Men’s dress shirt fabrics

There are many different shirt fabrics to choose from, based on the season, occasion and use of the shirt. Almost every fabric’s name derives from the type of weaving that’s used to obtain the fabric or better, from the art of interlacing yarn (threads), called warp and weft, to make a piece of fabric. Warp is the longitudinal thread, while weft is the transverse one.

90% of men’s shirts are made of cotton thanks to its fine characteristics. In fact, it lets your skin breathe and it’s resistant, absorbent, cool in summer, and warm during winter. There are cottons of all types: different qualities are classified according to the yarn count, which indicates with a number the thickness of a yarn that’s determinated by its mass per lenght. The higher the yarn count is, the thinner and finer the yarn is, because fine yarns can only be created using high quality cottons. This is why a fabric with a high yarn count makes a more valuable and expensive shirt.

Plain and Twill, the basic weave structures

In addition to the weaving process and yarn count it’s useful to know some of the weave patterns, meaning the way in which the warp and weft threads are interwoven. The basic weave structures include Plain weave and Twill weave that has a diagonal effect, while Satin weave is used for rather smooth, shiny and festive fabrics.

Two ply cotton shirts

Two ply refers to the process of twisting to yarns together in order to create a single yarn before weaving. Fabrics made of two ply yarns are more resistant, durable and higher quality and that’s why two ply cotton shirts have higher density of yarns in them that gives the shirt greater softness, resistance and quality compared to single ply cotton shirts. 

So, we have now discovered the importance of cotton in the world of shirt fabrics. Of course, cotton can be blended with other materials in order to create less expensive, yet good quality shirts. For a flawless look throughout the entire day, non-iron shirts are a great option. These shirts are made of the longest cotton fibers, with an innovative strech effect. A non-iron shirt can be normally washed in the washing machine and it’s ready to be worn right after it’s dry.

While buying a shirt, which do you consider more important quality or price, or is your choice based on other factors, such as colors, style and season?

cotton shirts non-iron shirts shirt fabrics Two ply cotton weave structures