Back to Work

Posted On: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015 0 comments
Back to work

The Kids are back to school with their new uniform, now its time for you to get yours!

The Summer Holidays are gradually becomming a distant memory, you’ve almost  forgotten the feel of sand between your toes, wearing trousers again feels awkward. The children are back to school and they have been kitted out from head to toe in the latest school permitted clobber – I think it’s time that you had a look at your post Summer wardrobe and in particular, your shirts.

 

White Shirt Fabrics

It’s OK to wear a white shirt other than for a Wedding, Christening or Funeral, especially now that you have a sun kissed complexion. White shirts look smart – be it at work or after hours, with or without a tie. You don’t have to just look at plain poplin either, there are many choices depending on the weight, transparency and texture that you want. If it’s a good qulity poplin that you need, then it has to be Grange plain white fabric. If you need something a little lighter, then Cambridge plain white fabric or Zephyr plain white fabric could be perfect. Fabrics such as Pinpoint white, Royal Oxford white, Skipton whiteGargrave plain white and Oxford plain white are heavier and have more texture. The finest qualities such as Grasmere plain white, Prince plain white fabric and Windsor white fabric are for the real connoissuers out there.

 

Plain and Solid Coloured Shirting Fabrics

OK, I could have written “Plain Blue Shirts” but as this is the default colour for most people reading this (after white that is), I left it implied. Solid fabric colours are still strong and blue is still the best selling colour – I can’t say  anything about this as I am Mr. Navy! Monarch is the most popular quality in this category – in particular in the Sky, Azure and Pacific. All three of these colours look right seen at your desk or propping up the bar. The Navy and Black are strictly after hours colours!

 

Plain – with a difference – shirts

Here I am talking about fabrics that have a plain appearance from a distance, but up close, there is more going on. Some weave effect fabrics are classic and have been a popular choice since I can remember, such as End-on-end fabrics or twills and herringbones – recently, more robust, rugged textured fabrics are frequently requested. Gargrave, Skipton and Royal oxford have a characteristic weave effect and are bulkier than our classic batiste, the fine chambray, Zephyr. Our Linen fabrics and Barbados are seasonal favourites and are worthy of a mention here.

 

Neat Striped fabrics

Plenty of choice in this category. I’m referring here though to finer, more classic, more conservative, single colour stripes. The choice comes when deciding on how many threads of colour you want (width of the stripe) and how much white you want in your shirt. There are the fine hairline stripes to the classic butcher stripes and in between a terrific selection of widths, including pinstripes and bengals. A popular combination at the moment is to pair up a classic neat stripe with a white collar/cuff. Our different qualities sew together with no trouble, most qualities we offer do have a white – if in doubt, you can check with us.

 

Something Else?

This covers a multitude! I’ve explored a good majority of the shirting essentials you will want to consider and also a good portion of the collection offered by Acorn but there are a few fabrics still to look at.   Away from the plains and subtle stripes, you can find plenty of intersting designs, colours, textures and weights to suit your mood or occasion. If you’re looking for fancy stripes and checks or big and bold, there are some great patterns to be found in the Grange, Keswick and Regent ranges. If there is a formal event on the horizon, then you will need a suitable marcella formal fabric shirt. At the weekend you need something a little more casual. Here you should look at the Hampton, Tartan, Fife, Oxford, Pinpoint or Kendal ranges.

 

Obviously this is subjective and what I like isn’t necessarily what you might like, however I hope this enables you to establish a basic framework on which to build and develop your shirt collection – we at acorn would love to see some of your creations either by email, or on facebook, twitter or instagram –  so get busy!

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