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What is the most important handwork to have on a shirt?

  • Hand attached collar

    Votes: 16 30.2%
  • Handsewn button holes

    Votes: 17 32.1%
  • Hand finish on yolk and shoulders

    Votes: 20 37.7%

  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .

Thomas Auer

Active Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2023
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To me, there really are no important handwork passages on a shirt, at least construction wise. Most explanation on why this or that hand passage makes this or that difference are highly overblown,I feel. Maybe slip stitching the armhole makes for a slightly cleaner look, but overall I think it's mostly just down to preference. I still make most of my own shirts by hand, only because I like the look and the details.
 

BomTrady

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2019
Messages
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To me, there really are no important handwork passages on a shirt, at least construction wise. Most explanation on why this or that hand passage makes this or that difference are highly overblown,I feel. Maybe slip stitching the armhole makes for a slightly cleaner look, but overall I think it's mostly just down to preference. I still make most of my own shirts by hand, only because I like the look and the details.
@Thomas Auer I always notice how the cuff is inserted at the wrist placket by hand giving the cuff a leaner look and finishing.

That is, a nice handmade shirt will have no folds and no visible stitching where the sleeve is inserted by hand at the cuff, almost like a spalla camicia shoulder and most machine-made shirts will have two or three big folds and circular stitching. I notice it on the shirts of other gentlemen as well, but yes, maybe this is just something I enjoy as a self-admitted sartorial nerd. Is this not something you do when making your shirts or is this just an Italian thing?
 

Thomas Auer

Active Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2023
Messages
34
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30
@Thomas Auer I always notice how the cuff is inserted at the wrist placket by hand giving the cuff a leaner look and finishing.

That is, a nice handmade shirt will have no folds and no visible stitching where the sleeve is inserted by hand at the cuff, almost like a spalla camicia shoulder and most machine-made shirts will have two or three big folds and circular stitching. I notice it on the shirts of other gentlemen as well, but yes, maybe this is just something I enjoy as a self-admitted sartorial nerd. Is this not something you do when making your shirts or is this just an Italian thing?
Attaching the cuff per Hand really does have a great look to it. There are even some makers who do the slip stitch on the outside, meaning you see the hand stitch (usually it's the other way round so you habe no visible stitching on the right side of attachment). As for the folds, in general, every shirt will have them since the lenght of the sleeve has to be larger than that of the cuff (otherwise it will be way to tight). But you can either do it via larger folds or you can gather the excess evenly. The latter is often seen on neapolitan shirts but it's not an exclusively Italian thing. Even Turnbull & Asser does a gathered cuff. Also, you can do the gathering by machine as well, which to me is even more uniform than doing it by hand.
 

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