![\"Fitting](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q1-siniscalchi-cuff.jpg\")
The sleeves have to be long enough that the cuffs still show beyond the jacket sleeve when the arm is bent. The length of the jacket sleeve, though, follows the sleeve length of the shirt. The cuffs should sit loosely around the wrists and, on a bespoke shirt, leave enough room for a watch. The overall length of the shirt is right when it does not come out of the trousers in any movement, though the body of the shirt should not add bulk under light summer trousers either. The collar should sit close enough around the neck that it does not ripple when the tie is pulled up, but it must not constrict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. What are the advantages of a bespoke shirt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ready-made shirts are sorted by neck size and sleeve length; the width at shoulders, chest, waist and hips follows average figures. If the body matches the average, a ready-made shirt fits without difficulty. But if one of those measurements deviates strongly, the shirt will be too tight in certain places. A man who does a lot of weight training, for instance, has an above-average chest and strong shoulders and upper arms. If the ready-made shirt fits his torso, it will be far too long and wide at the bottom. A man who is very tall but very lean for his height will always get too small a shirt off the peg if it fits at the neck. A bespoke shirt is adjusted to the body everywhere, so it fits any figure optimally and as the customer wants it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. What shirt fits exist?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are traditionally three fits, which you could also call basic patterns. The roomy English one, the waisted Italian one, and the moderately close cut of the German shirtmakers. A bespoke shirt is sewn to the customer’s wishes and measurements, but how it ends up sitting depends on which basic fit was chosen at the start. Most bespoke shirtmakers offer several basic patterns, as a rule at least one closer and one slightly wider, more comfortable one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. How does ordering a bespoke shirt work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In the past the customer’s measurements were simply taken, and a shirtmaker later turned the figures into a pattern. Today most made-to-measure firms let the customer try on so-called trial shirts, shirts in a neutral cloth in every available size. The salesman picks out the trial shirt that comes closest and has the customer put it on. From that shirt he can read where it fits and where it has to be adjusted. He can add or take away girth or length anywhere and enters the changes on the order form. In some cases the trial shirt is also pinned into the right shape on the body, and that shape is then measured. After that the customer chooses the cloth, picks collar and cuffs, and the buttons. If he orders several cloths, most shirtmakers will still sew only one shirt on a first order, to be sure that it fits well and that the customer finds the pattern comfortable. Only when everything is right is the rest of the order made up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. How do I wash shirts properly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In theory cotton cloth could be washed at 90 degrees, but most makers recommend washing at 40. It is often suggested that shirts go into a special net or a cloth bag in the machine to protect them, though the drum should not damage the cloth under any circumstances. Colour detergents or so-called shirt shampoos, which clean particularly gently, are worth using. Shirts should never go into the tumble dryer afterwards; they belong on the line. Even the best shirtings can shrink in a dryer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. What is the most effective way to iron?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Almost everyone recommends ironing the shirt while it is not yet quite dry on the line, so still slightly damp. If the shirts have dried through, you can spray them and put them in a plastic bag for a moment, which makes them damp again. With a good steam iron<\/a> whose sole plate is very smooth, even dry shirts can be pressed smooth without effort. There are different techniques. Often the sleeves are pressed first from both sides, then the cuffs. After that the shoulder yoke and the collar. Then the back, then the fronts. If the shirt is very creased, back and front can be pressed inside and out. After ironing, the shirt should cool for a moment before you put it on, otherwise it creases badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starching in the classic sense is only usual on white tie dress shirts today, and that is a job for professionals. Spray starch is very useful, though, because the cloth goes smooth faster and stays smooth longer. It contains natural, plant-based starch and does not harm the weave. Whether you like using it is a matter of taste, but it is certainly worth a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shirtings on which ironing can be dropped entirely or in part are popular in Germany. Because of the chemical treatment of the fibre, the cloth smooths itself again and again through body heat as it is worn. In truth a shirt in non-iron cloth is never as smooth without ironing as a properly pressed one. To get non-iron shirts anywhere near smooth, spin them only briefly and let them dry slightly in the dryer. The heat causes the fibres in the yarn to straighten. In Italy non-iron shirts are considerably less popular than in Germany, because they are never as breathable as untreated shirtings. If the shirt has become too creased in the middle of a business day, simply put on a fresh one. In most offices there is enough room in a cupboard to keep a few shirts hanging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Like all fashionable or stylistic gimmicks, they belong to smart casual or leisure wear. In business, and with a dark suit, a timeless and serious impression is what counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good shirts and bespoke shirts traditionally have mother-of-pearl buttons. The shimmer looks elegant, the material feels pleasant, and it is hard enough not to shatter if the machinist accidentally strikes beside the buttonhole with the needle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shirtmakers usually offer a choice of button shapes. In the 1990s the Neapolitan firms introduced particularly thick buttons for their handmade shirts, supposedly because they sit better in the hand. Since these buttons are very noticeable, they became something of a badge of the Italian shirt, even though many shirtmakers in the south prefer flat ones. Thick buttons have the drawback that they can press at the collar under the knot of the tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On hot days there is nothing to be said against a short-sleeved shirt. It only counts as taboo to wear one with a suit or a jacket. By the rules of traditional dress the shirt cuff has to show a little beyond the sleeve of the jacket, which is impossible with short sleeves. Short-sleeved shirts are worn as part of work wear and uniforms, because for delivery drivers, bus drivers, police officers and soldiers it matters more to be dressed airily for the job; elegance comes second. In business life, in some industries at least, the dress codes of elegance still apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A white shirt always goes with a suit, and during the day pale blue cloth as well, plain or with a fine pattern. A pink that is not too bright is also a classic business shirt colour for a daytime suit. Other colours, yellow, orange, lilac, beige, mint or rust, are better avoided. Those colours can perfectly well be part of a pattern on a white, pale blue or pink ground, though. The finer the pattern, the more formal the effect. In the evening the white shirt is the first choice, just as the black shoe is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And where should they be placed? Initials were supposedly meant to stop shirts getting lost at the laundry. That is not very credible, since laundries put numbered labels on shirts even in the past. Initials are simply a nice personal detail, one you mostly indulge in for yourself. That is why most men have the embroidered letters placed where outsiders cannot see them, on the left below the chest at waist height, for instance. On the other hand there is of course nothing against having the initials embroidered on the cuff, the shoulder or at chest height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stretch cloths used to be reserved for womenswear, but they are now widely used in menswear too, above all in the close-cut slim fit look. In the end it is a question of how it feels to wear, whether you like the stretch effect or not. An outsider knows nothing about it either way. A business shirt should never be cut so tightly, though, that only the stretch in the cloth makes it wearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the dinner jacket established itself between 1900 and 1930 as the slightly more comfortable alternative to full evening dress, various dress shirts have been in fashion. At first men wore shirts with a wing collar and a stiff front; in the 1930s, though, the dress shirt with a turndown collar and a front and cuffs in marcella took over. Dress shirts with a pleated front were a popular alternative. The ruffled shirt of the 1970s was considered rather tasteless even in its own day. Dress shirts either hide the buttons behind a so-called fly front or do without buttons altogether, in which case the shirt is fastened with studs. The easiest to handle is a shirt with a marcella front and a fly front. Dress shirts traditionally have double cuffs, fastened with cufflinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With any face the question is whether the collar should repeat the shape and so underline it, or whether it has to provide a counterweight. With a long, lean face you can therefore wear either a fairly high collar with the points close together, which mirrors the face to a degree, or a narrow Eton collar with rounded points, which is the contrast. More important than the face, though, are the shape and length of the neck. A long neck calls for a high collar, since a short one would make it look longer still. A short, broad neck looks more compressed under a cutaway collar; a narrow point collar or a tab collar would be more flattering here. The best thing is to try the various collar models at a bespoke shirtmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The collar is the symbol of formality, because only with a collar can you wear a tie. Collarless shirts therefore look too casual to be used for a classic business look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the shirt is too short, it comes out as soon as you raise your arms. A deep armhole can also cause the whole shirt to pull out of shape when you move your arms. Some tailors fit the inside of the waistband with a narrow elastic band to hold the shirt in position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shirts worn with a suit had no breast pocket, because the suit was originally always three-piece and small objects could be kept in the waistcoat pockets. When the waistcoat went out of fashion after the Second World War, shirts were given a breast pocket for glasses, pen or comb. Following tradition, classic suit shirts still have no breast pocket, which saves them from being loaded up with biros, spectacles and notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All stains should be treated or washed at once. Grease-based stains with water and soap or another degreaser. Rinse blood stains out immediately with cold water. Dried blood can still come out if you soak the shirt for a day or two in water with plenty of gall soap and then wash it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On almost all shirts the collar consists of two layers of the shirting with an interlining of thin cotton or linen between them. Without the interlining the collar would have no stand and would crease far too quickly. The interlining is today usually fixed with a heat-activated adhesive, so pressed on under heat. On an unfused collar the three layers of cloth are held together only by the seam at the collar edge. Unfused collars are somewhat more flexible, but when ironing you have to take care that the outer layer does not shift and throw creases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The button-down shirt was brought to market in 1900 by the New York outfitter Brooks Brothers. At the time the button-down, with its soft collar, was a downright revolutionary answer to the stiff detachable collar, but it was certainly worn with a tie. In Europe it was introduced in the 1980s as a leisure shirt, which is why the prejudice persists that it must not be worn with a tie and a suit. That is not correct, though European dress tradition genuinely does not know this shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The white tie dress shirt has a stiff wing collar and a starched front in marcella. The cuffs are laid together and closed with cufflinks, but they are not double cuffs. A dinner shirt cannot be substituted for white tie, because it has double cuffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Do I have to starch shirts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. What do non-iron and easy-care mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Are contrast buttonholes, coloured stitching or coloured buttons a good idea on a business shirt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. What are the buttons made of?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11. Why do Italian shirts have those thick buttons?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Are short-sleeved shirts really taboo at the office?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
13. How do I choose the shirt colour to go with a suit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. What are initials for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Rolled](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q14-siniscalchi-monogram.jpg\")
15. I like wearing stretch shirts. Is that all right?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
16. Which shirt goes with a dinner jacket?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Pleated](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q16-budd-pleated.jpg\")
17. How do I choose the right collar shape for my face?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Various](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q17-turnbullasser-collars.jpg\")
18. Are collarless shirts only for leisure?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
19. My shirt keeps coming out of my trousers. Why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
20. Should a business shirt have a breast pocket?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
21. How do I get stains out?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
22. What does an unfused collar mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
23. May I wear a button-down shirt with a tie?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
24. What does a white tie dress shirt look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"White](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q24-budd-whitetie.jpg\")
25. Which shirt goes with morning dress?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cutting](\"https:\/\/feineherr.de\/app\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hemden-q27-emanuelberg-cutting.jpg\")