Choosing fabric for a custom shirt
Most of what makes a shirt pleasant to wear is the cloth. Here’s how to choose it.
A custom shirt is cut to your neck, shoulders, arms and body, with the collar and cuffs you choose. But the first decision is the cloth. These are the main kinds you’ll see in our shirting books, and when each one makes sense.
For the office: fine cotton
Two-ply cotton feels substantial and smooth, and holds up well to regular washing. Our Avante book, for example, is a 2-ply pure Egyptian cotton collection. If you wear a shirt with a suit five days a week, this is the kind of cloth to start with.
For travel: easy-iron and non-wrinkle
Easy-iron, easy-care and non-wrinkle shirtings are woven or treated to resist creasing. They won’t make an iron unnecessary, but a shirt that comes out of a suitcase presentable is worth a lot on a business trip. In our shop these include the Panama, Regatta, Solemnity, Scarlet and Everglade collections.
For texture: twill
Twill has a fine diagonal line in the weave, drapes softly and tends to crease less than a plain weave. Good for business shirts that you want to look a little richer.
For the heat: linen
Linen breathes better than almost anything and is cool against the skin. It creases, and that’s part of its character. Ideal for weekends, holidays and warm-weather dinners.
Blended or 100% cotton?
Blends usually wrinkle less and cost less; 100% cotton usually feels softer and breathes a little better. Our prices reflect this: blended cotton shirts are 5,000 THB and 100% cotton shirts 7,000 THB. Shirt prices.
Tell us how often you’ll wear the shirt, and whether it’ll spend time in a suitcase. That narrows the choice quickly.