An Introduction to Shirt Fabrics

An Introduction to Shirt Fabrics

Shirting is a special term for the fabrics used in making shirts. Cotton is by far the most common shirt fabric for dress shirts, and most fabric names refer to a particular method of weaving it. Oxford, poplin, broadcloth are most often used types of shirt fabrics. Besides, cotton twill & Dobby are also quite popular fabric types with the intention of adding more characteristics to the dress shirt.

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Oxford cloth, the coarsest shirting, is nonetheless quite soft and comfortable. Not like in the past it was only accepted as fabric of casual shirts, these days Oxford cloth is widely used in comfortable but still formal enough dress shirts. In colored and patterned Oxford shirts, only the threads running in one direction are dyed, while the others are left white. This gives the fabric its characteristic textured appearance. Pinpoint Oxford is woven likewise, but of finer yarn, and is thus smoother and more formal. Royal Oxford is finer still, and can stand proudly beside a fine wool suit and expensive tie. 

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Poplin bears a smoother texture but similar weight, the result of a fine yarn running one way with a thicker one interweaving it. It is soft and comfortable, and often used in more casual shirts. Since more & more people are fond of its lightness & smoothness, it is getting more & more popular in the selection of shirt fabrics. Besides, colors find themselves easily at home here; which makes a lot of color & pattern varieties in poplin fabric.

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Finer still is broadcloth, of fine yarn woven so tightly that it gleams. This is the most formal shirting for day-to-day wear. End-on-end (also called Fil-a-fil) is made by interweaving threads of alternating colors for a visual texture, which is so subtle that it appears solid from an arm's length away. Thanks to its tight weave, this cloth displays patterns with exquisite precision.

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Cotton twill, a shimmery diagonal weave, makes for richly textured shirts without sacrificing formality. In herringbone, the direction of the diagonals switches back and forth every quarter inch or so, giving the fabric more depth. If you prefer a solid shirt for certain occasion, or when the cool seasons come, twill certainly comes to the top of the list. 

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Dobby is also a type of shirt fabric often used. It is a woven fabric produced on the dobby loom, characterized by small geometric patterns and extra texture in the cloth. The warp and weft threads may be the same color or different. Satin threads are particularly effective in this kind of weave as their texture will highlight the pattern.

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Besides pure cotton, all the fabrics above can be found in cotton/polyester blends. These are less expensive, and sometimes can be worn without ironing. But they do not look as rich or feel as smooth as pure cotton fabric, and sometimes they make the wearer itchy & uncomfortable in heat or humid.