Need thick material for white dress shirts

[cearain]

Hello

Short post:
What are some thick fabrics for white dress shirts?

Long post:

I usually have to wear a suit to work. I do not like to wear an undershirt because my undershirt always ends up getting untucked/bunched up above the waist and makes it look like I have a roll under my dress shirt. (I have no idea why my shirts refuse to stay tucked in but they don't stay put)

However I have dark hair on my chest and often with thinner dress shirts (especially white which I wear most often) you can see the chest hair. Not very professional.

So I have been looking for shirts with thick/opaque material. The thickest I have been able to find at *any* price is the enro 2 ply. They seem to cover me pretty well (although thicker would be better as the shirt gets a few washings it starts to get close to iffy) The other problem is I have a very thick neck 18.5. I'm 6 foot 190 pounds and the shoulder seams are half way between my shoulder and my elbow.

So I need to be able to identify a specific fabric that will be thick enough and go to one of these online tailor shops with my measuremnts. But I'm afraid the fabric will be too thin. What are some fabric recomendations?

 

[JibranK]

Originally Posted by cearain

Hello

Short post:
What are some thick fabrics for white dress shirts?

Long post:

I usually have to wear a suit to work. I do not like to wear an undershirt because my undershirt always ends up getting untucked/bunched up above the waist and makes it look like I have a roll under my dress shirt. (I have no idea why my shirts refuse to stay tucked in but they don't stay put)

However I have dark hair on my chest and often with thinner dress shirts (especially white which I wear most often) you can see the chest hair. Not very professional.

So I have been looking for shirts with thick/opaque material. The thickest I have been able to find at *any* price is the enro 2 ply. They seem to cover me pretty well (although thicker would be better as the shirt gets a few washings it starts to get close to iffy) The other problem is I have a very thick neck 18.5. I'm 6 foot 190 pounds and the shoulder seams are half way between my shoulder and my elbow.

So I need to be able to identify a specific fabric that will be thick enough and go to one of these online tailor shops with my measuremnts. But I'm afraid the fabric will be too thin. What are some fabric recomendations?
Oxford cloth.

 

[Gus]

I like heavy twill for white cotton.

 

[Blackl3232]

Originally Posted by cearain

I do not like to wear an undershirt because my undershirt always ends up getting untucked/bunched up above the waist and makes it look like I have a roll under my dress shirt. (I have no idea why my shirts refuse to stay tucked in but they don't stay put)

Tuck the undershirt into your underwear.

 

[Captain.Kia]

Originally Posted by Blackl3232

Tuck the undershirt into your underwear.

you might get some stains there

 

[apropos]

'Euro 2 ply' means very little: 2-ply could mean 2x1 or 2x2, and 'Euro' could mean any of the following things - the cotton may be grown in Europe OR the mill may be in Europe OR the shirt may be tailored in Europe. Try Acorn shirting fabrics - not namby-pamby shirtings, but thick, sturdy, and well made stuff with some heft to it. Certainly not the 'ultrafine' tissue paper type cotton shirtings that while certainly luxurious feeling, crease when you so much as look at them, and are translucent to boot.

 

[wetnose]

Originally Posted by cearain

Hello Short post: What are some thick fabrics for white dress shirts? Long post: I usually have to wear a suit to work. I do not like to wear an undershirt because my undershirt always ends up getting untucked/bunched up above the waist and makes it look like I have a roll under my dress shirt. (I have no idea why my shirts refuse to stay tucked in but they don't stay put) However I have dark hair on my chest and often with thinner dress shirts (especially white which I wear most often) you can see the chest hair. Not very professional. So I have been looking for shirts with thick/opaque material. The thickest I have been able to find at *any* price is the enro 2 ply. They seem to cover me pretty well (although thicker would be better as the shirt gets a few washings it starts to get close to iffy) The other problem is I have a very thick neck 18.5. I'm 6 foot 190 pounds and the shoulder seams are half way between my shoulder and my elbow. So I need to be able to identify a specific fabric that will be thick enough and go to one of these online tailor shops with my measuremnts. But I'm afraid the fabric will be too thin. What are some fabric recomendations?
Like your short post/long post format.

It sounds like what you really need is a tailored shirt. Your measurements are certainly unique - neck of 18.5 but you're super slim. A tailored shirt would solve the issue of the weird shoulders seams, plus you can request the tailor to make the shirt have a longer tail, so that it'd tuck in like an ordinary shirt. Local tailors can help you out, or if you wish to use visiting tailors from HK, search the forum for jantzen and mytailor.com. The first one you do with them is basically the tweak shirt - where you tweak to your heart's content. Then once you're happy, you can start ordering for real. Also...I'm sure there's probably a big/tall store in your city. They might stock a big/tall version of the undershirt, that would have the longer tail so that it doesn't bunch up like the normal undershirt. In Canada we have undershirts made by Stansfelds, who have longer tails and always stay tucked in.

 

[stant62]

Originally Posted by Captain.Kia

you might get some stains there

Umm... unless you're a slob, then no.

I second that, tucking your shirt into your underwear really helps with the untucking.

 

[cearain]

Thank you all for your responses. I will check with a local tailor and look at some different materials.

Apropos the shirts I wear now, because they seem to have the thickest material, is an enro (not euro) 2 ply. The tag says "80s 2 ply non-iron pinpoint." But yes I see your point about the 2x1 or 2x2. I don't know if they are 2x2 or just 2x1.

It seems that when I find more expensive shirts they are often thinner and I can tell they will be see through after a few washes. I know that white dress shirts are often intended to be worn with an under shirt.

As far as tucking in the undershirt in the underwear I have done that. It still comes up as I move around during the day. I have worn longer undershirts and they don't come completely out but they do come out and start to bunch up right above my pants. I can easily retuck my dress shirt in, but the undershirt stays bunched up unless I go into the bathroom unbutton and retuck. The thicker enro shirts take care of this but they don't fit right in the shoulder.