How to read our fabric descriptions

To get an idea of what a fabric feels like, looks like and acts like without actually touching it we have added extensive information about all the fabrics on our webpage. This information may be hard to comprehend, but we will try to guide you to choosing the right fabric for your shirt.

The right side of the fabric window contains all the information you need, and the left side shows a picture of the fabric. Clicking the picture will open a superzoom window which gives you an enlarged image to see the weaving of the fabric.

Below we will explain the different terms used in our information.

Composition

A fabric can be made of many different materials and for shirts cotton is the most common. However, cotton comes in a variety of qualities depending on the plant, where it is grown, etc. The main quality of cotton is measured in fibre, or staple, length. The longer the staple, the better, smoother and more comfortable the fabric becomes. The different cottons used in fabrics available from Tailor Store are as follows:

Yarn

Weft

Warp

When choosing a fabric, the yarn decides a lot of the feel and comfort of the garment. Yarns come in either one-ply or two-ply constructions which means that it is made from either a single yarn or two yarns twisted around each other. Two-ply yarns gives a garment higher comfort and a silkier feel. Often fabric manufacturers choose to use a two-ply yarn in the warp (yarn running along the length of the fabric) and one-ply for the weft (yarn running across the fabric).

The thickness of the yarns used in our fabrics are defined using the Ne system, which basically is the number of 840 yard lengths in one english pound. So, a higher number is a finer yarn. However, a Two-ply 100s yarn is the same thickness as a one-ply 50s.

Some examples:

Colour information

To present correct colours on a computer screen is very difficult and most screens differ substantially from each other. For example, a colour that appears brown on one screen might appear olive green on another. When producing pictures of our fabrics, we use special colour-calibrated equipment to make the colours look as life-like as possible. However, to avoid matching errors we always provide information on what colours a fabric contains. These colours are visible in small boxes with a text describing the colour. If you are still uncertain of a colour we suggest you order a sample to make sure you get a fabric that suits you.

Weaving information

Fabrics are woven with many different weaving techniques. We have distinguished some of the more important ones and categorised our fabrics accordingly.

Weave	Picture	Description
Plain		Plain weaves are the most simple of all the weaves. Same size warp and weft threads are woven together one by one.
Poplin		Poplin is a tightly woven fabric that, like the plain weaves, is constructed with equal size warp and weft threads. The difference from a plain weave is that the poplin warp yarns are much more tightly packed, often double that of the weft yarns.
Oxford		Oxford is often a heavier cloth than poplin, a soft durable fabric woven in a basket weave with two warp yarns in parallel and one heavier softly-spun bulky filling yarn. When made with a dyed warp and white weft, it is called oxford chambray.
Pinpoint		Pinpoint, or Pinpoint Oxford, is a variation of the oxford cloth. The yarns are finer making it a subtle mix of poplin and oxford.
Fil-à-fil		Fil-à-fil fabric is woven with threads in two different colours giving it an irregular effect. It is a thin and comfortable material suitable for solid colour shirts.
Twill		Twill is a weaving method that creates a diagonal pattern in the fabric. These fabrics are more wrinkle resistant than plain weaves and are also more durable.
Herringbone		Herringbone is a variation of the Twill weave, the only difference being that the pattern produced resembles the bones of a fish.
Dobby weave		A dobby weave is usually an advanced construction to produce a texture in the fabric. Often dobby weaves contain multiple yarn sizes and weaving techniques, for example small twill stripes on a plain weave or a zig-zag pattern.

Treatment

Our fabrics are sanforized to minimize shrinkage after wash. Many fabrics come with a chemical treatment, such as softener and easy care for easier ironing which is indicated next to each fabric.

Weight

The weight of the fabric is a way of measuring both the thickness of the fabric and how densely it is woven. Many of our fabrics have exact weight information available, from about 50 to 200 g/m2, but some only have a grading of 1-4.