Synthetic fibers in shirts and polos

[Kent Wang]

Why are there are so many shirts with synthetic fibers in them? Are they inherently inferior? I understand that synthetics are sometimes added to give the fabric stretch but for the purpose of men's clothing isn't the natural amount of stretch afforded by 100% cotton sufficient?

 

[whoopee]

Synthetics can hide poor quality cotton/wool by making them feel softer in the beginning. Of course, they do not wear as well. Some brands use the polyester stretch as a selling point. Some people find it more "modern". Prada Sport are associated with techno-fabrics, as Theory are with stretch, though they do make clothes wit natural fibres.

 

[Arethusa]

Trust me, you wouldn't want to see some cheap shirts without synthetics. I'm fairly certain an Express 1MX turns into a Van Heusen if you don't stuff it full of plastic.

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Trust me, you wouldn't want to see some cheap shirts without synthetics. I'm fairly certain an Express 1MX turns into a Van Heusen if you don't stuff it full of plastic.

Their 1MX shirts only have about 3% spandex or whatever the hell they use - do you think that makes a huge difference? The fabric always feels like it was treated with some sort of polymer spray.

Though the fabrics on the 100% cotton dress shirts are OK, and the 'premium woven cloth' shirts which also have 100% cotton can be quite nice.

 

[Babar]

Jil Sander and Prada use a fantastic cotton/nylon/elastane blend for their poplin stretch shirts. It's really well done and has a nice soft hand feel to it that seems to age very well. I'm not sure how Prada Sport shirts compare though

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I own a lot of tee with 50% poly/ 50% cotton. They retain their colour better than 100% cotton, they keep their shape better than 100% cotton (their inherent elasticity is higher). Overall, for tshirts, I kind of like the techno blends. Shirts get definitely too warm when made with synthetics though.

!luc

 

[Kent Wang]

Aren't some synthetics made to improve heat and sweat transfer like Underarmour and the undershirts the Army uses? Are there superiour techno-fabrics that are able to afford this advantage while still being attractive and comfortable?

I am mostly interested in tees and polos; for button-ups I am already sold on 100% cotton.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Aren't some synthetics made to improve heat and sweat transfer like Underarmour and the undershirts the Army uses? Are there superiour techno-fabrics that are able to afford this advantage while still being attractive and comfortable? I am mostly interested in tees and polos; for button-ups I am already sold on 100% cotton.
yes, some of these will keep you cool, you'll find them in athletic gear shops (think skiing, mountaineering...etc) and more important, they will keep you dry. Doesn't matter how much you sweat, the tee stays dry. But fashion wise, they are usually a little ... bland.

!luc

 

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Aren't some synthetics made to improve heat and sweat transfer like Underarmour and the undershirts the Army uses? Are there superiour techno-fabrics that are able to afford this advantage while still being attractive and comfortable? I am mostly interested in tees and polos; for button-ups I am already sold on 100% cotton.
They stink like a mofo. J's right, the Under Armor aren't as bad as others, but they still have their own funk.

 

[Get Smart]

I think the 50/50 tshirt is underrated. They do seem to age/wear better with time and when brand new I like the softness better than 100% cotton. I've never had a blend polo but I can see it being ok as long as there is more cotton than poly in the blend

 

[Kent Wang]

For some reason all the good vintage polos I have are 50/50. Whether this is because synthetics were more popular then or because they have better withstood the test of time, I'm not certain.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Ah yes, one bad thing with 100% poly, they just seem to "keep" the sweat smell inside. You can't get rid of it.

!luc