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At the Shirtmakers Symposium in Florence final week we had a show of 5 shirts, one made by every shirtmaker.
The theme was ‘good/informal’. I needed to see what the makers thought-about an off-the-cuff shirt that would transition from an workplace to a bar, or simply be match for a dress-down workplace.
All of them picked totally different Albini cloths to display this, and the vary right here was fascinating – all the pieces from denim to white oxford, from butcher’s stripe to gingham test.
Nonetheless, for many males these would nonetheless firmly rely as good shirts – one thing that displays each the vary of recent shirtings, and maybe the relative inexperience of shirtmakers in making informal kinds.
Extra fascinating for me have been the technical particulars, which the shirtmakers usually included to display the vary of what they might do.
Budd Shirts in London, for instance, made its denim button-down shirt with a one-piece collar and a raglan sleeve (above).
Not solely is Budd not recognized for stylistic variations like one-piece collars, however I had by no means seen a raglan sleeve on a shirt earlier than.
As with tailoring, a raglan sleeve is troublesome to chop and make, however has a much less exact match. It’s definitely uncommon, however whether or not you just like the type is extra subjective.
Emanuele Maffeis had made a shirt with two uncommon particulars.
First, behind the collar there was a niche the place the liner had been uncovered. (Simply seen above.)
Though some do that for consolation, right here Paolo Maffeis introduced it as a great way to cease the tie from slipping, because the lining has higher texture than the shirt fabric.
Second, the entrance of the shirt had a double layer, exhibiting as a big ‘V’ down the chest.
That is an previous approach for shirts worn in heat climate, the place a really light-weight cotton is used however doubled within the entrance to keep away from it being too clear.
In fact, this was for an age when males would not often take their jacket off, and the again and sides would due to this fact not be seen.
(The identical cause black-tie shirts are sometimes made with totally different panels within the entrance than the physique.)
The Ascot Chang shirt had one other approach below the collar – this time exposing the liner all the way in which alongside the seam between collar and band (above).
That is supposed to make it simpler to fold the collar down, making it snap into place and by no means fold up.
The others, Anto Shirts and Luca Avitabile, didn’t have explicit technical features, however Luca highlighted the tightness and tapered form of his cuffs (above).
And Jack of Anto Shirts had elected to make his informal type with a white contrasting collar, however the band the identical materials because the shirt physique (under).
For Jack, having solely the collar (or the ‘cape’, when you rely the collar as the entire piece, together with band) in white is extra informal, and frames the face higher.
It’s what he wears each time he’s working and never sporting a tie – and a distinction collar definitely offers another focus for the shirt when a tie is absent.
Though I do not put on distinction collars I definitely want this design with the band saved in the identical materials as the remainder.
Pictures: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man
