Gussets

[banksmiranda]

Earlier I thought that gussets were something of a gimmick. Recently, though, after having two shirts tear at the bottom of the side seam when they got caught on the side of my pants as I was tucking my shirt in, I think I'm changing my mind. These shirts are very well-made with the "continuous hem stitch," but still managed to suffer damage. Some gussets probably don't serve much purpose, but I think that others probably do. Here's my take: Brioni, Marol, Fray and Turnbull & Asser have similar gussets, though T&A's gusset is bigger. These gussets seem to actually provide extra strength. Borrelli and Barba have identical gussets, and Kiton's is similar, though made from matching fabric instead of white satin(?). I feel as though these provide some added measure of security, though not as much as those of Brioni and company since these are attached by hand stitches and extend(in the case of Borrelli and Barba, but not Kiton) not very far either along the side seam or along the bottom hem. My favorite gusset, though, is probably that of Lorenzini, which extends a decent distance from the bottom of the side seam along the bottom hem.
Your thoughts?

 

[faustian bargain]

call me a sucker, but i just like the added detail.

i suppose one could have gussets added pretty easily, using a fabric of one's choice. (i'm thinking of the colorful striped patterns on some silk pocket squares i saw while browsing the shops today.) ...or if you have a 'dead' tie of an acceptable color, you've probably got enough fabric for quite a few gussets...

/andrew - in a DIY mood

 

[imageWIS]

The Purple Label shirts that were made by T&A used to have purple-colored gussets, I must admit they look pretty good.

Jon.

 

[banksmiranda]

T&A used to make RL Purple Label shirts? So what used to be 100% British(T&A, Chester Barrie) is now 100% Italian(Lorenzini, Saint Andrews)?