Cuffs[edit]
Main article: cuff
Shirts with long sleeves may further be distinguished by the cuffs:
no buttons a closed placket cuff
buttons (or analogous fasteners such as snaps) single or multiple. A single button or pair
aligned parallel with the cuff hem is considered a button cuff. Multiple buttons aligned
perpendicular to the cuff hem, or parallel to the placket constitute a barrel cuff.
buttonholes designed for cufflinks
a French cuff, where the end half of the cuff is folded over the cuff itself and fastened
with a cufflink. This type of cuff has four buttons and a short placket.
more formally, a link cuff fastened like a French cuff, except is not folded over, but
instead hemmed, at the edge of the sleeve.
asymmetrical designs, such as one-shoulder, one-sleeve or with sleeves of different lengths.
Lower hem[edit]
hanging to the waist
leaving the belly button area bare (much more common for women than for men).
See halfshirt.
covering the crotch
covering part of the legs (essentially this is a dress; however, a piece of clothing is perceived
either as a shirt (worn with trousers) or as a dress (in Western culture mainly worn by women)).
going to the floor (as a pajama shirt)
Body[edit]
vertical opening on the front side, all the way down, with buttons or zipper. When fastened
with buttons, this opening is often called the placket front.
similar opening, but in back.
left and right front side not separable, put on over the head; with regard to upper front side
opening:
V-shaped permanent opening on the top of the front side
no opening at the upper front side
vertical opening on the upper front side with buttons or zipper
men's shirts are often buttoned on the right whereas women's are often
buttoned on the left.
Neck[edit]
with polo-neck
with "scoop" neck
with v-neck but no collar
with plunging neck
with open or tassel neck
with collar
windsor collar or spread collar a dressier collar designed with a wide distance
between points (the spread) to accommodate the windsor knot tie. The standard business
collar.
tab collar a collar with two small fabric tabs that fasten together behind a tie to
maintain collar spread.
wing collar best suited for the bow tie, often only worn for very formal occasions.
straight collar or point collar, a version of the windsor collar that is distinguished
by a narrower spread to better accommodate the four-in-hand knot, pratt knot, and the halfwindsor knot. A moderate dress collar.
button-down collar A collar with buttons that fasten the points or tips to a shirt. The
most casual of collars worn with a tie.
band collar ~ essentially the lower part of a normal collar, first used as the original
collar to which a separate collarpiece was attached. Rarely seen in modern fashion. Also
casual.
turtle neck collar A collar that covers most of the throat.
without collar
V-neck no collar; The neckline protrudes down the chest and to a point,
creating a "V" looking neck line.
Other features[edit]
pockets how many (if any), where, and with regard to closure: not closable, just a flap, or
with a button or zipper.
with or without hood
Some combinations are not applicable, e.g. a tube top cannot have a collar.
Types of fabric[edit]
There are two main categories of fibres used: natural fibre and man-made fibre (synthetics or
petroleum based). Some natural fibres are linen, the first used historically, hemp,cotton, the most
used, ramie, wool, silk and more recently bamboo or soya. Some synthetic fibres
are polyester, tencel, viscose, etc. Polyester mixed with cotton (poly-cotton) is often used. Fabrics
for shirts are called shirtings. The four main weaves for shirtings are plain
weave, oxford, twill and satin. Broadcloth, poplin and end-on-end are variations of the plain weave.
After weaving, finishing can be applied to the fabric.
Shirts and politics[edit]
See also: Political colour
In the 1920s and 1930s, fascists wore different coloured shirts:
Black shirts were used by the Italian fascio, and in Britain, Finland and Germany and
Croatia. The party leaders of Dravidar Kazhagam in India wear only black shirts to symbolise
atheism.
Brownshirts were worn by German Nazis of the SA.
The Blueshirts was a fascist movement in Ireland and Canada, and the colour of the
Portuguese Nacional Sindicalistas, the Spanish Falange Espaola, the French Solidarit
Franaise, and the Chinese Blue Shirts Society.
Green shirts were used in Hungary, Ireland, Romania, Brazil and Portugal.
Camisas Doradas (golden shirts) were used in Mexico.
Silver Shirts were worn in the United States of America.
In addition, red shirts have been used to symbolize a variety of different political groups,
including Garibaldi's Italian revolutionaries, nineteenth century American street gangs,
and socialist militias in Spain and Mexico during the 1930s.
In the UK, the Social Credit movement of the thirties wore green shirts.
