
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A man with a curved face and sloping shoulders should prefer solid colors in light tones, blended stripes, contoured foulard and paisleys.
FINISHING DETAILS
CUFF
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Barrel Cuff
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The most common cuffs seen in shirts. It comes in single, double and triple buttons.
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French Cuff
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Also known as double cuffs, French cuffs are more formal and have a dressier effect than barrel cuffs. They are best used with suits.
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Neapolitan Cuff
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Mostly used on ladies' shirts as an alternative to French cuff. They are folded back with an opening on the outer side where the buttons can be seen.
FASTENING
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Front placket
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The American standard is that the placket would be used and not using a placket is more European.
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No placket
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Also called the French Front, this clean finishing is ideal for if heavily patterned fabrics.
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Hidden button
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The concealed buttons finishing is also know as Fly Front.
Surprisingly, pockets are not a traditional part of dress shirts. It is believed that a dress shirt without pockets looks more elegant and would have a smooth and simple front. However, modern dress shirt designs come with a pocket, although they find little use. Customize every shirt details in 3 easy steps with our interactive shirt designer!