Explore our comprehensive glossary dedicated to the world of the men's shirt: from technical terms to refined finishes, discover everything you need to know about fabrics, fits, patterns and much more. Ideal for menswear enthusiasts and those looking to better understand the craftsmanship behind the perfect shirt.
A
- Ease: Extra room added to certain parts of a garment to ensure comfort.
- Weave: The interlacing of weft and warp threads that forms the fabric.
B
- Collar stay: A small flat stainless-steel strip that helps keep a shirt collar in shape.
- Bias: Fabric cut at a 45-degree angle to the grain, offering greater stretch.
- Mother-of-pearl button: A button made from a shell (Troca), stronger than plastic buttons.
- Buttonholes: The set of openings through which the buttons of a shirt pass.
- Cufflinks: Small accessories worn on a shirt with double cuffs. The perfect detail to display a passion, an important date or a humorous message.
C
- Pattern placement: The arrangement of patterns or colours on a fabric or garment.
- Checks (pattern): A shirt pattern whose casual style is proportional to the size of the checks.
- Chambray: A heathered-looking fabric that can be made from cotton or linen.
- Collar: The upper edge of a shirt. There are dozens of styles, from the most classic to the most modern.
- American collar: A collar with buttons for an impeccable lapel roll that stays in place.
- English collar: A collar with a collar tab, fastened twice with a button joining the two parts of the collar.
- Wing collar: A collar with points turned forwards, fastened with a button.
- Cutaway collar: A collar with a wide opening, allowing a wide tie to be shown to best advantage.
- Point collar: A minimalist collar with a slight opening and points turned downwards.
- Inverted collar: A collar with invisible falls, tucked inside the neckline.
- Spread collar: A collar with a wide opening, halfway between the point collar and the cutaway collar.
- Mao collar: A short collar without a fall, with rounded non-overlapping points, worn slightly open.
- Band collar: A collar with a simple collar stand and no fall, whose ends overlap and fasten with a button.
- Pin collar: A collar whose points are joined by a pin.
- Round collar: A modern collar with a rounded shape.
- Tunisian collar: A casual T-shaped collar, open to mid-chest.
- Combed cotton: Cotton with a soft, silky finish, made possible by combing, which removes short fibres and retains only the longest before spinning the cotton.
- Cotton twill: A shirt weave with a thicker, sturdier appearance and very fine visible lines.
- Tie: An accessory worn around the neck, adorning the lower part of a shirt collar.
- French seam: A sewing technique that leaves no raw fabric edges visible.
- Cross stitching: A way of sewing buttons so that the stitching forms a cross, providing greater long-term durability.
- Parallel stitching: Button stitching whose threads form two parallel lines.
D
- Denim: A soft cotton fabric with fine diagonal lines, similar to jeans.
- Two-ply: Weaving two warp threads with two weft threads to create yarn with greater strength.
E
- Armhole: The part of a shirt where the sleeve begins, running from the shoulder around to the underarm.
- Shoulder: The shoulder of a shirt is one of the measurements used to determine its correct size.
F
- Warp thread: A thread placed lengthwise. Combined with the weft thread on a loom, they form the fabric.
- Weft thread: A thread placed widthwise. Interlaced with the warp thread on a loom, they create the fabric.
- Flannel: A lightweight, soft-touch fabric, often made from wool or cotton.
- Gathers: Small folds of fabric created to add volume or adjust the waist.
G
- American placket: A visible placket, often associated with a more casual shirt.
- Concealed placket: A hidden placket for a more formal, streamlined shirt finish.
- Standard placket: A visible placket typical of formal shirts.
- Fabric weight: The weight of fabric per square metre. The higher the fabric weight, the thicker the fabric.
H
- Reinforcement gussets: Small fabric triangles sewn at the bottom of a shirt, at the sides, to prevent tearing.
I
- Print: A pattern added to the fabric of a shirt.
L
- Wool: An animal fibre from sheep's fleece.
- Linen: A plant fibre from the flax plant. Ideal for summer thanks to its cooling properties.
- Length: The measurement of a shirt from the shoulder to the bottom of the garment.
- Casual shirt length: A length designed to be worn untucked over trousers.
- Dress shirt length: A length designed to be worn tucked into trousers.
M
- Cuff: The end of a shirt sleeve. There are different types, including the double cuff.
- Assembly: The process of assembling the different pieces to make a shirt.
- Pattern: A design or print on the fabric.
N
- Bow tie: A men's fashion accessory, an alternative to a tie.
O
- Oxford: A durable cotton shirt fabric with a slightly rough texture.
P
- Tab: A piece of fabric used to keep the buttonhole in place.
- Trimmings: Ornaments for double cuffs.
- Houndstooth (pattern): A geometric pattern, often in black and white.
- Darts: Sewn folds in a garment to make it more fitted.
- Bib front: A reinforced piece of fabric at the front of a shirt, generally for formal occasions.
- Pocket: A small piece of fabric sewn onto a garment to hold small objects.
- Flap pocket: A shirt pocket fitted with a fabric flap that folds over the pocket opening.
- Rounded pocket: A shirt pocket with a rounded bottom.
- Cuffs: The ends of a shirt's sleeves at the wrist.
- Square cuffs: Shirt cuffs with square corners.
- Turnback cuffs: Cuffs with one edge folded outwards, forming an angle.
- Poplin: A fine, slightly silky cotton fabric, ideal for formal shirts.
R
- Stripes (pattern): Vertical or horizontal lines on the fabric. Classic (fit): A standard shirt fit, neither too loose nor too tight.
- Reinforcement: An additional piece of fabric sewn onto an area of a garment to strengthen it.
- Ply (double/single): The process of twisting yarns during fabric production.
S
- Sea Island (cotton): A variety of cotton renowned for its softness and long fibres, produced mainly in the Caribbean islands.
- Slim (fit): A close-fitting shirt cut.
- Topstitching: Visible stitching on the right side of a garment.
T
- Waist: The measurement of a garment's width at stomach level.
- Tartan (pattern): A Scottish check pattern.
- Fusing: A technique using heat to bond two fabrics together.
- Yarn count: A measure of the fineness of the yarn used in a fabric.
- Toile: A basic fabric used to make a garment prototype.
- Troca: A shell used to make buttons.
- Twill: Fabric with a diagonal pattern.
U
- Plain: Fabric in a single colour without a pattern.
V
- Gingham (pattern): A small check pattern.
Z
- Zampa di gallina: A hand-sewing technique that imitates the pattern of a rooster's foot.
