A Guide to Endless Style Possibilities

With the ever-increasing rise in popularity of online shopping, men have more choices at their fingertips than ever before. While this can make shopping easier for certain items or industries, it can also do the inverse and make things more complicated. The fabric, collar, pocket, cuffs, and fit combinations seem endless. All of these elements should be taken into account when deciding where, when, and how a particular shirt is ideally worn. We’re here to help.

Shirt Collar

At Treffort we’ve narrowed down our shirt collars to 4 shapes with proportions that we A) Love and B) will never go out of style.

The first and most versatile collar shape is the traditional spread collar that is seen on your typical casual shirt to the more formal dress shirts which are ideal for a medium-sized tie knot (4-in-hand or half Windsor) if you’re wearing a tie with the shirt. seasonal-collection-spread-collars

The second most popular is our ‘cut-away’ collar which is traditionally seen on more dressy shirts and leaves the most room for the widest and most formal knot, the full Windsor. We’re always up for challenging the norm which is why we love the subtle juxtaposition of fun prints with the more formal collar which is a fresh take on the refined/casual look. The cutaway collar is perfect under a blazer because the collar will never pop out of your jacket lapels. white-collar-cutaway-collar / light-blue-cutaway-collar

The third is the classic button-down collar and a nod to Ivy/preppy traditional menswear. If you’re going to wear a tie, we recommend one which is cut from either cotton or wool, a knit tie, or a silk ‘rep stripe’ to compliment the Ivy style of the shirt. Now that you have the tie paired, we recommend a blazer-jeans or blazer-trouser outfit. Unless it's your first communion or Bar Mizpah, steer clear of wearing suits with button-down collar shirts and ties unless you’re going without a tie. button-down-collars

The last and most fun collar is our mandarin or ‘band’ collar. This collar definitely makes a subtle statement and something people will take note of. Looking for some refined and casual diversity to your rotation of dress shirts? We’ve added some more details to our shirt like a bias front placket and signature Treffort details with complimenting fabrics so you’ll be able to pair it with anything from jeans and trainers to a tailored suit and monk strap shoes. 

Shirt Cuffs

We at Treffort pride ourselves on considering each part of our shirts and the cuffs are no different. The first is our mitered cuff with 3/16” wide piecing on the button-side of the cuff. It’s easy to embroider a logo or sew a label on the outside of a shirt, but that’s not us. Precision sewing and skillful patternmaking are in our DNA so we decided to make it part of our branding as well. It is time-consuming and requires precise execution which is exactly what makes our shirts unique and set apart from the rest. chambrayshirt / yellow+blue-plaidshirt

The second and more formal is our slightly curved cuff which is a nod to old school shirt making and one we usually pair with a complimenting fabric underneath it for a subtle statement if you choose to show it off. signature-twill-white-shirt / signature-twill-blue-shirt

Shirt Front

The center of your shirt where the buttons and buttonholes are placed is called the placket. Traditionally the type of placket would tell you the level of formality of the shirt. Back in the day, the more formal front was called a “two-piece” placket and basically incorporated a separate piece of fabric sewn onto the front of the shirt that secured the buttons. You’d see this on classic business/dress shirts. The other more casual front placket is called a ‘french front’ that is constructed by folding the front over itself and sewing the buttons down. This would traditionally be used on casual ‘camp shirts,’ bowling shirts, or short sleeve novelty shirts.

We like to bend the rules occasionally and so you’ll find our printed shirts use the ‘casual’ french front with the ‘formal’ cutaway collar or spread collar. Our button-down collared shirts are always paired with the two-piece placket; some classics you don’t mess with.  You can also explore some designs in our Oxford Collection.