Advertisement
Advertisement

Collar sizes:

Nadia Chan

15 to 17 inches is the standard, although Dunhill insists on measuring in centimetres. 'It gives a slightly more accurate measurement, because one centimetre is smaller than half an inch,' says Martin Nicholls, custom and bespoke manager at Dunhill.

Care: Wash by hand or standard machine-wash, then damp iron using the minimum amount of starch. 'The first two washings stabilise the fabric,' says Nicholls. 'In fact, you might benefit from washing the shirt before wearing it for the first time. The earlier you wash the shirt after use the better.'

Upkeep: Buy two or three new shirts a season to keep your wardrobe fresh and extend the lifespan of your shirts.

Common faux pas No1: Short shirt lengths. Shirts should be worn as long as possible, to ensure they stay in place once tucked in.

Common faux pas No2: Breaking the collar while putting on a tie. The tie should be put around the neck with the top button undone and the collar up. With the tie in place, carefully turn down the collar without breaking the collar pressing. With the collar turned down, do up the top button and tie your tie.

Sure signs of quality and craft:

Handmade buttonholes.

Single-needle side seams (sewn twice, once up and once down the shirt's seam, leaving just a single row of stitches visible on the outside).

The stitching on a shirt's collar and cuffs should be so fine as to be almost invisible.

All the best dress-shirt collars have removable stays.

Buttons should be cross-stitched by hand for extra strength.

Authentic mother-of-pearl buttons (the thicker the better, at least 4-5mm).

Collars Ascot Chang

Post