The seven shirts I ordered last year
We don’t talk about shirt commissions that often on Permanent Style, unlike suits or coats or shoes. But I steadily add a handful every year, on top of the PS ones we make up like the Madras or Ramie.
The choices tend to be a mix of remaking old fabrics that have worn out (or perhaps been ruined by some stray sauce) and new ideas that come from seeing shirts on others, from brands, and new designs offered by the shirting mills.
I thought it would be interesting to run through the ones I made in the past year, in order to discuss some of those new ideas and explain the kind of staples I remake.
I use Simone Abbarchi’s MTM for most of them, by the way, though I usually make my button-downs with Luca Avitabile as I like his collar roll so much, especially on oxfords. D’Avino I use more for special shirts, or simply splashing out.
1: Lilac oxford experiment
This was a new idea – I love the lilac-coloured shirts that Ralph Lauren Purple Label does, often mixed with grey and navy suits, and wanted to try one. I’ve found it functions in a very similar way to the pink shirts I wear a lot, but is slightly more unusual and perhaps less preppy.
I used one of the finer oxfords from Thomas Mason, though mostly because the colour was right rather than because of the quality. (Using the word ‘quality’ in the industry sense here, as a particular yarn, weave and finish, so everything except colour and pattern.)
It’s shown here with my grey Assisi double-breasted suit, and was also featured in the Trunk suit review. The fabric is FM33854 / 81B, ‘Cambridge’.
2: White linen staple
This shirt is the opposite – I wear white linen shirts in the summer so much, sometimes 3-4 times a week, that I often need a new one when the warm weather comes around. (Not that a shirt only lasts one year, but one of the three or four I have will need replacing.)
My wardrobe of darker, muted colours usually benefits from a crisp white shirt rather than anything else, and I tan quite easily so I find it looks good against the skin.
This one is worn with my silk jacket from Pirozzi and grey high-twist trousers. The fabric is a particularly fine linen from D&J Anderson, FM40650 / 1.
3: Trying sky blue
I think there’s a tendency among men to stick with particular shades of colours – because you kind of assume all shades will function the same. I tended to order the same shade of blue shirt for that reason, until a conversation with Aleks Cvetkovic got me interested in paler, sky blues.
In fact, ‘ice blue’ is probably a better term – that gets across the fact that this is a blue noticeably paler than normal, almost halfway between that and white. It goes with a lot of the same things as white, but is lower contrast and so often easier for those with paler skin. It also looks a touch smarter.
It’s worn here with my cashmere blazer from Steven Hitchcock. The fabric is a superfine 240 poplin from Thomas Mason, FM404205 / 11. (All of them are actually Thomas Mason – they’re so dominant these days.)
4: Linen chambray
This linen chambray was one that Lucas had made during a meeting with Luca Avitabile, and I really liked. As with so many commissions, it’s a lot easier when you’ve seen it made up.
Most chambrays are cotton of course, and a linen one is a great alternative in the summer. This one has a particularly pleasing slubbiness.
It’s shown here with a navy-seersucker suit from Jean-Manuel Moreau – a replacement for my old one with Dalcuore, which had become too small. Fabric is FM301233 / 130 ‘Alassio’.
5: Beige stripe for a reason
This was the first shirt I’d had in a pale beige stripe, and it was driven by a particular need: I wear a lot of black or very dark tailoring, and I wanted something that wouldn’t be so stark with those pieces as plain white, but also be subtle enough to go with almost everything.
A beige stripe has proved to be a good solution. The stripe is so subtle as to be almost just texture, so it’s very versatile. Yet it’s not a plain, and so adds interest when the suit and tie are both plain – as pictured.
The suit is my Art du Lin linen from Pirozzi, with trousers from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. The fabric is Journey Twill from TM, FM412123 / 21. Although like the lilac oxford, it was selected for the colour rather than the quality.
6: Standard shadow stripe
This was a replacement for a shirt that was about six years old and had started to look rather tatty (and not in a good, Ivy-frayed-collar kind of way). I really like shadow stripes like this (where colour is wider than the white) and wear them a lot with denim.
I didn’t have a suitable jacket on the day that Alex was in the office to shoot, so I borrowed a blazer from Carl at Rubato. This is his gold-buttoned DB from Taillour – all inquires to them please!
The fabric is a cotton/linen mix, which I highly recommend as a smart shirt for summer if you don’t like the wrinkling of linen. It’s ‘Zephyr 170’ from Thomas Mason, FM40462 / 13.
7: Cosy winter flannel
It’s not the season for it now of course, but a brushed cotton shirt like this is a lovely thing to wear in the winter. I’ve always felt the cold rather, and in the winter it’s wonderful against the skin.
I used to wear quite a lot of plain greys in brushed cotton – such as this one featured years ago – but I find something with a little check in it more interesting, and lighter colours easier to wear too. I’ve found the little check makes it good with blacks also, in the same way as the beige stripe.
The jacket is my Pirozzi silk again, with grey trousers and a pair of Meyrowitz ‘Californian’ sunglasses. The fabric is ‘Balmoral’ FM69809 / 40.
