Loading... Please wait...

How do you know your shirt is high quality?

Posted by Joe Button on

We often get asked why our shirts are more expensive than other shirts available online and we always give people the same answer: we’re not that keen on comparisons because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. We can only guarantee that all Joe Button custom-made men's shirts and women's shirts are made from 100% cotton and our tailors go through a very intensive process that includes several rounds of quality control to ensure that our shirts are produced to the highest standards. So how do you even differentiate between a good and bad quality shirt? Here’s a list of the basics that will get you running to your wardrobe checking to see if your shirts tick all the boxes:

  • 100% Cotton: None of those poly-whatevers, just pure 100% of the good stuff. 100% cotton shirts lets you breathe, it's more comfortable and it lasts a LOT longer.
  • Wrinkle-Free = Poly-cotton blend / Easy-Iron = Treated with Chemicals. Even the best quality easy-iron shirt means it's been treated with chemicals, namely formaldehyde, which can cause skin irritation in certain people. Don't be fooled - you may think you're saving time by purchasing an easy-iron shirt but you're actually making a big compromise on quality.
  • Two-ply Cotton:Good quality shirts are usually two-ply cotton which means two threads woven through the shirt, making it stronger, softer and less see-through!
  • Thick Buttons:You don't notice the nice thick buttons on a good quality shirt until you get one where the buttons are thin, flimsy and snap off easily. Remember to always look for the small details.
  • Pattern Matching:Your shirt is made of separate panels of fabric. On a well-tailored stripe or check shirt, the stripes and checks should be aligned at the seams as opposed to being messy and erratic.
  • Tight Stitching:The best place to check the quality of the stitching on the shirt is the collar. There's no hiding bad tailoring here - the stitching should be even and tight, especially around the point of the collar.
  • Removable Collar Stays:Removable collar stays are one of the classic signs of a good quality shirt. Collar stays stop the collars from rolling in at the points. Collar stays should be removed when you wash and iron your shirt, otherwise you will see shiny spots develop at the points of your collars.

A Joe Button, we make sure that all our shirts tick off this list so you don't have to worry about what you're actually paying for. Next time you're browsing in a menswear store, have a look and see if the standard off-the-rack shirts also check off this list! 

                                               

Daniel is wearing a custom Light Blue Chambray shirt

                                                                              Photograph: Ross Coffey

comments powered by Disqus