Any online MTM shirt company offering shanked buttons?

[pasey25]

Whilst i know that shanked buttons are not the only measure of a nice bespoke shirt, I do find that I do covet this feature on the bespoke shirts I have had made.

None of the MTM shirts I have ever bought have had shanked buttons.

are there any online MTM places offering this feature?

I haven't seen any in my browsing.

 

[MikeDT]

I've never seen shanked buttons on a normal dress shirt. I've seen some fashion shirts with them though. You could ask your tailor for shanked buttons I suppose.

 

[FlaneurNYC]

How thick is the fabric of your shirts? Shanks are done so that there is no impaction of the fabric at the buttoning point. They are to bring the button to the surface of the placket. They aren't normally that big on thinner fabrics. Just a couple of quick spins.

 

[pasey25]

here is an example on a mid to heavy weight Thomas Mason fabric.

the shanking is nice and tight and narrower than the circumference of the buttonholes meaning that the pull of the thread through the buttonhole is not as wide and does not disrupt the drape of the shirt.


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[FlaneurNYC]

Exactly. That's why I asked how thick your fabrics were. If you look at a heavy wool overcoat, the shank will be much longer. It keeps the buttonhole from being distorted.

On very thin fabric, there is less of a need for shanks, so in a cost-cutting move, manufacturers might feel they are something that can be skipped.

I'm also not sure if perhaps it has something to do with the manufacturing process.

 

[pasey25]

perhaps shanking can't be done by machine? I'm not sure. generally MTM shirts have buttons sewn by machine.

I think even on thin fabrics its not about the vertical part of the shank, its about how it pulls together the four strands of the buttonhole to make it a more compact thread in the horizontal plane

 

[FlaneurNYC]



I think even on thin fabrics its not about the vertical part of the shank, its about how it pulls together the four strands of the buttonhole to make it a more compact thread in the horizontal plane

This is true. When hand sewing buttons properly, one always tidies up the back with a few spins of the thread. When sewing longer shanks there are several tricks to use to keep the threads even and long.

I was a fashion student, but then ended up in art direction, so the shirt manufacturing process is somewhat of a mystery since I never applied my skills commercially. The machines most likely are the reason for shank-less RTW and MTM shirt buttons.

 

[luxire]

perhaps shanking can't be done by machine? I'm not sure. generally MTM shirts have buttons sewn by machine.
I think even on thin fabrics its not about the vertical part of the shank, its about how it pulls together the four strands of the buttonhole to make it a more compact thread in the horizontal plane

There are machines that do shanking too. I have seen 2 types:

1. It uses a special thermal thread. The thread is wound around the shank part and then a heated metal piece presses against the thread, sealing it. This shanking would not generally come off on its own.

2. The older, more common machine uses an ordinary thread, which is would around the thread below the button. This shank tends to come off after a few washes.

On Luxire shirts, we attach the button using a machine. It is then shanked by hand in a manner that strengthens the button attachment and also the shank remains reliable.

 

[pasey25]

its great to hear that you offer this service. per your affiliate thread, I just need to select an appropriate fabric and I will be submitting my first order.