On this page we will try to explain the basic
concepts of the complex world of fabrics, so as to explain the
differences and avoid confusion. Shirt-making fabrics can be
differentiated by the following elements: composition, yarn and
The raw material: a good quality shirt must
be made of natural fibres. The most
common are cotton, wool, silk and linen; undoubtedly cotton is the
king. Sometimes two of these fibres are combined such as cotton and
wool, to make villelas, or silk and cotton.
Fibres blended with polyester indicate a shirt of
lower quality. An advantage is that it is easier to iron, but it
becomes shiny, it is less comfortable as the fabric doesnít
breathe, and it doesnít look as good. In fact, it is impossible to
find a fabric manufacturer that supplies fabric with fine yarn of a
cotton-polyester blend; quality shirts are made from natural fibres.
This is why all of our shirts are made of 100% Egyptian cotton,
except for the villelas made of wool-cotton.
There are different qualities of cotton depending
on the thread length. The longer the thread, the better; the best
cottons have threads between 1.5 and 2.25 inches. The best cottons
are Egyptian, Sea Island (originally American), and Peruvian. How
can you tell the difference? Basically these cotton threads are
smoother and stronger.
The yarn: fabric is obviously many metres of
yarn put together, therefore its quality and structure determines
the quality of the fabric.
First of all, it can be a one or two ply yarn.
When it has two plies, it means that each yarn is in fact a doubled
thread. This is the well-known "two ply cotton," a term
that appears on many shirt labels and which is a sign of quality
yarn. One ply yarns does not last as long, and therefore, itís of
a poorer quality. The vertical threads of a fabric are called warp
threads and the horizontal, weft threads. Now, a good fabric must
have two-ply warp and weft threads, and this is known as 2x2.
Now that this is clear, the thread is also
distinguished by its staple. This refers to the thickness or
fineness of the yarn; the higher the staple, the finer and better
quality the yarn.
standard of the rack shirt has a 50 to 60 staple in one or two ply
thread. A good shirt usually has 60ís to 80ís two-ply yarn, and
only the best and most exclusive designer shirts spun 100ís two
ply yarn. Higher staples are difficult to find in prÍt-ŗ-porter
We use for our classic line Ė Blue Label Ė 90ís
to 100ís two-ply yarn and for our exclusive line - Black Label -
between 120ís to 140ís two-ply yarn (mainly Swiss cotton). These
staples correspond to an old English measurement which means, for
instance, a 100ís yarn has 100 times 380 yards of thread per pound
of fabric (that sums up 35 km. in a pound of fabric). The finer the
thread, you have to pack more of them per cm2, so that
the shirt isnít transparent. These two characteristics (fine
thread with high density) make the woven fabric softer and it fits
Weave: finally once the yarn has been made, it can be woven in
many different ways to obtain different textures. The most frequent
weaves for classic shirting are poplin, oxford, pinpoint oxford,
piquť, villela, voile, batiste and chambrais. Of these, the most
commonly used is poplin, a fabric in which there are twice as many
vertical threads as horizontal. Although widely believed, poplin is
not a fabric quality, but a way of weaving the yarn, and thatís
why it can be very good or bad quality yarn, made of cotton,
cotton-polyester, silk, etc. Oxford fabric is a square weave (with
the same number of horizontal and vertical threads) which is usually
made with thick yarn to highlight its typical texture; since it is
for very casual wear, pinpoint oxford was created, which is a
variety of oxford with a finer thread and therefore more formal.
Voile is a delicate weave which is made with a very fine but strong
thread, and it has a very low fibre density. This combination
produces a fabric which is very difficult to make, but unmatchable
for warm summer days.
Finally, when buying a shirt the ideal would be to be told what
the raw materials are and the thread staple. The weave can be seen
by just looking at it as well as by its texture. If you have any
doubts, please contact us.