Almost 2 months of confinement later… you have listened to all the Spotify playlists, binged all the films and series on Netflix and Canal+ combined, read all the great classics of French, English and American literature twice…
What if you became an expert in shirt fabrics? Martina, our stylist, explains the particularity of each weave, and gives you some advice on how to choose them.
Poplin
Poplin is the emblematic material of the formal shirt. Originating from the papal city of Avignon, this fabric was known as Papeline and was used to make the clothes of the popes. Its tight, fine and light weave makes it a very pleasant shirt to wear on a daily basis. The cotton threads (double twisted at Hast) benefit from a dense and smooth weave: the warp and weft threads pass under each other alternately and regularly, without creating any particular patterns.
While poplin is mainly found on formal shirts, it can be used for more casual models, with a slightly thicker thread which gives a more pronounced casual look.
What do you wear it with? With pretty much everything, since it is a weave that has the advantage of being discreet. It all depends on your choice (plain, patterned?). You can also opt for the combo of a white poplin shirt + jeans or a blue striped shirt + camel chinos. And of course, poplin is recommended for wearing a suit!
When do we wear it? In all seasons.
Thread by thread
Very similar to poplin, the thread-on-thread has however a rather different appearance from the latter, thanks to a colored warp thread and a weft thread that is always white. These become more visible, and we thus obtain a very subtle material effect.
Fil à fil is widely used in formal collections, less so for casual models. But there is a well-known variant of fil à fil: chambray (I'll tell you more about it later).
What do you wear it with? The yarn-on-yarn fabric retains a certain discretion, its pattern is only revealed when you get close to the fabric. You can therefore wear it like poplin, with all types of materials: linen, denim, cool wool in summer; flannel, thick wool in winter.
When do we wear it? In all seasons.
The Oxford
Oxford is a slightly thicker fabric, with a more textured appearance, and also easier to care for than poplin. This fabric is said to have been named after the famous English town, where it was created by a Flemish weaver in the 17th century. The basket weave, composed of warp and weft threads (usually of different colors and both doubled), gives the fabric a certain density and accentuates the braiding effect forming a tiny square.
The fineness of the threads used will vary the use of this fabric, suitable for both formal and casual wear. It should come as no surprise that the oxford of a formal shirt is, in terms of appearance, quite different from that of a casual shirt. In my opinion, it is one of the best choices for a first shirt.
What do we wear it with? Whether for a formal or casual style, oxford is truly one of the most versatile weaves we can have in our wardrobe (along with pinpoint, I'm getting there too). We can opt for very smooth textures (like a light wool cloth) or on the contrary, for textures with more roughness (a flannel or a denim effect). You see that it's not very difficult for the moment, it's mostly a question of taste! ;)
When do we wear it? In all seasons.
The pinpoint
Plain weave, pinpoint is the perfect compromise between oxford and poplin (to put it simply, in terms of rendering, it is somewhere between the two: a word of advice to those who didn't want to choose!). Strong and slightly textured, lightweight while being resistant...
At Hast, you will currently only find pinpoint on our premium easy care range. We have chosen this weave at Albini, which has the advantage of creasing less, and saving you a lot of time when ironing.
What do we wear it with? Again, the choice is yours, it is a weave quite close to poplin and oxford. It will be perfectly suited for a formal outfit, with a wool jacket and trousers for example.
When do we wear it? In all seasons.
The twill
Due to its serge weave (the same as denim), twill is a very easy fabric to iron (which is a significant plus). It can be recognized by its biased stripes: the result of a technique consisting of gradually shifting the weft and warp threads.
Its particular pattern and silky effect make it more suitable for formal wear, just like herringbone (although again, it depends on the yarn used). Usually, we use a double-returned cotton yarn of a certain fineness for our formal shirts, but you can also find a more robust twill weave in our flannel shirts for example.
What do we wear it with? Twill as we imagine it is often used for formal shirts. It has a more sophisticated look than oxford or pinpoint, so we will favor elegant outfits, such as a 3-piece suit and tie . But we can also make it more casual, with a Neapolitan shoulder jacket and chinos .
When do we wear it? Twill has a slightly fluffy side, so it is better for mid-season and winter.
The chevron
Similar in weave to twill and denim, herringbone is one of the easiest weaves to recognize due to its zigzag pattern (at least one you can easily remember). It is generally relatively “thick” and used for formal shirts. Fun fact, herringbone is called “herringbone” by the English, in reference to its resemblance to the bones of a herringbone.
We rarely see casual chevron shirts, more often on blazers or even jackets. Giving chevron back its place in the men's casual wardrobe, on shirts, is one of my desires for the winter, so just a little more patience ;)
What to wear it with? Same advice as for twill, except that herringbone has an even more present pattern, so we favor neutral pieces if we do not yet master its style! With a wool cloth suit, it is perfect.
When do we wear it? In mid-season and winter.
The dobby
Dobby is one of those fabrics that we often recognize without knowing how to name it. With a plain weave, it has a particular appearance and feel, with a raised pattern that is often called "honeycomb". This weave has a certain natural elasticity, which makes it very comfortable.
For our part, we currently only offer a classic version of dobby, in white double-twisted cotton. Formal, of course. Dobby has this "fine connoisseur" side, while being very easy to adopt for those who are starting out. In my opinion, it is an oxford with more character.
What to wear it with? You can play on its textured side in two ways: by contrast, with smoother materials, or by reinforcement, with equally textured fabrics like a raw denim jacket or a twill work jacket .
When do we wear it? In all seasons.
Denim
First used for the manufacture of jeans, denim has diversified over the years to give beautiful shirts with a workwear spirit. Initially dyed with indigo (the famous blue jeans), this fabric is constructed on a serge weave and offers real strength, as well as a wash specific to each use.
At Hast, denim fabrics come exclusively from Italy (Albiate) or Japan (Maruwa or Kuwamura). They are particularly suitable for a casual, comfortable outfit.
What do we wear it with? Do we really need to answer this question? Denim goes with EVERYTHING (except maybe denim itself, it all depends on the choice…).
When do we wear it? Denim is a fairly thick fabric, so it's more for mid-season and winter. Or as an overshirt in summer.
Chambray
To put it simply, chambray is the casual variant of end-on-end, plain weave. However, there is one important difference with the latter: with a "square" construction, the fabric has the same number of warp and weft threads. It should also be noted that the weft thread is always ecru and the warp thread is often dyed with indigo. The appearance of chambray is imtely recognizable by its very particular texture, subtly mottled and very light, and by its typical color reminiscent of faded jeans.
Note that there are colored variations to the classic blue chambray, such as our rust and green summer Japanese shirts.
What do we wear it with? Chambray has a very casual spirit, so we prefer pieces from the same family to avoid taking risks; jeans, chinos, work jackets... We can also take inspiration from the Italian style which perfectly combines chambray with a more sophisticated, sartorial style!
When to wear it? The lightness of chambray is particularly appreciated in spring and summer.
Seersucker
If you had to choose just one fabric that represents the beautiful days, it would be seersucker . Its name comes from the Persian term "shir-o-shakar" which means "milk and sugar", echoing the double texture of seersucker, obtained thanks to its stripes: a part soft and smooth like milk and another slightly crumpled, "cracked" which recalls sugar.
The stripes of this fabric (plain weave) and its particular embossed appearance have a much more essential function than pure aesthetics. By playing on the relief, one stripe in front, another behind, the fabric becomes very airy, and remains at a distance from the skin, thus greatly facilitating the circulation of air and therefore the dissipation of heat.
What do we wear it with? Seersucker is necessarily made of stripes and at least textured (if they are tone on tone). It is a strong piece, which is sufficient in itself. So we go easy on the rest and prefer jeans or chinos and a plain jacket.
When do we wear it? Spring, summer, Indian summer. Especially when it's made of linen, like our model from Emanuel Lang.
The selvedge
Selvedge is not a fabric in the strict sense, since it can be denim (the famous and much sought-after "denim selvedge") or another fabric, as is the case for our chambray model. Selvedge is actually a weaving technique, which ensures a certain quality of canvas since it uses an old (and therefore slower) loom, which preserves all the qualities of the fiber. The word is the contraction of the English "Self Edge", short for "Self-finished edge", in French "finished edge". It is a uniform finish of a fabric at its end to prevent it from fraying, it is therefore reinforced and often forms a colored border.
How do you recognize selvedge? By its colored border, generally red and white or blue and white (but it can also be several colors!)
What do you wear it with? It depends on the fabric, really. In the case of our Japanese selvedge chambray, wear it like… a chambray.
When do we wear it? It depends on the material (chambray, denim, etc.)
Flannel
Originally made of carded wool and reserved for suits, flannel has adapted well to the making of shirts, replacing wool with combed cotton. Flannel has a fluffy and very soft appearance, and is generally quite thick. From the beginning of the 20th century, it has been used for clothing worn in summer, by the sea or for sports... relaxation!
With a flannel shirt, we are totally in the casual style, more or less chic. The thickness of the material can make it a shirt or an overshirt, with a t-shirt .
What do we wear it with? Flannel is a fabric with a particular texture, due to its pleasant softness. I therefore recommend wearing it with "raw" materials such as denim or smooth materials such as cotton twill. Avoid pants made of the same material, which will tend to weigh down the outfit.
When do you wear it? The micro-hairs of a flannel shirt will retain body heat so… Only when you need to warm up! A joy.
Velvet
With its fluffy appearance and its manufacturing technique, velvet is a material in its own right, often adored or on the contrary neglected. Emblematic fabric of nobility and royalty since the Renaissance, popularized during the Industrial Revolution and particularly appreciated by gentlemen farmers, velvet is both vintage and timeless. Construction side: the tack can vary depending on the type of velvet. For our shirts however, we work mainly with canvas tack velvet.
Velvet, like flannel, is a very casual material, which we do not recommend for wearing as a suit (although we encourage experimentation!)
What do we wear it with? Since velvet is a material with a lot of character, we will happily turn to neutral materials, such as denim, cotton jersey, or wool. Velvet has this "textured" and matte appearance, so it goes wonderfully with "smoother" materials, by contrast.
When do we wear it? In winter and whenever you need comfort.
Now you know our fabrics. But do you know your size? If you've never taken the time to take your measurements correctly, it's time to do so. Don't put it off until tomorrow: take advantage of this special moment to take action and finally discover which size suits you best thanks to our complete size guide .
And if you need further details, write to us at contact@hast.fr!
