Apr
1
2014
By
The Staff
of Valet.

Anatomy of a Great Shirt

Special
Promotion by

Proper Cloth

"A great shirt has a combination of high quality materials, a beautiful collar and a perfect fit," says Proper Cloth's Seph Skerritt. "For the fabric, I'm a big fan of the 80s and 100s two-ply broadcloth and pinpoint oxfords that we source from high-end Italian mills. They have a nice smooth hand, but are not so fine and silky that they drape limply—just the right amount of structure that stands up crisp and doesn't wrinkle too easily." Here, the brand's founder and designer walks us through the lengths they take to ensure a great shirt.

 
 

The Collar

"We've worked hard to engineer our collars to have the perfect shape and construction that will stand up perfectly and make a guy look his best. Proper Cloth currently features over 20 collar styles to choose from:  crisp spread and cutaway collars for suit and tie, soft,  unfused collars for the weekend, and various sizes across the board."

First button
placed precisely 3.25"
below the top button

Split yoke,
cut on the
fabric bias

 

The
Materials

"We're proud to carry a broad and ever changing selection of the finest shirting material the world has to offer. Our clients can typically choose from over 200 fabrics, including many from well known Italian mills Thomas Mason, Albini and Canclini."

Over 200 stitches
per button hole

Mother of Pearl
or durable resin buttons (attached with crisscross stitching)

Fitted cuffs
(choose from
six fused
and unfused
styles)

 

The Fit

"This is, perhaps, the most important aspect. Collar and sleeve length are only the very beginning. You want to remove any excess fabric around the waist, and have the chest of the shirt fit close to the body, but without any pulling. The shoulders need to end at just the right spot and the sleeves should be as slim as possible without causing any discomfort."

Shallow 2" curved
shirt tails with reinforced gussets.

140s dark blue stripe shirt,
$130

Browse Proper Cloth's dress shirt gallery »

The Perfect Fit Guarantee

Using size algorithms that are optimized with data from thousands of clients, Proper Cloth is confident that your first shirt will fit great. And if you're not happy with it, they'll alter or remake the shirt—ultimately guaranteeing a perfect fit.

 
 

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