The OneShirt: A Phoenix from the Ashes [4/24/13 UPDATE: A SHIRTMAKER, AN ENGLISHMAN, CHAMBRAY, AND F



unbelragazzo said:

You'd wear poplin with tweed?

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I do.

It's not as if most shirting weaves are going to be noticeable from more than a foot or two away.

Interesting...I don't think I would ever do that, but maybe I'm being overly fussy. I'm assuming you'd still never wear royal oxford with tweed?



unbelragazzo said:

Interesting...I don't think I would ever do that, but maybe I'm being overly fussy. I'm assuming you'd still never wear royal oxford with tweed?

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I don't like royal oxford--but if I did, I'm not sure what would stop me from wearing it with tweed.

Well, I take that back. It does tend to have a sheen, doesn't it?

It's got a kind of shininess to it that I don't think would go well with tweed. Like Manton said, it's "fancy."



mafoofan said:

Like I said, I will have patterns, too. But, from my experience, plain blue is best 80% of the time.

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I take the opposite approach - plain blue 20% of the time, some type of blue stripe 80%. Blue stripes are great in at least 3 thicknesses (hairline, candy, bengal) and 3 colors (sky, medium blue, navy). I'd be happy with a shirt wardrobe of 2 sets of those 9 combinations, plus a handful of plain blues.



mafoofan said:

The Japanese raped my people. I refuse to buy their blood-soaked goods--outside of electronics, cars, and certain snack foods.

Just kidding. Well, not entirely. They really did **** my people. Still, I have been wanting to see Kamakura but haven't had a chance. I can easily imagine that the Japanese would be the ones to finally get the BD collar right. However, I do need to get spread-collared shirts, too. That's why I'm hoping Geneva can do it all.
Gauntlet buttons are obstructive. They ruin the clean line of the gauntlet opening, get snagged easily, and are just one extra thing to fasten in the morning and fall off sooner or later. Hence, since they have no apparent function and provide no aesthetic benefit, I tend to associate them with very finicky dressers who believe dressing well means fastidiously concealing one's wrist flesh, or some such nonsense. They are bad and should be avoided.

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Thanks. That is what I was looking for from you.

I like different colors and patterns too much to have a OneShirt myself, though I have to admit I admire your willingness to simplify your wardrobe and take some abuse for it. If I was going to go that route, it would probably look similar to this as I think that light blue is the most versatile color for a shirt. I'd replace single cuffs with French cuffs; for whatever reason, I like the added weight.

I don't think an OCBD is a good option for the OneShirt. If you're dressed in a suit and tie or odd jacket and tie a substantial majority of the time, the OneShirt should reflect this and not your more casual preferences. I assume the whole point of the OneShirt is to simplify your clothing choices and reduce the time you have to spend thinking about what to wear, so why be bothered to think about whether you have a need to be wearing something more conservative than an OCBD that particular day (perhaps a conservative client meeting)? Save the OCBD shirts for times when you know you can be more casual without thinking about it.

I like the idea of minimalism too.

I think one or two white double-cuffs falls within the 'not monolithic' exception.

Beyond that, I would need both plain pale blue and pale blue / white stripes (I could limit myself to bengal).

And I would hate to give up tattersall (but could).



mafoofan said:

I used to get gauntlet buttons snagged all over the place when I wore shirts with them back in in college and law school. They'd bump up against my desk or laptop whenever I was taking notes. It's nothing catastrophic, but certainly an annoyance I can do without.

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Were you wearing those vulgar fat buttons SF likes? If so, you could avoid the problem by choosing buttons that aren't vulgarly fat.

Is chambray the same thing as batiste? When I ask for a chambray cloth around here no one knows what I'm talking about, but I've owned some batista (spanish word) shirts in the past and I'm not sure they are the same thing.



RDiaz said:

Is chambray the same thing as batiste? When I ask for a chambray cloth around here no one knows what I'm talking about, but I've owned some batista (spanish word) shirts in the past and I'm not sure they are the same thing.

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Geneva (and other shirtmakers) think so, but the way SF means it they are not the same. Chambray is denser and rougher. Definitely a fall/winter cloth, where as batiste is for summer.



Manton said:

Geneva (and other shirtmakers) think so, but the way SF means it they are not the same. Chambray is denser and rougher. Definitely a fall/winter cloth, where as batiste is for summer.

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I think it depends on the particular example of the cloth. The much-maligned SG chambray seems quite loosely woven and I wear it in the summer. I have seen other examples of chambray which are densely and heavily woven that I think can only be worn in the colder months.

I have seen the Simonnot-Goddard chambray more frequently indicated as a warm weather shirting. I see it as a year-round cloth. I never depend on shirting to keep me warm in the winter. The only thing that prevents me from wearing a particular shirting in cold weather is whether it appears season appropriate.



dopey said:

Thanks. That is what I was looking for from you.

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Always happy to oblige.



dopey said:

Kamakura is adding MTM in a month or so. They may be a good candidate for you. Their current BDs are lined but not fused and the collar has a great shape. Quality is good and I assume will be equally good or better in MTM.
What do you have against gauntlet buttons? I will be disappointed if you simply don't like them - I am hoping for something more thought out and prescriptive, suggesting why gauntlet buttons are bad and should be avoided. I get them out of habit, even on FC shirts, which is a no-no.o. I should probably drop them on, at least, NSM's FC shirts since they used to do such a nice sleeve opening and bar tack on those when there was no gauntlet button. Does anyone know if they still do?

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interesting. i do as well and a certain French shirtmaker told me that it is their default for double cuffs.